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Myth: Hispanics are portrayed accurately on TV |
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| With few exceptions, actors who are cast in Hispanic roles on American television usually fit commonly-accepted phenotypes. Among this group are (from left to right below) Cheech Marin, Wilmer Valderrama, Anthohy Ruivivar, Tia Texada, Judy Reyes and Shelley Morrison who is actually descended from Sephardic Jews. The industry still views the typical Latino as being an uneducated immigrant with certain racial characteristics: darker skin and a heavy Spanish accent, say Harry Pachon and Manuel Valencia of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute. |
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| Television's invisible Hispanics |
| The misconception that Hispanics are part of a single race has led to a seldom-mentioned irony in the world of television. As noted by Félix Sánchez, chairman of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, Hispanic actors who speak standard English and do not fit the expected racial stereotypes are usually cast in non-Hispanic roles. Among the Hispanic actors who have appeared on television and do not play Hispanic roles are (from left to right below): Martin Sheen (Ramon Estevez), Charlie Sheen (Carlos Estevez), Frankie Muñiz, Eddie Cibrian, Majandra Delfino and Sarah Ramos. |
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| A vivid example of TV's racial typecasting can be seen in a single NBC show, Third Watch. The program featured three of the Hispanic actors pictured above: Eddie Cibrian, Anthony Ruivivar and Tia Texada. Cibrian was born in California of Cuban parents. He played Jimmy Doherty, a non-Hispanic character. Ruivivar and Texada, whose phenotypes more closely fit the expected Latino image, played Hispanic characters. |
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| Afro-Latinos virtually ignored |
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Perhaps the most blatant example of racial stereotyping involves Black Hispanics. Despite the fact that 18% of the population of Latin America is of African descent (compared to 12% for the United States), appearances or roles for Hispanics of African descent have been virtually non-existent on U.S. television. The only notable exception was a 2003 Dr. Pepper spot featuring Celia Cruz, the late Afro-Cuban salsa legend. |
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