Los Angeles, CA – On February 25, 2018, an audio file was posted of acting coach Lesly Kahn asking a non-Latino student to pose as Latina as an experiment to get more acting jobs. In the audio Ms. Kahn told the actress to go so far as to change her name to Rosa Ramirez and get new headshots taken with dyed hair, a red dress, and sparkly earrings.
The following statements were released to provide an update on events that have taken place since the occurrence. Alex Nogales, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) had the following to say:
“As you all know, in February, we commented on an audio file where Lesly Kahn made unfortunate statements about the Latino community that demonstrated a misunderstanding about the obstacles faced by Latino actors. We’ve now met three times with Lesly Kahn and she has expressed deep remorse for her words and has volunteered to create a substantive scholarship actor training program for Latino actors who wish to seek jobs and representation in film and television. It is lamentable when these things happen, but it also speaks volumes when the person who committed the infraction agrees to an MOU and creates a program to not only help right the wrong but be part of the solution to change an industry that is severely lacking Latino representation.”
Thomas A. Saenz, Chair of the National Latino Media Coalition and President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund had the following to say:
“Lesly Kahn has agreed to help solve the problem of Latino underrepresentation in movies and other media. That is a welcome development and a clear indication of the significance and urgency of the issue.”
“I am looking forward to using my personal experience as an acting teacher as well as that of everyone on our staff and faculty to help contribute to making a major difference in our business and being part of increasing Latino representation in the industry,“ said Kahn.
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