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The
"Cobra Kai" actor plays college graduate-turned-superhero Jaime
Reyes, the first Latino superhero in a DC movie, who finds it
impossible to keep his alter-ego a secret.
"There's no hiding from mom and dad that I'm Blue Beetle. As a
Latino, I know that there's no secrets in my family, so I felt
it resonated with me and the fact that the superhero in this
movie is really the family," Mariduena told Reuters last month
before film promotion was halted by the Screen Actors Guild
strike.
In the film, Jaime returns to his hometown of Palmera City after
graduating from college and has his life turned upside down when
he is chosen by a blue scarab from an alien planet to become the
Blue Beetle.
Jaime bonds with the scarab, which transforms into protective
armor for him. He must ensure the scarab does not fall into the
wrong hands while also trying to protect his family.
"Blue Beetle" arrives in theaters on Friday and also features
comedian George Lopez as Uncle Rudy and Susan Sarandon as the
main villain.
Focusing on the importance of a Latino family was always a top
priority for the Puerto Rican director of the Warner Bros film,
Angel Manuel Soto.
"The resilience of our people is represented in each of those
characters, from the dad to the mom to the sister and when it
comes to the uncle, for example, Uncle Rudy is inspired 100
percent on the uncle of the writer (Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer) who
passed away last year," Soto told Reuters.
"He wanted to immortalize him in this film and bring this dark
brown energy to the family."
For Soto, making the film would not have been possible without
emerging equity in entertainment. As the most underrepresented
group in the industry, Latino talent is keen to change their
narrative.
Last week, Variety reported that 27 Latino Hollywood
organizations signed an open letter calling on the community to
amplify Latino work, especially "Blue Beetle."
Mariduena believes that "Blue Beetle" is "just the first step"
to hopefully open the door for other Latino superheroes to reach
the big screen.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross; Editing by Mary
Milliken and Rosalba O'Brien)
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