In the past, if a Latino movie star wanted some press attention, they had to â??act Latin.â? Rita Moreno, who starred in â??West Side Storyâ? and later on the PBS show â??The Electric Company,â? found that out early in her career, according to UW-Madison professor of media and cultural studies Mary Beltran.
â??She was always cast as somebody fiery, not a really well-developed character,â? said Beltran, whose new book, â??Latino/a Stars in U.S. Eyes,â? (University of Illinois Press) attempts to chart the growth and evolution of the Latino presence in Hollywood in the last half-century.