Monday was a busy day in Hollywood as the Golden Globe nominations were announced early morning. We've already covered the noms and the snubs, but the occasion also provides a perfect time to give you the lowdown on our 5 favorite Latino performances from the past year. As a caveat, we decided to make no distinction between TV and film performances and focus solely on the craft of acting itself.
Without further ado, here are our picks:
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Besides becoming the Internet's daddy and one of the most beloved figures in Hollywood, Pedro Pascal is also a very good actor. 2023 was the year in which he really got to flex his chops thanks in no small part to his role in the hit HBO drama The Last of Us.
Pascal managed to pull off a performance for the ages by giving Joel, the rugged protagonist, an emotional edge that connected with viewers and left us all counting down the days until season two (spoiler alert: it's going to be a while).
It's worth noting that Pedro Pascal was EVERYWHERE this last year, showing off his range in movies like The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, opposite Nicholas Cage, and Pedro Almodovar's Strange Way of Life, opposite Ethan Hawke. That is, on top of starring in another season of everybody's favorite cross-galaxy bounty hunter: The Mandalorian.
Jenna Ortega, Scream VI
How do you follow up a successful portrayal of a beloved cult character? How about taking on a beloved horror franchise? After her Emmy-nominated turn as Wednesday Adams, Jenna Ortega did just that by starring in the sixth installment of the Scream franchise and garnering some great reviews in the process.
Up next for Ortega is reprising her role as the dark and quirky Wednesday later next year as well as a stab at yet another classic: Beetlejuice 2.
Gael García Bernal, Cassandro
Most actors would rather to play it safe after becoming one of the most successful Mexican actors ever. But then again, most actors are not Gael García Bernal. In Cassandro, Bernal showcased a very different side of himself to take on the real-life story of a Mexican wrestler who challenges the wrestling status quo and becomes one of the industry's biggest names.
As always, audiences were drawn in by the on-screen charisma that has made García Bernal a household name in such roles as Amores Perros, Y Tu Mamá También and, most recently, Mozart in the Jungle. Here's to hoping the 40-year-old continues to reinvent himself with every role he takes on.
America Ferrera, Barbie
There was a time not so long ago where we couldn't get Kenough of all things Barbie. Sure, a lot of it had to do with powerhouse performances from Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie. But America Ferrera held her own and then some, thanks to her role as Gloria, a woman who generates Barbie's existential crisis after starting to play with one of her daughter's dolls amid an emotional crossroads of her own.
In a film with so many memorable scenes, Ferrera's impassioned speech about women's struggles in today's society became one of the biggest movie moments of 2023 and helped propel Barbie into some of the biggest box office numbers of the year.
Michael Peña, A Million Miles Away
You probably recognize Michael Peña as Luis, the fast talking character in the Ant Man franchise, but Peña has been around Hollywood for more than two decades. This year he landed a lead role in the critically acclaimed A Million Miles Away, which tells the uplifting story of José Hernández, who carved an unlikely path from migrant farm worker to becoming an engineer and, eventually, an astronaut.
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