Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Movie's Casting Has 'I Love Lucy' Fans up in Arms
01/12/2021 02:42 am EST
Bardem's casting as one of the most famous Cubans in Hollywood history reminded many of the recent controversy surrounding Penelope Cruz. Back in October, Variety called out Universal Pictures for featuring Cruz as a Colombian character in the upcoming all-star spy movie The 355. Cruz, like her husband Bardem, is also Spanish. She was born in Madrid and is not Colombian or Latina. Jessica Chastain, who stars in The 355 and is one of its executive producers, defended the decision.
"When I had the idea of making this film, we didn't have a script or financing," Chastain told Variety. "Penelope was incredibly helpful in this regard. After conversations with our consultant, I brought her the idea that she could play a fervent agent from Brazil. She mentioned that it wouldn't be right for her to play a character from Brazil, as the majority language is Portuguese." Chastain went on to note that "approximately 80%" of Colombia's population has "European or mixed European heritage." She added, "We settled on a character who is a descendant from the colonization of Spain in the New World."
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