Latina actresses wanted -- the non-hot-blodded need not apply.
Casting calls circulating online for reality shows in search of Latinas are raising a furor from Hispanic bloggers who slam the want ads for appealing to stereotypes.
Here’s a call from Dam Legacy Entertainment searching for a sexy mother modeled on the Gloria Delgado-Pritchett character from “Modern Family” to play a Hispanified tiger mother.
Do your friends describe you as a HOT Latina mom...even go so far to call you the real life Sofia Vegara? (sic)
New TV Show is now searching for hot blooded, passionate, attractive, Latina moms that have effectively raised successful children through real life, old-school Latin traditions…
Requirements: Real Latina Moms who are as big and brash and full of confidence in their parenting style! Should have at least on (sic) kid in his/her 20's.
Chica and the City was the first to blast the want ad, calling it “highly offensive.” From the blog:
Also, don’t forget that no matter how tough-as-nails you mamacitas are, you still have to be muy caliente! Casting directors are looking for the Sofia Vergara type. Considering Sofia has never publicly confessed to being especially strict on her now 20-something year old son, Manolo, one may be led to believe that the Sofia Vergara-esque qualities being sought in cast members are more of the aesthetic variety, rather than a reflection of her parenting style.
Despite the ad’s atrocious spelling, Dam Legacy Entertainment appears to be a legitimate company. Its president, Marie Malyszek, was the lead casting director for MTV networks, according to her Linked In profile -- drawing an exasperated “Why does that not surprise us?” from Latino Rebels.
Dam Legacy Entertainment isn’t the only one looking to cast some “hot Latinas” -- there’s also this reality TV opportunity:
495 Productions & Doron Ofir Casting are on the hunt for fiery, passionate, Spanish speaking bilingual goddesses who are those beautiful, exciting, mami chulas NY is notorious for! You’ve got the style, the body, the fashion, the passion and the tough exterior to protect your corazón gigante that beats to the rhythm of Salsa and Meringue (sic), and pumps with the heat of the Spanish Caribbean.
Those selected will appear in “Mi Vida Loca,” a “multi-generational N.Y. neighborhood based reality docu-soap,” according to a press release distributed by PR NewsChannel.
Isn’t it cute how these casting notices read like excerpts from the diary of that old white millionaire that took out a billboard ad for a latina girlfriend? Isn’t it impressive how many offensive stereotypes they manage to hit? Isn’t it crazy how well these production companies understand the innate fiery, passionate, hot & loud nature all of us latinas have?
As Latinos become an ever-larger chunk of the U.S. populace, media companies are trying to reach out to the community in an attempt to attract viewers. But their efforts often fall flat.
Sofia Vergara’s stereotypical “hot Latina” character on “Modern Family” may have helped make her the highest-paid actress on television, but the show drew an average of less than 800,000 Latino viewers last year, according to the New York Times. That figure pales in comparison to competing shows on Spanish-language television, like telenovela “La Que No Podía Amar,” which fielded 5.2 million viewers.
The casting calls modeled on Vergara’s character alienated at least one potential viewer on Twitter: