The controversial casting of James Franco as Fidel Castro has been endorsed by none other than Castro’s daughter.
“James Franco has an obvious physical resemblance with Fidel Castro, besides his skills and charisma,” said Alina Fernández, who was born to the Cuban revolutionary and his mistress in 1956 and is the subject of the film in which Franco is set to appear. Alina of Cuba was announced with little attention, until US-born Franco got the green light, for which he received a red light from members of Hollywood’s Latino community. Colombia-born actor John Leguizamo said, “I don’t got a prob with Franco but he ain’t Latino!”
Fans and producer John Martinez O’Felan came to Franco’s defense, with the former citing the actor’s Portuguese heritage and the absurdity of ethnically-pure casting, and the latter calling Leguizamo’s comments “culturally uneducated and a blind attack” before emphasizing the project’s greater scope and merits.
Fernández extolled similar virtues about the film, telling Deadline:
“I find the selection of the cast amazing. Ana Villafañe is extraordinarily talented, and not only as an actress because she is also a great singer, a very complete performer. I’m sure that Mía Maestro, an actress I admire, will understand and interpret Naty, my mother, in a unique way and I can’t wait to see her building her character. The rest of the cast is going to be a wonderful surprise for all audiences. The filmmakers worked a lot and I can’t be more grateful to them for their overall inclusive selection. To me, the most important thing about this movie is that the conversation about Cuba is alive. Personally, the experience is so far too unexpected but more than anything, humbling.”
Alina of Cuba is to begin production on Aug. 15.