Cast of Gang Related at the TCA
Frank Micelotta/FOX
When is a stereotype not a stereotype? When it’s played with layers, apparently. And when is casting non-Latinos not a bad thing? When you ‘fess to it up front and call it, “Hiring the best person for the job.”
Gang Related has been in the works for a long time; it’s been almost a year since we began to see stories from Fox about this urban drama centering on L.A. gangs and the undercover cops that hide inside ’em. Now it’s finally got a release date: May 20. A selection of the very large cast showed up at the January version of the Television Critics Association’s “up fronts” recently to promote the program, and they brought some interesting insights (what some might call ‘justifications’) along with them.
Ramon Rodriguez
The series–at least at first–focuses on Latino gangs, and an undercover cop (Ramon Rodriguez) who teams up with an African American member of the cops’ gang task force (RZA) to infiltrate violent street gangs–including one that Rodriguez’ character “Ryan Lopez” actually belonged to as a kid. This is clearly a major project for Fox; the show’s got quite a pedigree, including producer Brian Grazer of 24, and a writing staff that includes three African Americans and three Latinos. Carlos Gomez (The Glades), Jay Hernandez, Phillip Anthony-Rodriguez and a host of other Latino actors fill out the cast in the first few episodes.
Jay Hernandez
But Gang Related has a couple of difficult problems already built in. One is the enthusiastic use of one of the least attractive Latino stereotypes–the cliché of the gang-bangin’ Chicano–as a centerpiece. True, there are “good Latinos”–cops and families–in the story as well, but at base the series itself exists because of the persistent, acceptably racist image of Latino (and, to be fair, African American) gangs prowling the streets and shooting their guns sideways. The series itself skates into the same dubious territory as Devious Maids, which traffics in another pesky Latino stereotype–the oversexed, feisty, ultimately untrustworthy Latina maid–and then justifies it by saying that, stereotypes aside, there really are Latino maids (or gangs) out there, and they really do have stories to tell, and they deserve to be given space and time of their own. Which may be true, but also has the net effect of perpetuating exactly the stereotypes that Latino Hollywood has condemned for so long, and–worse–makes good, hardworking actors complicit in the process.
Jay Hernandez is aware of the uncomfortable challenge the series presents. At the TCA, he said he usually avoided gang-related projects. But this, he said, is “a layered story. It was compelling and different from what you usually see on TV.” As to whether or not the show accurately portrays modern life in a modern gang–because, you know, the actors being Latino and all, who have to know about gang life, right?–Hernandez said, “I always had one foot in Hollywood and one foot out of it. I had to keep my mind frame like that,” which seems to mean, “I was never in a gang, I have no idea,” while fellow Latino cast member Ray Gallegos said,” “Yes, just about every aspect crosses over into not just what I’ve witnessed but lived. So, I do feel a responsibility to the character.” Ray Gallegos isn’t listed in the current cast on imdb.com, so his role in the show–or its longevity—isn’t entirely clear.
And then there’s the issue of Cliff Curtis. Curtis is cast as “Javier Acosta,” who plays a Latino gang member. Except he’s of Maori descent and was born in New Zealand. The producers are very happy with his work; they even had him perform an extended monologue in front of the TCA attendees. And when a couple of questioners at the TCA asked about the casting issue, the producers were prepared: “We cast the best person for the role,” they said. That response implies a number of things: for one, that the occasional ‘brownface’–casting non-Latinos in Latino roles–is acceptable as long as you admit it up front; for another, that the whole issue really wasn’t that important to them, since they’d hired a bunch of other Latinos for the show (the “two out of three ain’t bad” defense, apparently), and for another that there wasn’t a single American Latino actor in all of Hollywood that could have portrayed “Javier Acosta” as well as Curtis. Again: a heaping helping of ambiguity and discomfort all around.
And finally: at least as far as the pilot goes, the “gangs” referred to in the title seem to be primarily, if not exclusively, Latino or African American. When asked if Anglo gangs would be in the show–eventually–the answer was short and sweet: “Yes,” they said. (Again, the implication: just not now.)
As if often the case in these matters, it all comes down to how it’s handled. (Let’s not forget that Demian Bichir’s breakout character in A Better Life was a Latino gardener). So we’ll have to wait a while to see how Gang Related actually approaches all these issues; it doesn’t premiere until Tuesday, May 20. But it’s already clear–and the network’s already aware–that the show is tip-toeing into some dangerous territory–and not just gang territory.
