When Latino characters are on the screen, they’re often playing up stereotypes. And though we’re finally getting some characters who have proven to be much more dynamic – Jane Villanueva in Jane the Virgin or the women from Orange Is the New Black, for example – this is still not the norm.
In the second episode of Mic‘s Flip the Script, Broad City‘s Arturo Castro gave his own personal experiences going out for auditions. “You spend a lot of time getting rid of your accent,” he said. “But the first thing they ask you for, usually, especially when I first started, is an accent. One guy said, ‘Pretend you jumped over yesterday.’”
Using his past experiences, Castro, who has also tried to bring a different kind of Latino to the screen with his Alternatino, and Mic’s Liz Plank held their own auditions. This time, they had gringos act more white. And it’s amazing, because you can hear Castro say that he really “heard the whiteness” and it captures absurdity of these requests.
It’s not the first time people have confronted how ridiculous casting sessions can be if you’re not white. Three years ago, Nicole Byer’s”Be Blacker” sketch also touched on this subject.
After you’ve gotten your fill of these sketches, check out what auditioning is like if you’re not a white actor here.