Xolo Maridueña is Paving the Way for Rising Latinx Stars

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking with the talented 19 year old star of Cobra Kai, Xolo Maridueña. We spoke on Instagram Live about everything from growing up in LA to his newfound heartthrob status as Miguel Diaz in the reprisal of the iconic Karate Kid trilogy.

One of the first topics we tackled was how it felt to grow up so close to the entertainment world, but feel so far away – particularly as a person of color. We discussed how his entry into Hollywood wasn’t so straight forward, and that for many Latinos in the US the road can be rocky. It doesn’t make sense that we are the #1 movie-going demographic while also being the least represented in the movies we go see.

Xolo is determined to change this reality by inspiring other Latinos to make waves in Hollywood via his scene stealing character Miguel Diaz in Netflix’s Cobra Kai. When he started shooting season one, he was just 16 years old – now, he is in Atlanta shooting season four and will soon turn 20. Over all these years, Xolo says the cast has become like family, and that he could not be happier to be around his friends during quarantine. He’s also found a new hobby over the last year of staying home – cooking! These days, Xolo is making the best chicken parmesan in town.

Because of all this newfound success, Xolo has been selected by the Latino Leaders Network to be honored with their Rising Star Award on March 25th at 11a PST/2p EST on LLE’s Facebook, YouTube and Periscope accounts. The Cafecito Series is a new digital platform aimed to educate, inspire, and prepare the next generation of leaders through the stories of iconic Latino leaders. The event will feature an intergenerational conversation with actors Xolo Maridueña and Tony Plana moderated by Voto Latino President and MSNBC News Contributor María Teresa Kumar. Program participants also include Latino Leaders Network Chairman Mickey Ibarra, former Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, and emerging Latinx leaders featured in the Our Stories Move Us Forward: Then, Now & Tomorrow video campaign.

Click here to register for this incredible free event! And check out our previous interview with Xolo below: