To be clear, whites conservatively speaking occupy are 81% of casts in television and films. This is in line with Spanish- and Portuguese- speaking cultures throughout the Americas, and yet actor Thiago Fragoso, claims that straight, white men lack opportunity on Brazilian TV.
Telenovela and other Spanish and Portuguese language entertainment are popular throughout the US and the rest of the Americas, but one thing is consistent and that is anti-Blackness and colorism permeates every media platform.
Just one example of many: It wasn’t until 1992 that the Mexican government officially acknowledged African culture in the country represented la tercera raíz of Mexican culture, along with Spanish and Indigenous peoples. And not until 2015 that Mexicanos Negros, people of African descent, were added as a census category for official government recognition. So, when you do see this tiny percent of dark-skinned people in Spanish and Portuguese telenovela, they always cast as servants, antagonists, frequently violent and-or hyper-sexualized, and yet this deeply ingrained anti-Blackness is angrily denied amid claims of ‘reverse discrimination’ and other demonstrable lies.