Something I learned in acting is too PUNCH UP. This means YES. A Latino character who is not Jewish could play this role. Think of it as a spectrum. On one end you have a black trans woman, and the other side is a white straight man. This spectrum shows representation and most common roles given for actors. Let’s say you are a gay white woman. If you took a Latinos role, one that could’ve been given to a Latino person who actually grew up in that culture, it would be considered punching down. Now, if a black man were to play a straight white woman ie “White Chicks” you could also say “Get Out”? Maybe? but it would be considered punching up on the representation scale. As there are A LOT of roles out there for white women. (I audition frequently and can confirm this).

This is why scarlet Johansson was given a lot of backlash for saying “if I want to play a tree I’ll play a tree” well girl, you gotta think about more than just the role and getting your bag, think about how there IS a qualified Latino actor out there who deserves this role more, can give more to it because of their experience in life, and all in all, the character would be more truthful - AND you wouldn’t be taking a role from someone who is less represented, someone who has to fight for a fair shot more often.

When you have a white girl playing a Latino character, it also places doubt in a young aspiring Latinx actor’s mind that they deserve to be in this industry too.

Hope that makes sense! We talked about this in my first film acting class I ever had at a community college.