It’s been 15 years since the last Tron movie, starring actors like Olivia Wilde, Garrett Hedlund, and Jeff Bridges. While that movie had a primarily Caucasian cast, its sequel Tron: Ares features more representation – including Latino actor Arturo Castro, who plays a neurotic programmer named Seth. As part of the film’s press circuit, Remezcla got the chance to speak to the Guatemalan actor about Latino representation and who he’d like to act with next.
For context, data shows that film and television lack Latine representation, but it seems that major production companies are somewhat catching on to hiring our talented actors as more than a diversity token. Though we don’t know what the future in film and television will bring, we are happy to see an increase of much-needed Latine representation in huge franchises.
For example, the latest season of The Last of Us not only featured Latino actors Pedro Pascal and Gabriel Luna from season one, but also brought in more Latine actors like Isabela Merced and Danny Ramirez to the mix. By doing this, it helps prove that Latine actors can play characters without the need to fit stereotypes, which seems to be the mark Disney is hitting with Castro’s Seth.
“It’s amazing. Listen, it’s such an honor to be able to play three-dimensional characters, which wasn’t always the case, right?” Castro told Remezcla about the film’s diverse cast. “And the fact that Disney does it in such a way that’s such a light touch. Nothing like ‘Check out how diverse [the cast is]’, it’s just about people being three-dimensional, neurotic, and being afraid, and being funny, etc.”
He continued: “And that’s the best thing you can do for a representation – to normalize it. So I’m really honored to be the one representing us [Latines] in this franchise. I would do it again in a heartbeat.” He also thanked the actors who came before him, who pioneered roles “like Pedro Pascal, [who is] just a guy in a movie, that happens to be Latin.” Moreover, another Tron: Ares cast member who’s also representing her culture is Greta Lee. Lee plays Eve Kim, an Asian lead in the new film.
Castro’s inclusion in Tron: Ares goes beyond this film. It means he’s now part of the Disney universe – a huge milestone for actors of any caliber. For his long-time fans, it’s a major and long-awaited feat brewing from his days in Broad City (2014 to 2019) – and we hope it isn’t his last with Disney.
When asked what other Latinos he’d like to work with in Disney-related productions, he mentioned four A-list names that have – in their own way – taken Latine representation to the next level in the last decade or so. “Diego Luna… I’ve always loved him. Also, as a person, he seems awesome. So I would jump at any opportunity to work with Diego Luna,” Castro told Remezcla. He also manifested working alongside Gael García Bernal, Pascal (again after indirectly working with him in Narcos), and Oscar Isaac.
While we might have to wait until his aforementioned manifestations come true, what you can watch now is his newest role as Seth, alongside other actors like Jared Leto, Evan Peters, and Bridges. Tron: Ares is out in theaters now.
