Wakanda Forever: Why Representation Matters
If you haven’t heard yet, the second Black Panther movie is out now and with even more representation than before! There’s new faces, but one that we want to talk about specifically is Tenoch Huerta, or better known by his recent role’s name, Namor, the king of the underwater kingdom. Huerta was born in Mexico and represents people of Mexican and indigenous heritage in the movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
People were excited to see Huerta in this movie, and they were also happy that there was going to be representation in such a big movie and in the Marvel franchise overall. However, there have been some people who spoke negatively about Huerta receiving this role and expressed how upset they were when his role in the film was announced.
Some news anchors from the Mexican news show, ADN 40, shared their dismay by stating, “How can a brown skinned Mexican get this role?” They went on to say that he was taking important roles from lighter skinned Mexicans. This was very bothersome to hear, especially because at the end of the day, Tenoch is representing Mexicans and indigenous people, and the anchors who talked about him are also Mexican. You would think that they would be excited and proud of him for providing more representation. They went on to say that these roles should be given to those who have the right set of skills for the project and not based on skin color. They seemed to put down Huerta’s skills.
For years, the main roles in movies and telenovelas have been given to lighter and fairer skinned Mexicans, and they have overlooked others who just so happen to be a bit darker for the main roles in these projects. Colorism is something that is present in many Latin American countries, Mexico included. It was disappointing to see and hear this from other Mexicans. They were bashing their own, just because of his skin color, instead of being excited to see more representation.
In an interview, Tenoch mentioned that if he had auditioned for a leading role in Mexico, he probably wouldn’t have gotten it. He went on to say that he was proud and happy to have gotten this role because it shows others that they can also have a leading role. He shared that for a long time, television shows and films had looked to be made for “Scandinavians.” This is in reference to main roles being given to white Mexicans, while those who are brown-skinned actors get nothing or alternatively, the roles they do get are stereotypical and looked down upon.
Instead of putting down others, we should be glad that more representation is being given in big name movies and franchises. Tenoch Huerta did an amazing job in the film, and it means a lot to many viewers who are now able to see a piece of themselves on the big screen.
Representation. Matters.