There is immense pressure on Ortega and other Latina actors to represent a whole community onscreen, something that is pretty much impossible for a community that spans across dozens of countries, cultures, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and hundreds of Indigenous languages. What complicates the matter further is that Latine representation on screen in the U.S. is generally mediated by the white American public and what the American establishment understands as Latine enough. According to a study by McKinsey & Company, Latines account for 4% of on-screen roles in theatrically released films, compared to 68% white American, 16% Asian American, and 6% Black American. For a diaspora that is so diverse, the little representation we have turns the community into a monolith that erases experiences that don’t fit into the white American imaginary.
