James Franco has reportedly been tapped to play Fidel Castro in an upcoming movie from director Miguel Bardem — and John Leguizamo just isn’t a fan.
Titled Alina of Cuba: La Hija Rebelde (which interprets to, “Alina of Cuba: The Insurgent Daughter”), the biopic will likely be targeted on the late Cuban chief’s daughter Alina Fernández, with a script from Oscar-nominated screenwriter José Rivera and Pulitzer winner Nilo Cruz, Deadline reviews.
Arturo Holmes/Getty; Goal Presse Agentur Gmbh/Getty John Leguizamo (L); James Franco
In a Friday Instagram put up, Leguizamo, 58, wrote, “How is that this nonetheless occurring? How is Hollywood excluding us however stealing our narratives as properly? No extra appropriation Hollywood and streamers! Boycott! This F’d up!”
“Plus critically tough story to inform with out aggrandizement which might b flawed! I do not acquired a prob with Franco however he ain’t Latino!” the actor continued.
Franco, 44, is from Portuguese and Swedish descent on his father Doug Franco’s aspect, whereas his mom, Betsy Franco, is of Russian Jewish descent.
Reps for Franco didn’t instantly reply to PEOPLE’s request for remark.
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Daniele Venturelli / Getty Pictures; Photograph Courtesy of Library of Congress James Franco (L); Fidel Castro
In accordance with Deadline, Ana Villafañe will play Fernandez within the movie, whereas Mía Maestro will step into the function of Natalia “Naty” Revuelta, whom Castro had an affair with and was the mom of Fernández.
Alina of Cuba “follows the true-life story of Cuban exile turned social advocate, Fernández, whose beginning was the results of the tryst between Revuelta and Castro,” per Deadline. The movie will likely be shot beginning Aug. 15 in Cartagena and Bogotá, Colombia, the outlet reviews.
Leguizamo, in the meantime, has been outspoken previously about feeling like it’s nonetheless an uphill battle to get Hollywood on board on the subject of Latinx illustration.
“We’re lower than 1% of the tales advised by Hollywood and streaming media and networks after we’re virtually 20% of the inhabitants, 25% of the U.S. field workplace,” the Romeo + Juliet actor advised PEOPLE in 2020. “I simply really feel prefer it’s such a injury to children to not see themselves mirrored again in optimistic methods.”
Leguizamo, who was born in Colombia, began writing his personal materials early in his profession, leading to critically acclaimed stage reveals like 1990’s Mambo Mouth, 1992’s Spic-O-Rama, 1998’s Freak and, extra not too long ago, 2016’s Latin Historical past for Morons. All of them satirized Latino stereotypes via the actor’s personal life experiences, and aimed to show the viewers extra about his neighborhood.
“Whenever you see your self represented, you’re feeling validated. You’re feeling like you might have an opportunity. I feel a whole lot of my profession has been motivated by that,” the Vital Pondering director advised PEOPLE of battling for Latino illustration. “Rising up in America, they do not speak about Latin writers or educate Latin historical past or accomplishments. Negatively, that has an hostile impact on different communities us, who do not know what we have performed.”
Studies of Franco’s involvement in Alina of Cuba come lower than a month after it was introduced that he’d been solid within the coming-of-age interval drama Me, You, marking his return to appearing 4 years after being confronted with sexual misconduct allegations.
The Hollywood Reporter mentioned earlier this month that Franco can be starring within the upcoming motion film Mace. His most up-to-date roles embrace voicing a personality within the 2019 film Arctic Canines and the third and ultimate season of HBO’s The Deuce that very same yr.
The Pineapple Categorical actor was accused of sexually inappropriate conduct by 5 girls, 4 of whom have been his appearing college students, in an article revealed by the Los Angeles Occasions in January 2018.
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On the time, an legal professional for Franco denied every of the allegations and cited the actor’s 2018 feedback on The Late Present with Stephen Colbert as his formal denial: “The issues that I heard that have been on Twitter aren’t correct, however I fully help individuals popping out and having the ability to have a voice as a result of they did not have a voice for therefore lengthy. So I do not need to, you already know, shut them down in any means.”
Final yr, Franco reached a cope with Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal — two of his former appearing college students who filed a sexual-misconduct lawsuit in opposition to him in 2019. Information from the Los Angeles Superior Court docket at acknowledged that he agreed to pay $2,235,000 within the settlement.
Franco broke his silence in December 2021 on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Podcast, saying that he’d “been doing a whole lot of work” on himself.