(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- More than a dozen Chicago casting directors met with Chicagoland Latino actors in Pilsen Monday during an open casting call to find the next top Latino actor.
Osiris Cuen was one of dozens of actors hoping to wow casting directors at the National Museum of Mexican Art.
"I honestly would not have felt comfortable coming into a space with my name being Osiris and people not being able to pronounce it,” they said.
The open auditions were the culmination of Latine Theater Artist Week hosted by the Chicago Latine Theater Alliance, or CLATA.
"There are so many roles at there that I think it's so easy to be typecast, and carving a space for us is very challenging, so, I think this is one step closer towards changing that narrative,” CLATA Executive Director Jorge Valdivia said.
Actress Jocelyn Villa says opportunities like this have made her believe the possibilities for roles are endless.
"I used to think that I could only play Elphaba (in ‘Wicked’) because she was green or ‘In the Heights,’ like we only had two shows. But now I'm like, no the world is our oyster. We can do it all.”
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