I'm so excited to host this week.
And-- thank you.
Thank you.
And as I always say, it's such an honor to be a voice
for Latinos on TV and film.
But as I also always say, I wish the honor wasn't so rare.
REPORTER: Hollywood is still struggling
with representation on screen.
According to a 2020 study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion
Initiative, Latino performers appearing in only 5%
of speaking roles in 2019's top 100 movies,
despite being 18% of the total US population.
I mean, yeah.
I mean, it's crazy.
Latinos are almost 20% of the country,
but we're barely represented in film and television?
Especially since every movie last year
took place in the Multiverse.
Come on.
You're telling me there ain't one dimension
that's in the Heights?
[laughter]
Come on.
And then when there is a good Latino role,
it's going to people like James Franco.
Well, guess what?
If white people can take our roles,
I'm going to take theirs.
That's right.
When they do the TV series based
on Gwyneth Paltrow's ski accident trial,
I'm going to be Gwyneth Paltrow.
He hit me.
He hit me so hard he knocked the egg
right out of my vagina.
Try not to visualize that, please.
The truth is I myself have faced
this type of discrimination.
I mean, I can't tell you how many times in my career
I've been told at auditions that I sound too Latino, not
Latino enough, that Latinos don't
want to watch other Latinos, all sorts of madness.
And sometimes I wish I could put all those casting
directors and executives into one room
and bring you guys in with me just to hear the kind of shit
that I've been told.
Luckily, it turns out The Daily Show has the technology
to do just that.
You're going to be all right.
I promise you.
And scene.
Wow.
That was quite spectacular, John.
Thank you so much. - Thank you.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
I'm impressed.
You're very articulate.
Oh, yeah, and no accent, full sentences.
John, I almost forgot you're not white.
Oh, yeah, me too. Me too.
And can you imagine if you were white?
Superstar alert.
[chuckles nervously]
You'd be one of the big white guys,
like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Tom Hardy.
Spitball, have you thought of changing your name to Tom?
Tom Leguizamo?
Oh, yeah, or how about a Tom Leguitomo and do
a double-Tom thing, you know?
I like that.
Hey, Tom Tom, let me ask you something.
Can you a little more Latin?
Yes.
Yes, but also-- also less Latin.
So wait, more or less Latin?
Exactly.
Just do what you did in the George Lopez Show.
I'm not-- I'm not in the George Lopez Show.
Right.
Right, I might be thinking of George Lopez.
I just don't understand what you mean by do it less Latin?
Well, John, Latin people don't
want to see Latin people.
They want to see white people.
White people named Tom.
Well, you know how there's hot sauce and mild salsa?
Well, people want ketchup.
Well, speaking of, anybody want a hit?
Oh, hell, yeah, chuck me.
[bottle squirting]
Ay, chihuahua, that's spicy.
What's in that? Tomato.
All right, all right, let's take it from the top.
And this time, John, can do us a version that's a little
more, you know, street?
Aren't I playing a doctor?
A Latin doctor.
Yeah, but who's not Latin.
Oh, but hold this piñata just in case.
- Ow. - You're welcome.
Hey, what the hell is wrong with you guys?
John, hey, hey, wait.
Wait.
That pendejo was loco.