Like many people one of my favorite movie franchises are the Star Wars films. They start off with a very white cast, but with the newest additions to the Star Wars stories we have seen many Latinos enter the galaxy. As a Latina and huge fan this has meant the world to me, especially after seeing Benicio Del Toro (a fellow Boricua*) in the newest film The Last Jedi. So here I am to talk about the excellence of Latinos in the Star Wars films.
Of course I have to start off with Puerto Rican Benicio Del Toro. Where we see Del Toro in Star Wars is in his role as DJ in The Last Jedi. He was born in San German, Puerto Rico and is probably best known for his role as Javier Rodriguez in Steven Spielberg’s Traffic that lead him to win an Oscar in 2001 for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Del Toro has also been in many other amazing and well-known films such as Sicario where he played Alejandro a conflicted character seeking revenge. Not only has he made his way into the Star Wars franchise, but he can also be found in the Marvel Movie franchise as The Collector. If you’re an avid watcher of the Marvel movies like I am, I hope this gets you excited to spot him in Avengers: Infinity War.
One of the first major Latino played roles we see in the Star Wars films is Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Not many people know or even realize Isaac is Latino. He was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and he is both Guatemalan and Cuban. Like Del Toro we also see Isaac in the Marvel world. Isaac played Apocalypse in X-Men: Apocalypse (I realize Fox owns X-Men, but it’s all MCU). With his gaining popularity from the Star Wars films this award-winning Latino actor is making us proud. I can’t wait to continue seeing him in Star Wars and other future films, hopefully some that will embrace his Latino background.
Speaking of embracing Latino background we move on to Diego Luna, also know in Star Wars as Cassian Andor from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Luna, who was born in Mexico City, Mexico, is actually half White and half Mexican. When Rogue One first came out many Latinos, especially Mexicans were extremely touched to hear Luna’s accent present in the film as part of his character. It was wonderful to see how something that can seem so small as just hearing a specific accent struck such a chord with people. I remember seeing how empowered people felt and it was even comforting to me to hear his accent. Growing up around Spanish speakers who have heavy accents and seeing it in movies makes me feel like maybe we’ve become more united after all. To hear this accent in such a popular movie franchise too is just amazing and hopefully influential to other future films.
Benicio Del Toro, Oscar Isaac, and Diego Luna are really just some of the Latinos who have been featured in the Star Wars films. There are a few more but I hope this post encourages you to find these people and learn more about them and the other films they’ve been in or will soon be in. In order to get more Latino representation we need to heavily show our support for the representation that is already there. Spark the hope that already exists, as Jyn Erso once said “Rebellions are built on hope”. Let the gatekeepers know we see it, we support it, and what do we want? More!
*Boricua- A Puerto Rican
Latinx Represente 