Nuyorican actress Rosie Perez has never been shy about the struggles of being an actress of color, but opportunities keep arising and audiences are fortunate to continue to see her in intriguing work. After recently joining the cast of the Ben Affleck and Anne Hathaway Netflix drama, The Last Thing He Wanted, Perez isn’t slowing down.
The Hollywood Reporter recently revealed that Perez will be joining actresses Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Jurnee Smollett-Bell in the upcoming DC comics adaptation, Birds of Prey. Perez will play Gotham City police detective Renee Montoya, one of the “most prominent” LGTBQ characters written for the DC universe. Comic readers will know Renee Montoya eventually becomes The Question, a faceless detective character.
The casting for this Cathy Yan-directed superhero feature is shaping up to be amazing. The diverse band of women assembled is great to see, and Perez gives an extra air of clout – never forget she’s a Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated star. With the superhero landscape on the big screen looking fairly grim for Latinx characters, seeing Renee Montoya introduced could finally kick open the door for a feature film with a major Latina superhero. Regardless, it’s just great to see Perez in some many unique movies, especially one like Birds of Prey that will (hopefully) give her a starring role as things develop.
Birds of Prey hits theaters February 7, 2020.