Jenna Ortega & Pedro Pascal Make Emmy Waves for Latino Stars

Jenna Ortega and Pedro Pascal just made Emmy history for Latino actors! They scored nominations in leading acting categories for the 75th Annual Emmy Awards, and we couldn’t be more thrilled!

Jenna Ortega is killin’ it with a nomination for Lead Actress in a comedy. She totally rocked her role as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s awesome series, Wednesday Season 1.

Fun fact: Ortega is only the third Latina ever to snag a nomination in a leading actress category. The other two Latina trailblazers were Rita Moreno back in 1983 for ABC’s 9 to 5 and America Ferrera for Ugly Betty in 2007.

And hold up, there’s more! Wednesday got a whopping 12 nominations overall, including a shot at the Outstanding Comedy Series title. They’ll be battling it out against some heavy hitters like Abbott Elementary, Barry, Jury Duty, Only Murders In The Building, Ted Lasso, The Bear, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It’s gonna be one epic showdown!

There’s another Latino star shining bright. Chilean actor Pedro Pascal is making waves as the first Latino nominated for best lead actor since 1099. Talk about breaking barriers! Remember Jimmy Smits from NYPD Blue? Yeah, he scored a nod back then. Now Pascal’s rockin’ the role of smuggler Joel Miller in HBO’s The Last of Us, based on the kickass video game by Naughty Dog.

Pascal’s on fire with two more nominations! He’s up for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his hilarious hosting gig on Saturday Night Live, and he’s also in the running for Outstanding Narrator for CNN’s breathtaking series, Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World. This guy’s on fire!

But let’s not forget the history being made here. The Last of Us is breaking barriers as the first-ever live-action video game adaptation to be nominated in major categories. They’re not playin’ around, folks. They’ve racked up a total of 24 nominations.

We’re stoked to see Ortega and Pascal blazing a trail for Latino actors. Representation matters, and it’s about time Hollywood takes notice. A recent SAMBA report even revealed that diverse content is in high demand. And you know what? We’re not surprised!  It’s about time we see more Latino talent in the spotlight!