Eiza González On The Overly Sexualized Idea Of Latin Women In Hollywood: “It’s So Disappointing & It’s So Pathetic”

Eiza González is opening up about her experience as a Latin woman in Hollywood and how preconceived notions have made her booking roles a challenge.

In a new interview, the 3 Body Problem star said she has been labeled as “sexy,” but doesn’t take that as a compliment as it hinders her range.

“I just think it’s an overly sexualized idea of a Latin woman,” she said in an interview with InStyle magazine. “It’s so disappointing and it’s so pathetic.”

González said that trying to get out of that box “has been single-handedly the biggest challenge of my career,” noting that “None of my white friends who were in the industry were getting that. It was just me.”

“I remember being [told for] so many projects, ‘She’s too pretty for the role. She’s too hot for the role,'” she continued. “Then I’d just be like, ‘What is Margot Robbie? She’s the hottest, most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life!'”

Although González understood that the perceptions people have of her is not about her, she did question making changes to herself in order to break out of that box.

“I had an identity crisis for a very long time,” she added. “I was like, ‘Do I shave my head? Do I make myself less attractive? Do I make myself more attractive? Do I not dress super-hot or do I dress super-hot or do I cover myself all the time?’”

González got her big break in Hollywood when she landed the role of Santanico Pandemonium in the series From Dusk till Dawn, the same role Salma Hayek portrayed in the 1996 Quentin Tarantino film of the same name. The actress has gone on to show her acting range in roles in films like Baby Driver, Hobbs & Shaw, I Care a Lot, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Ambulance, to name a few.

Next up for González is playing Auggie Salazar in Netflix’s 3 Body Problem and starring in Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.