Lin-Manuel Miranda Addresses ‘In the Heights’ Casting Criticism - The New York Times

Jun 15, 2021

Since the film’s release last week, there have been complaints about the lack of dark-skinned Afro-Latino actors in prominent roles.

Acknowledging criticism that the film adaptation of his musical “In the Heights” had failed to adequately depict the dark-skinned Afro-Latino population of Washington Heights, the Upper Manhattan neighborhood where it is set, Lin-Manuel Miranda has apologized for falling short in “trying to paint a mosaic of this community.”.

But the film also drew criticism online for the filmmakers’ choice to cast light-skinned Latino actors in leading roles, despite a prevalence of dark-skinned Latinos in the neighborhood where the movie was filmed.

The discussion over “In the Heights” is unfolding at a moment when the underrepresentation of Latinos in Hollywood has drawn increased scrutiny, prompting calls for change

Some jumped to Miranda’s defense, pointing out that he has long worked to feature diverse casts on Broadway and in Hollywood, and that “In the Heights” celebrates Latino communities in a way that has rarely been seen in film and television