In case you’re living under a rock, The Last of Us’ second installment is premiering this weekend (April 13)! After Season 1 left us on the edge of our seats, Season 2 is here to dig deep into the repercussions of the characters’ decisions. But besides the epic narratives, The Last of Us doubles as a celebration of Latines in film, with more than one Latine actor on board — beyond Pedro Pascal’s Joel.
It’s no secret that film and television shows have a lack of Latine representation. According to a report by USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released in 2023, only 10 lead or co-lead roles (8.5%) in the 100 top-grossing movies released in 2022 were brought to life by Latine/Hispanic actors. With so much Latine talent, why aren’t there more films and television shows casting them? Well, Hollywood might not have it together, but HBO is starting to connect the dots — sort of.
Cue in: The Last of Us. The series is so popular that the producers have already revealed a third season before the second season has even premiered. This gives us hope for shows with multiple Latine actors in them. In Season 2, Latine actors Isabela Merced (Dina) and Danny Ramirez (Manny) join the Season 1’s castmembers Pascal and Gabriel Luna (Tommy) — making it clear that there’s space for more than one or two Latine actors in hit shows.
“It is one of the most watched shows in the history of shows, and there are four Latinos that are in it…” Ramirez told Remezcla on The Last of Us red carpet in Hollywood, CA. “It’s a long time coming, I think to me it’s incredibly obvious that we have a lot to give and that we’re able to push stories and bring audiences to love and cherish our characters and to adventure in this world with us.”
He continued, drawing a connection between being in the cast and how he grew up. “Being raised in a house of all Latinos it’s so obvious how much magic we have and what we have to bring in the same way that Hollywood’s previously moved and we get to continue moving the story forward.”
Ramirez isn’t the only one thrilled about the long-awaited inclusion. His castmate Luna is also enjoying the moment. “It’s a beautiful young cast that’s part of this,” Luna said during this year’s La Cena red carpet. “I think it’s amazing to see all of them [the Latine cast] in one place. It’s going to be very special, particularly for our community.”
“I think it’s a badge of honor and it’s proven positive that what we do works, what we do sells, what we do is some of the best television and film in the world,” he continued. “And our show, having the immense success it’s had, it shows that yeah, you can have a Latino lead and have his handsome younger brother and all of these other beautiful people who I just mentioned are going to be on the second season.”
He also brought up a good point about the characters not being Latine stereotypes. “[It also shows] you can have a very successful show, and none of them are playing stereotypes, they’re all playing real human beings with a multitude of experience, and I think that’s what is really wonderful about our show.”
For context, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative also found that 24.4 percent of top-billed Hispanic/Latino characters were depicted as immigrants or low-income characters. Forty percent of Hispanic/Latino characters were also portrayed as “angry or temperamental.” The Last of Us will hopefully help change future statistics.
And what can we expect from Season 2? Remezcla’s writer Lissete Lanuza Sáenz reviewed season 2 of The Last of Us and said, “will surely elicit many emotions and likely deliver some well-deserved awards to the protagonists of this tale.”
The Last of Us Season 2 will premiere on HBO on April 13.
