‘Blue Beetle’ actors may be sidelined by the strike

Los Angeles, Aug. 19: In a normal summer, Friday’s arrival of “Blue Beetle,” the first DC superhero movie to feature a Latino lead, would be a splashy, triumphant moment for its filmmakers and stars. But with actors and screenwriters on strike, the film’s promotional campaign has been without its lead cast.

That’s left director Ángel Manuel Soto as the main voice promoting the film, a rare big-budget summer movie highlighting Latinos and Latino culture. Soto has taken the burden in stride and found clever ways to spotlight his cast.

At a film screening this week, Soto and his wife held a picture of “Blue Beetle” star Xolo Maridueña over their faces as photographers snapped them. For a series of promotional interviews, he wore a special shirt with the film’s Latino cast represented as Mexican Loteria cards, a clever homage for a movie infused with Latino music and culture.

While Soto acknowledges some initial disappointment with the timing of the strike and his movie’s release, he has come to terms with it and said he knows it happening for a good reason.

“You realize if it was for something banal, for something stupid, then I will get mad. But the truth is that our writers and actors are fighting for something 100% legit, and they are in the right side of history. And sure, the timing was off, why didn’t it happen a month later so that we can have our moment? But at the same time, I’m like, ‘If it happened today its because it had to happen today,’” Soto said.

“And my hope is that our actors are treated fairly, our writers are treated fairly, that they’re being compensated accordingly to their work,” he said. “And if that happens, then that guarantees us more years of amazing stories to be told.”

Soto isn’t alone in hoping “Blue Beetle” is a success so that more strong projects with Latino casts and stories are made.Earlier this month, 27 Latino organizations including the National Hispanic Media Coalition, The Hispanic Federation, Latino Film Institute and more released an open letter urging the Latino community to support the film during its opening weekend. (AP)