Posted on 04/14/2006 10:01:43 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES - Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn protest the war. Leonardo DiCaprio has taken on global warming and Mike Farrell stands vigil against the death penalty.
But when it comes to immigration reform a controversy in Hollywood's own backyard stars have largely been unseen and unheard. Fear of career damage, confusion over a complex issue abruptly supercharged by waves of nationwide protests, and historic detachment from Latino realities are among the explanations offered by industry insiders and observers.
Not that the movement has needed famous standard bearers it has been notable for its bottom-up genesis that has left it without recognizable leaders.
Still, there are no good excuses for the celebrity vacuum, Latino rights groups contend.
"I remember the (black) civil rights struggle, when we had people like Harry Belafonte coming forth and being at the head and knowing the subject matter really well," said Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. "We're missing that here."
Do famous Latinos have a moral obligation to get involved?
"Of course," Nogales said. "This is part and parcel of being a Latino and having the responsibility to safeguard our community. The more visible ones have to take a stand. They can't always be safe."
There have been only scattered celebrity sightings at marches, with Academy Award-nominated actor Edward James Olmos (the new HBO movie "Walkout," "Stand and Deliver") the best-known.
A few other prominent Latinos, including actor-comedian George Lopez and filmmaker Gregory Nava, candidly address the public debate and the role they will or won't play.
"I agree with them (Latino advocates) in saying we should get involved," Lopez said. "I think the thing that frightens Hollywood right now is it's such a powder keg they're afraid of getting burned, as public figures."
For Olmos, his involvement represents yet another chapter in a lifetime of activism. He considers the immigration issue central to the crucial debate over humane economic treatment of people worldwide.
"I think it's important (to get involved) because of the complexity of the issues that are involved," he said. "I wish there was a simple answer to this but I think both sides have to come to terms with the realities of what we're facing."
Another prominent activist of Latino background, Martin Sheen, was away after wrapping "The West Wing" and unavailable, his agent said. Sheen has been a highly visible supporter of immigrants rights in the past.
Sarandon, Ed Begley Jr. and Ed Asner, all known for their political outspokenness, were contacted for interviews but either were unavailable (in Sarandon's case) or did not return phone calls or e-mail requests.
Lopez, among television's best-known Latinos as star and executive producer of A's comedy series "George Lopez," said that what gives him personal pause is the intricacy of the issue, which has stymied Congress as well as the average citizen.
And in an industry that has only begun to crack the door for Latino talent, Lopez's success can't help but seem vulnerable to fallout from political activism.
"I've managed to cross over" and draw both Latino and non-Latino fans, he said. "A lot of us try and don't succeed. Are you willing to risk it all. ... Are you willing to become a lighting road for immigrant rights?"
The equation is different for Latino performers who have gained fame through Spanish-language media. A publicist representing stars from Univision, the popular Spanish-language network, called the National Hispanic Media Coalition to offer their services.
There are risks in speaking out politically, acknowledged former "M-A-S-H" TV star Farrell, and that may preoccupy some celebrities with a history of activism.
"There are some people who have been battered and beaten as a result of their opposition to the war," he said, "that I think they are a little less willing to stick their heads out from their shells."
The people-powered protests have made celebrity involvement seem inconsequential, added Farrell, who said he's taken part in immigration-related events in recent months, including a protest against the Minuteman Project civilian border patrol group.
Olmos refused to criticize colleagues who haven't spoken up.
"Everybody has to deal with their own situation and their own insights and own feeling about their passion," he said. "I'm sure everybody is trying to do the best they can."
There are other ways to engage in and influence social debate besides marching, said writer-director Nava, whose "El Norte" (1983) was a landmark depiction of the forces pushing people north across the U.S. border and the dangers they face.
"As a filmmaker, I can put a face and a heart and a soul to these numbers and statistics, these `shadows' in our society, people from all over Mexico, Latin America, that are here to work," said Nava. "I feel the most powerful thing filmmakers can do is make movies."
Lopez is considering that path it's possible, he said, an immigration story line may pop up on his sitcom next season.
Nava, who created the Latino TV saga "American Family" and is completing the upcoming film "Bordertown" with Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas, suggested it may be premature to call out Latino artists for their lack of activism. Everyone was staggered by the protest turnouts, he said, and predicted other stars will join in time.
One person unsurprised by the white-dominated industry's inability to connect with the issue is Lisa Navarette, spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza, a Latino civil rights organization.
Stars jump into debates over global warming and the Iraq war because their friends and peers are talking those subjects up, Navarette said. Most in the industry don't deal with Latinos beyond their presence as domestic help.
"You drive by your gardener, you walk by your maid, but you're not necessarily connected to them in any way," she said.
Because their nannies, gardeners, and housekeepers are all illgeal.
got that right!
Cowards in Hollywood? Who knew?
WHAT DOES J-LO THINK????
La Raza, a Latino civil rights organization........
HA HA HA HA HA
Probably because the hollywood types had to come to the USA LEGALLY with an entertainer visa.
Anybody call Cheech and Chong?
They treat them like Status Symbols. It reminds me of Slave Owners.
"You drive by your gardener, you walk by your maid, but you're not necessarily connected to them in any way," she said."
Yes, I've felt that way myself. (Rolleyes)
You betcha they love that cheap guy from Mexico Manual Labor'
Who would sort through all their weekly trash and make sure they stay green oriented..?
Norm !
It IS interesting how quiet they are all of a sudden.
Wasn't that a great summer we had yesterday??! A little too short, though.
~</:o)
It hit 76 or so here, had the ceiling fan going last night,, whew!, it's dribbling here now tho.
Ok, did I miss it or did the word illegal not show up anywhere in this "article?"
More than a dribble here.....another front is moving in.
I'm sooooooo sick of it.
What a second. So now Spanish (i.e. from Spain) is also considered Latino? I figured Spaniards would be considered among the European invaders who will have to go back once La Raza takes over.
How about Italians? A case can be made that Italians should be considered the original Latinos.
This race-baiter must love the smell of his own farts. To what monolithic "Latino" community does Nogales refer? Does he mean Puerto-Ricans, who are automatically American citizens by virtue of their birth? Does he refer to Cuban-Americans, most of whom came here to flee from communism and tend to vote conservative? Does he refer to South American entrepeneurs who come to legally participate in our capitalist economy? Or what about plain-ole "Latinos" like me, whose families came here legally, paid their taxes, became citizens and encouraged their children to be responsible Americans?
If what Nogales means is that all powerful Hispanic-Americans must support illegal immigration because most illegals are Hispanic, then he's off his friggin rocker. The only community I feel needs to be safeguarded is my AMERICAN one.
I should have got up real early so I could pull weeds, now it'll be a few more days.
maybe I should just go to Home Depot and pick a couple illegals up instead.. or a few unemployed actors. ;-)
Stopped reading when I got to H. Belafonte
`Day oh! Day oh oh oh oh . . . .
Daylight come, I'm still a homo."
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