The recent announcement that James Franco will play Fidel Castro in the upcoming movie Alina of Cuba did not sit well with actor John Leguizamo. Shortly after the news was made public, Leguizamo took to social media to blast the casting of Franco in the role. The Encanto star says he has no problem with Franco personally but that “he ain’t Latino.” As Leguizamo put it:
Alina of Cuba producer John Martinez O’Felan has since responded to Leguizamo’s comments in a statement provided to THR. O’Felan referred to the post as a “blind attack” and suggests that perhaps Leguizamo is mistaken on what it truly means to be “Latino.” He seems to then reference Franco’s Portuguese descent with a reference to “blood history.”
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The producer went on to suggest that comments like this only create division in their community.
Alina of Cuba Is Not a Fidel Castro Biopic
Gambit Pictures
While James Franco will have a sizable role in the film as Fidel Castro, Alina of Cuba is not a biopic about the former Cuban leader. The focus is primarily on his love child, Alina Fernandez, who was born from an affair. After getting older and learning about her true heritage, Fernandez wound up becoming a very outspoken critic of the Cuban government and eventually fled for a new life elsewhere in the early 1990s. O’Felan wants to remind Leguizamo that Alina of Cuba is about Fernandez and not Castro.
Alina of Cuba will be directed by Miguel Bardem and it is written by Jose Rivera and Nilo Cruz. Alongside Franco will be Mia Maestro as Natalia “Naty” Revuelta, Fernandez’s mother who has an affair with Castro. Fernandez will be played by Ana Villafane. The movie doesn’t yet have a release date.
