James Franco’s casting as Fidel Castro in the forthcoming film Alina of Cuba: La Hija Rebelde has caused a stir for a number of reasons. The most obvious difference is that Castro was a true Cuban and Franco is not. Castro’s daughter Alina Fernández has spoken out about the casting, expressing her satisfaction with the predominantly Hispanic cast. Except, of course, Franco, who plays the lead. Ana Villafae will portray Fernández in the film. “The project is virtually exclusively Latino, both in front of and behind the camera,” Fernández told Deadline.
She went on to express her gratitude for Franco’s casting and to comment on how much he resembled her father. James Franco, in addition to his talent and charm, bears a striking likeness to the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro.” After being sued for sexual misconduct, Franco settled for $2.2 million with two of his ex-students. Franco’s first new acting roles since the release of the coming-of-age film Me, You include Alina of Cuba: La Hija Rebelde. Now that Franco has been accused of sexual misbehaviour and paid out for it, I take it he can just return to the acting industry despite the fact that he is not Cuban.
Fernández tells Deadline, “I think the choices of the cast are wonderful.” “Ana Villafane is exceptionally gifted, and not just as an actor; she is also a superb vocalist, a really complete artist. She said, “I’m excited to see Ma Maestro, an actress I greatly respect, develop the role of Naty, my mother. Despite Fernández being seemingly fine with Franco’s casting, we’ve already reported on how actor John Leguizamo criticized the casting writing “It begs the question, “How is this still happening?” Leguizamo cast doubt on the claim. How is it that Hollywood not only ignores us but also steals our stories?
Stop stealing our ideas, Hollywood! Boycott! What the F! It’s a tough story to convey without sounding boastful, which is unethical. Franco is not Latino, but that’s not an issue for me.” He has also published a second video detailing his displeasure with the selection.
John Martinez O’Felan, the film’s producer, addressed Leguizamo’s criticisms in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying: I’ve always looked up to John Leguizamo as a fellow underdog since he’s been revered by Hispanics as one of America’s early performers of Latin heritage since the 1990s.
His remarks, on the other hand, display a shocking lack of cultural awareness and are an uninformed, baseless attack on the initiative.” Franco is not Cuban, he has been accused of sexual misconduct, and he appears to be less important to the plot than Villafae’s interpretation of Fernández, making this casting a triple whammy. It’s not simply another “oh this annoying” moment, but rather a window into how aggravating the Hollywood system still is, since the choice of Franco has placed a shadow on the picture and caused people to want to boycott it.