Actress and Filmmaker Loren Escandón talks new show Casa Grande and Afro-Latinx representation in media

One artist you come across who really embodies letting their work speak for them is Loren Escandón. She is on a quest to alter the industry in order to tell more real tales. This is the reason she is not just an actress but a director. She is pleased with Hollywood’s efforts to present truer Afro-Latinx tales as a proud Afro-Latina, but she is aware that it won’t be sufficient. She is trying to be the change she wants to see by taking matters into her own hands. This was a really interesting discussion about how race and ethnicity overlap in Hollywood and why they still don’t get it completely right.

Profile – Breakout Star 
Loren Escandón
Actress, Writer, and Director
Current Project: Ximena Morales in Freevee’s Casa Grande
Recent Projects: Purple Hearts, Selena: The Series, Gentefied, 9-1-1, S.W.A.T., and The Messengers

Cox: Tell me a little more about Loren Escandón before we get started.
Escandón: I work as an actress, director, and all-around artist. I identify as Afro-Latina, but if you want to be more particular, you may call me Afro-Colombian.

Cox: I’m interested in learning a little bit more about actress and director Loren.
Escandón: When I’m the director vs. when I’m the actor, the approach is different for me. As an actress, I’m somewhat limited to portraying roles that have already been developed, occasionally resulting in stereotypes. Regardless, I always embrace the characters with empathy. When I act, I put my humanity and compassion front and center. It’s about forging a bond between the viewer and my character.

As a writer/director, I have some control over the narrative. I can explore the characters I want to create, keeping a close eye on composing lives that feel like an accurate reflection of my community and the realities familiar to me. 

As a director, I want to tell more realistic tales with a broader lense. It’s crucial for me to collaborate with the most varied set of people possible, as every person on set enriches the stories and infuses a sense of veracity that is otherwise hard to fabricate. 

I aim to write stories that focus on the universal experience of humanity while keeping race and cultural background relevant to the story. Because when conceiving stories solely based on race, there is a space created for assumptions and preconceptions to cripple that don’t benefit the community.

Cox: You are aware that it is intriguing that you designated that as Afro-Colombian in contrast to instances in which the media merely utilizes Afro-Latina as an identification. Why is the difference significant to you?
Escandón: It’s because, when you consider the reasons the name Latinx/e was initially used as a method to lump everyone from Latin America together, it created a homogenization of multiple nations, all with distinct populations and traditions. We strive to be a unified culture. However, our nations have diverse histories, tales, and cultural contexts, although we are all Latinos. I choose to be precise about my country of origin because, contrary to what it might look like, I feel the diversity within our continent ties us together; it is the base of our diversity, our superpower.

Cox: What kind of representation and image of Afro-Latinos do you think Hollywood gives in terms of the community’s versatility?
Escandón: I believe that the industry is trying its best overall. Yet when it comes to general depiction, I agree that we can go a bit more quickly in the direction of authenticity. When I say this, I’m trying to convey that we need to go deeper and examine those who are writing the programs, setting the plots, and creating the characters who are meant to be us. Most of the time, individuals who create and write are not Afro-Latinos, or people who have grown up in the culture, or people who have had firsthand experiences. This results in the creation of clichéd, one-dimensional characters.

I just chatted with someone in the industry who said I don’t appear Colombian. I don’t blame that person, but we don’t all resemble Sofia Vergara. The issue with accurate representation is that many will mistakenly believe that she portrays what Colombians look like, but that is Hollywood’s perception, even though Colombia has the fifth-highest percentage of people of African ancestry in Latin America.

Cox: You make a really good point about how diverse these nations may be and how, whenever there is Afro-Latino representation in Hollywood, one certain family and community dynamic is always portrayed.
Escandón: Not everyone has to look the same while conveying Afro-Latinx experiences. If you spent time with my Colombian friends and me, you would be seated at a dining table with a diverse mix of people of various skin tones. I would love to see a whole television series with Afro-Latinx leads that highlight their experience of life. If done well, I guarantee it would highlight the world’s racial and cultural diversity. I adore my most recent project, Casa Grande, for this reason. We are diverse, not just racially but culturally, and we get to be a community. 

Cox: Tell me more about Casa Grande, if you don’t mind. Did you immediately recognize that this was the role and the show for you when it was offered to you?
Escandón: The funny thing is, I was filming Selena in Mexico when I received the email from Casa Grande. After I was done filming that day, I found a space for me to film my audition tape; I pre-recorded the opposite characters’ lines and gave it a try. I liked Ximena that much; I didn’t want to let the opportunity pass me by.

Cox: What did Ximena Morales have that resonated with you?
Escandón: She reminds me a lot of myself and my mother. She is a fierce defender of her family while also being the life of the party. She is like a spark plug; I adore her! She exudes warmth; she is a leader in her community and family. She consistently has the right things to say to help people feel better. She had her kid, Mael, early, so she missed having the freedom of her youth. She is keenly aware of what is happening in her home as a wife and mother. Always keeping an eye on everything to ensure that harmony is preserved.

Cox: What will the audience take away from Casa Grande?
Escandón: The diverse cast and the varied narratives we are presenting, in my opinion, will be the key factors. The audience will recognize the story. Even if some of them may be tales you have already heard, I believe we are giving them new depths and colors to make them more attractive overall. The five distinct families will also be a fascinating element because the audience can observe how they approach things differently and have various life values and ambitions. People will have a chance to relate to the characters as a result of these dynamics, which I will make the show more interesting. The audience will be able to claim that they either experienced what is happening themselves or know someone who has.

Cox: I want to jump back into the director’s chair with you because of the recent short you made.
Escandón: I had the opportunity to work with my idol, Gina Torres, so obviously, I was pretty enthused about this project. It’s called The Last Store, and it’s part of an anthology feature film called Give Me An A. The character of Gina Torres, who possesses this moral dilemma, serves as the short’s central idea. She is a doctor striving to help the world, women in particular. Still, she is also forced to make decisions that would be considered criminal under the story’s world circumstances. This allowed you to perceive this black woman, an Afro-Latinx woman, as a superhero, which made me quite thrilled. She is a metaphor for how every one of us has the capacity to be a superhero in our everyday lives.

Cox: I need to know one final thing before we go. What motivates your creative spirit to persevere in a field that might be slow to develop and where you occasionally still have to tear down barriers?
Escandón: Honestly, I believe it stems from my desire to improve the environment for myself and my loved ones. I believe that humans have a tremendous capacity for self-awareness and service to others. And in my opinion, storytelling is crucial to helping us do that.

I believe by sharing stories, I can affect change. This is what fuels me every day. What I do can profoundly affect someone and transform their perspective on life and their heart.

Photographer Paula Neves
Stylist Jose Ramos 
Hair Arend Jackson 
Makeup Danillo Cifuentes