John Leguizamo Says New Travel Series Exists Because of a ‘Latinx Executive’

John Leguizamo‘s new MSNBC docuseries, “Leguizamo Does America,” only exists because a Latino greenlit it. In fact, Leguizamo spent years trying to drum up interest in the project, but he consistently ran into other network executives who passed on the idea.

It was only in 2020 that Leguizamo had an opportunity to bring his show to life. When NBC named Cesar Conde the chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, everything changed. “A Latinx man who looks like me, who understands my culture, greenlit this show,” Leguizamo said to the LA Times.

John Leguizamo really wants to talk about Latino representation

It seems like Leguizamo’s call for equality in front of and behind the camera only grows louder every year.

In cities like Los Angeles, where Latinos make up roughly half of the population and one-third of moviegoers, it’s high time they have some say in what kinds of on-screen stories they see. “We’re not getting our value for our money,” he said in the interview.

Check out the full trailer for “Leguizamo Does America” here:

Leguizamo also mentions just how much spending power Latinos have in the United States. Latinos alone contribute $2.8 trillion annually to the US’ GDP. There are over 62 million Latinos in the United States, far more than the majority of nations on the planet.

We have a serious impact on the economy and still comprise just 2.9% of on-screen leading roles. The actor said that, if every Latino American agreed to start their own country, they would have “the fifth-largest economy in the world — bigger than England, bigger than Italy, bigger than Brazil.”

His new show explores the joys and struggles of being Latino

In his new docuseries, Leguizamo travels throughout the United States, including Puerto Rico, to learn more about Latino food, culture, and history from every perspective he can. In addition to Leguizamo, most of the show’s crew is also Latino as are, of course, all of his guests.

The show highlights everyone from Robert Rodriguez to a bodega man making chopped cheeses in New York City. The show is promising an enlightening, educational, and entertaining experience as one of the few docuseries to focus entirely on Latino cultures.

And, Leguizamo makes another great point. “We as Latinx people need to be allowed to fail as much as white people are allowed to fail,” he told the LA Times. Listing off bad movies like “Ishtar” and “Jack and Jill,” Leguizamo thinks true equality is giving Latinos the chance to make a stinker, too.