I’ve faced discrimination because of my skin colour: Yalitza Aparicio

Roma (2018) star Yalitza Aparicio says she has faced discrimination because of the colour of her skin. In an interview to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor opened up about her experience with racism in Mexico and how there was a difference in how she was accepted, working in Hollywood .

Asked about her experience with racism in Mexico, she said: “I felt it quite strongly. I’ve been discriminated against because of the colour of my skin. When I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed into certain groups, for example. Also, my mother works in a house. Sometimes people didn’t see her work as dignified, and that was hard.”

However, her experience in Hollywood has been very different. “It is marvellous. I’ve always been very shy, and it’s surprising how I got over this. People are sending me beautiful messages. They’ve told me that to see me this way is like a source of inspiration for them, that they feel they can be in a movie, or on the cover of a magazine, regardless of their physical appearance,” shared Aparicio.

The first-time Oscar nominee was planning to pursue a career as a schoolteacher before she auditioned for the Alfonso Cuaron film, which is an autobiographical take on the filmmaker’s upbringing in the Mexican capital, and follows the life of the housekeeper of a middle-class family.

Roma, which also stars Marina de Tavira, has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The Oscar ceremony will be held on February 24.

When I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed into certain groups. Also, my mother works in a house. Sometimes people didn’t see her work as dignified, and that was hard.

YALITZA APARICIO ACTOR

PHOTO: DANNY MOLOSHOK/REUTERS