"He didn't complain when he was cast as an Italian plumber": John Leguizamo leaves internet divided with James Franco Fidel Castro casting criticism

On Friday, August 5, John Wick star John Leguizamo took to his Instagram to express his opinion over the recent casting of American actor James Franco as Cuban leader Fidel Castro. The Instagram post featured a screenshot of the Variety article that confirmed the news. Leguizamo took to the post's caption and mentioned:

"I don't got a prob with Franco, but he ain't Latino!"

However, Leguizamo's post also garnered much divisive criticism over his opinion about James Franco's casting as Fidel Castro. Some pointed out that he did not have such complaints over the racial authenticity of actors and their roles when he portrayed Italian icon Mario's brother Luigi in the 1993's Super Mario Bros. A tweet by Brandon (@coffeeaisle) mentioned:

"Didn't John Leguizamo play an Italian plumber in the 'Super Mario Bros.' film?"

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What did John Leguizamo say about James Franco's role as Fidel Castro in the upcoming film?

After Deadline announced that 127 Hours star James Franco was cast as former Cuban President Fidel Castro, John Leguizamo expressed that Hollywood has stolen Latino roles and given them to White actors. Palo Alto, California native Franco was cast to portray Cuban native Castro in Miguel Bardem's Alina of Cuba.

Leguizamo's Instagram post mentioned a long rant about the matter. He even urged his followers to boycott the upcoming film. The 62-year-old Columbia native wrote:

"How is this still going on? How is Hollywood excluding us but stealing our narratives as well? No more appropriation of Hollywood and streamers! Boycott! This F'd up! Plus seriously difficult story to tell without aggrandizement which would b wrong!"

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Netizens divided over John Leguizamo's comment on James Franco's casting as Fidel Castro

As mentioned above, a significant portion of responses on Twitter pointed out how John Leguizamo did not express such problems when he was cast as the fictional Italian plumber, Luigi, in 1993's Super Mario Bros. The Colombian native from Bogotá played the Italian plumber in the critically acclaimed movie.

Other netizens, however, mocked the situation and extended their support for Leguizamo because the role of Luigi was a fictional one. In contrast, Fidel Castro still remains one of the most influential figures in global politics as a revolutionary in Cuba.

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Celebrities resonate with John Leguizamo’s criticism of James Franco’s Fidel Castro casting

Leguizamo's post garnered much support with over 16,000 likes on Instagram, which included Latinx celebrities as well. This included actress Aubrey Plaza, who liked Leguizamo's opinion. Meanwhile, The View co-host Ana Navarro-Cárdenas concurred with the Ice Age star's post and wrote:

"I'd like to think no Latino actor worth their salt would sign up to play and aggrandize a murderous dictator who terrorized the people of Cuba for six decades…For both reasons you articulated, I join you in the boycott."

Ana Navarro-Cárdenas' comment on John Leguizamo's post (Image via johnleguizamo/Instagram)

James Franco had also faced other controversies since 2014, when a then-17-year-old girl accused him of sending her seemingly inappropriate messages over Instagram. Per the allegations, Franco apparently wanted to meet the girl in a New York hotel, especially after she mentioned her age. While not technically illegal, as the minimum age of consent in New York is 17, at the time, the actor was slammed by many.

Later, from 2018 onwards, multiple women alleged that he had forced them into s*xual acts. In January 2018, The New York Times reported that five women had accused Franco of s*xual misconduct. Last year, it was reported that Franco paid $2.2 million to settle with two women who claimed that he had s*xually exploited them.