Riverdale’s actress, Camila Mendes is speaking up about representation in Hollywood and how important it is to play a Latina role. However, sometimes she can’t help but to feel like she only played a “supporting role” to her co-stars in movies and shows.
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The 26-years-old star shared her moving personal anecdote in a virtual appearance on the Tamron Hall Show while talking about the importance of Latina representation on screen. “It’s important to display Latina people not just as like the poor underdogs, but as people who can be successful and conquer,” she said. “I think that’s a very empowering message to send to our audience.” The obvious example here is the Lodge family on Riverdale, who were updated from the comics to be a wealthy Latina family from New York.
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When Tamron asked Camila how she feels about audiences feeling proud to be in the Latina community after seeing her work, Camila said the response sometimes makes her want to cry. Camila told Tamron that as a kid, she always felt secondary to her white friends, and she’s been working through it in therapy. “I always felt like I was a supporting role to my white counterparts, even in friendships, it was always like, ‘I’m here to make you look good.’ I’m here to be the funny side character you can bounce back off.”
However, Camila is seeing change, and she’s happy to be part of it. “Now, we’re going in a direction where people of color can be leads and drive a story and be protagonists, that’s something we need to see more of,” she said.
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