Hollywood has a way of taking one step forward and two steps back when it comes to representation. It was recently announced that James Franco is set to portray Fidel Castro in the upcoming film Alina of Cuba.
Miguel Bardem, the cousin of Javier Bardem, who played Desi Arnaz in the entertainer’s biopic, is the one making the movie and also cast Ana Villafañe to portray Alina Fernandez, Castro’s daughter. The film follows the life of Fernandez, who was the result of Castro’s affair with the popular Cuban socialite Natalia “Naty” Revuelta, played by Mía Maestro.
The independent film is being shot in Cartagena and Bogota, Colombia, with filming set to start on August 15, 2022.
Fernandez wasn’t told that her father was “El Commandante” until she was 10 when she learned that her mother sacrificed her family’s belongings and finances to launch the communist revolution. She made headlines in 1993 when she defected to Spain and became one of Castor’s most outspoken critics. She later relocated to Miami and made the city her permanent home.
Response from social media users has been swift and critical of casting Franco to play the brutal Cuban dictator instead of a Latine or Cuban actor for the role.
A couple of actors chimed in on the role and auditioning in Hollywood.
Some were suggesting other options like Pedro Pascal.
Others were already poking fun at the sheer “what is going on?” of it all.
And some were throwing it back to the shelving on Batgirl.
According to a statement from John Martinez O’Felan, the project’s lead creative producer, the search for the actor to portray Castro came down to physical likeness using Castro’s “ancient Galician heraldry as our focal compass.” He further articulated that the production company combed through hopefuls focusing on Spanish and Portuguese heritage as a way of coming to Franco to play Castro.