By Bel Hernandez
The absence of on-camera Latinos in films and at this year’s 90th Oscars® telecast is not the Academy of Motion Picture’s doing, it is the doing of the executives running the studios and the major production companies who obviously feel Latinos don’t matter other than to pay their $9 at the boxoffice. However the Academy, and the producers of this year’s Oscars® are being inclusive, and in the first round of presenter have selected a relative unknown Chilean actress and singer Daniela Vega, to a group of formidable talent, most of which are Oscars® or nominees or winners.
This morning the 90th Oscars® announced their first slate of presenters, and as good fortune would have it Daniela Vega, who stars in the Oscar nominated foreign film The Fantastic Woman, will be one of the presenters. She is among the first round of presenters selected Mahershala Ali, Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Laura Dern, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig, Tiffany Haddish, Tom Holland, Kumail Nanjiani, Margot Robbie, and Emma Stone.
Vega, with only one other film under her belt (The Guest) and a handful of TV shows in Chile, has been lauded by U.S. press for her breakout role in A Fantastic Woman. Such was her performance that it elicited talk of her being a front runner for an Oscar nomination, with Variety calling her performance “a feat of acting.” If nominated, Vega would have been the first transgender person to ever garner an Oscar nomination for acting.
“Whether returning to the Oscars® stage, or gracing it for the first time, each of these artists bring their own distinguishing and energetic appeal,” said Producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, producers of the telecast. “Their contributions will make for an unforgettable evening.”
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will air live Sunday, March 4, on the ABC Television Network.
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