Sarunas Jackson kept it real about life as an Afro-Latino.
The Insecure star emphasized the importance of representation for Afro-Latinx people during an interview with Ebony. His character, Dro, was originally supposed to be Black and Mexican but Jackson insisted on him having Panamanian heritage.
“I don’t think people realize when you go to Panama you’re going to see a lot of us,” he told Ebony. “There are a lot of us. So many Black people. I wanted to tap in a little more with the Afro-Latino.”
Jackson was also excited about being able to provide an opportunity for another Panamanian actor. Dro’s father is portrayed by veteran actor Carlos Carrasco.
“That’s why I was so happy when I was able to give another Panamanian actor another opportunity,” he continued. “He’s been in this business for a long time. He was in Speed with Sandra Bullock. He’s been in this for a minute. He’s Panamanian and this is the first time he’s ever portrayed a Panamanian character.”
The 29-year-old hopes the show will lead to more representation but he doesn’t want the talent to be pigeonholed.
“I do want more of that. There’s some stories I’d like to create,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be about them being Afro-Latino. It could be like Creed, except Michael B. Jordan is Dominican … it could just be sprinkled in there. Just have a flag on his wall, you know?”
Jackson hopes the representation will clear up some confusion among Afro-Latinx people who shy away from identifying as Black.
“Some of them are confused about who they are,” he noted. “The comedian Godfrey has a great clip when he’s like ‘No no no no…I’m no Black, I’m Dominican.’ He was like ‘you look like me!’”
Jackson thinks the confusion is “something you can dive into.”
The recent sit-down wasn't the first time Jackson kept it fully authentic about the insecurities which plague communities of color.
After a GQ photoshoot with his fellow male Insecure co-stars, Jackson clapped back at critics who found the kinship in the photo to be "gay."
“Now, if you been following me – or if you know me personally – you know, I ride for my people [black people]," Jackson said in a series of Instagram videos. "I ride for my culture. Now, I’m also going to hold you accountable, no matter who you are. It doesn’t even matter about culture. Period.”
“How homophobic can people be? You know, we’re a group of men, who had our shirts off and we’re doing GQ Comedy issue, and we’re being called gay, up and down, right? Mind you, none of us are gay in that group, and even if any of us were, who cares? That’s not the issue. I’ll tell [you] what the problem is, though,” he added.
He continued on by emphasizing that calling someone gay isn't an insult.
“You guys are using homosexuality as a negative. 2. Accusing us of being ‘cause why? Why? It’s a big problem in the black community," he wrote. "Get secure with yourself, get secure. Ironically, our show title is perfect for a lot of you motherfuckers out there; dead ass! On top of that, the shining the light on the colorism. All the light skin dudes were gay – automatically. Crazy, y’all. Crazy.”
Watch his full interview with Ebony below:
