Ariana Greenblatt has appeared in some of the biggest films of the 21st century. She has played pivotal roles in Avengers: Infinity War and Barbie. Both grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, with the former ranking as the sixth highest grossing film of all time. Did we mention she’s still a teenager?
That’s right, Greenblatt has amassed a career most would kill for before graduating high school. Barring any major career changes, the actress is going to be in our lives and on our screens for a long time. Given the wide range of characters Greenblatt has played including the young Ahsoka Tano, some fans may be curious about her ethnicity. That’s what we’re here to help clarify!
Ariana Greenblatt identifies as a biracial woman
Ariana Greenblatt is biracial. Her mother, Soli Greenblatt, is Puerto Rican, while her father, Shon Greenblatt, is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. The actress proudly sports both sides of her ethnic makeup. In general, Ariana Greenblatt has been cast to play Latinx characters, or younger versions of characters portrayed by actresses who are Latinx.
Some of the most notable examples of this include Avengers: Infinity War, in which Ariana Greenblatt played the younger version of Gamora. The adult version is played by Zoe Saldana, who is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent. Another instance was Greenblatt’s appearance on the Disney Plus series Ahsoka. She played a younger version of the titular character, while the bulk of the Star Wars drama revolved around Puerto Rican actress Rosario Dawson.
Greenblatt champions Latinx representation onscreen
Ariana Greenblatt has done her part to champion Latinx representation onscreen. She played Latinx characters in films like In the Heights (2021) and the aforementioned Barbie. She does, however, acknowledge that there is still a long way to go.
A big part of Greenblatt’s career plan, up to this point and beyond, is to avoid negative stereotypes in the roles she accepts. She elaborated on this point during a 2020 interview with Civilian Magazine. “I stay away from negative-stereotype roles,” she asserted, before adding:
Even if they have some huge director or studio behind them. I’m hyper-aware of my audience and my fan base, which are predominantly other girls just like me, so I always try to remember that.
Ariana Greenblatt’s plan seems to be working out perfectly. We can’t wait to see what she does next.