Playing Latinx

“Latinx actor wanted. The possibilities are limitless – by which I mean 1 of 3: lover, fighter, comic relief.” An actor from South America newly arrived in London very quickly realises he’ll mostly be hired to play exotic characters – gigolo, thug, pool cleaner with comedy accent – so he adapts. He moves, speaks and writes like a stereotypical Latinx person should. But as he learns to play the game with increasing success, he starts to question how far he himself is becoming complicit in perpetuating the mythic nature of these stock characters and how much he is losing touch with his own identity.