'Blue Beetle' star Xolo Maridueña talks East L.A. upbringing, Latinos in film and future projects

In this week’s occurrence of “The De Los Podcast,” hosts Fidel Martinez and Suzy Exposito sat down with histrion Xolo Maridueña to chat astir his East L.A. upbringing, the value of Latino practice successful his vocation and a litany of projects helium has successful the works.

Born and raised successful El Sereno, Maridueña was exposed to the arts astatine a precise young property done section assemblage arts hubs Casa 0101 and the Boyle Heights Art Conservatory, wherever his mother, Carmelita Ramírez-Sánchez, present serves arsenic enforcement director.

The 25-year-old histrion credited his mom, who besides antecedently worked arsenic a vigor DJ for decades successful L.A., for encouraging him to research a originative career.

“She was successful the euphony satellite astatine a clip erstwhile that wasn’t truly a happening arsenic a Latina woman,” Maridueña said. “She met truthful galore roadblocks and overcame those that erstwhile it came clip to for her to yet rise her ain family, she understood the privation to effort thing that was extracurricular of what the acquisition strategy would deem successful. As a Latina, she besides instilled these values of remaining curious, questioning definite traditions and the ways our experiences are affected by immoderate systems that are larger than ourselves.”

He besides touched connected what it was similar being the archetypal Latino pb successful a live-action superhero movie successful “Blue Beetle” — and the value of continued Latino practice successful Hollywood.

Xolo Maridueña is featured connected “The De Los Podcast.”

(L.A. Times Studios)

“It was specified a chaotic thrust doing thing similar ‘Blue Beetle,’ that was the archetypal successful a batch of categories... But erstwhile the movie came out, it was truthful heartwarming to spot that determination were already similar 10 different Latino superheroes that were making their debuts connected the screen,” Maridueña said. “[Filming the movie] was the archetypal clip I had witnessed immoderate overmuch of the unit being Latino, oregon conscionable being divers — determination were a batch of women and queer folks connected that set.”

Having worked connected deed bid similar “Parenthood” and the Netflix improvement “Cobra Kai” successful summation to his theatrical roles, Maridueña wants to assistance supply an avenue for chap Latino artists to succeed.

“I conscionable anticipation [that] with this assemblage of work, I tin assistance unfastened the doorway and prop it unfastened for everyone else,” helium said.

The speech with Maridueña wrapped with him discussing the litany of projects helium has coming retired successful the adjacent future, including a starring relation successful the movie “Dog Years” alongside Xochitl Gomez, a portion successful the Al Pacino-led movie “Killing Castro” and a spot successful the upcoming play of Netflix’s live-action adaptation of “One Piece.”

He volition besides diagnostic alongside Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman successful the upcoming sequel to the witchy 1998 movie “Practical Magic,” which is acceptable for merchandise Sept. 11.

“It’s been a blessing to grow not lone the types of radical I’ve gotten to enactment with, but [also] the genres and types of characters I’ve gotten to bring connected to the screen,” said Maridueña. “Projects similar ‘One Piece’ are truthful fantastic for the scope and past movies similar ‘Dog Years’ and ‘Killing Castro’ are conscionable arsenic fulfilling successful the consciousness that due to the fact that they get to beryllium smaller productions, the formed and unit person a spot much ownership of what they’re doing.”