Spanglish Chick

Kat Von D

People aren’t always what they seem.  As soon as I walk into a room, people peg me as Irish. Granted, my looks fit the bill. I’m pale with a few freckles thrown in for good measure, blue eyes, high forehead, and a pointy nose. Just looking at me, you wouldn’t know that I’m Scotch-Irish, German, and more Cherokee than someone of my skin color should be allowed. Oh, and Jewish. That’s right. A Scotch-Irish, German, Cherokee Jew. Who would’ve guessed?

It stands to reason, then, that the people whose faces we all know from movies and TV and tabloids aren’t always what they seem.  And if you take a closer look at the celebrities we all know and love, you might find more Latinos than you were expecting.

Take Cameron Diaz, for instance. Tall, thin, blonde hair, and some of the brightest natural blue eyes I’ve ever seen in my life. It would be easy to label her Nordic and be done. But the last name … Diaz? Oh, yes, she’s Latina. Her father was a second-generation Cuban American. She might not be able to respond to you in Spanish, but she says she’ll understand what you’re saying.

Houston native Alexis Bledel is another “closet” Latina. At least with Diaz, you get a hint with her surname. Learning that Alexis is Latina is likely to catch someone completely off guard, but in reality, her Argentinian and Mexican roots are more ingrained in her than Diaz’s Cuban roots. Alexis only spoke Spanish until she began elementary school as an English as a Second Language student. Even fellow Latina America Ferrara was surprised when she heard Alexis speaking Spanish at an interview with a Spanish language magazine.

I was amazed to find out that someone who played Italian so well that I thought she really was Italian turns out to be Latina, and Jewish. Jamie-Lynn Sigler, best known for her role in The Sopranos, has a Cuban-Jewish mother, and a Jewish father. Not only is she fluent in Spanish, she’s also fluent in Greek. The girl is full of surprises.

The list goes on with celebrities like the redheaded Joanna Garcia, who has a Spanish-American mother and a Cuban-born father and played the daughter of the very Caucasian Reba McEntire on the sitcom Reba. There’s Avatar star Zoe Saldana, who spent a big part of her childhood living in the Dominican Republic. And don’t be fooled by tattoo artist Kat Von D’s decidedly German surname of Von Drachenberg. Her parents, who both have European ancestry, hail from Argentina, and Kat was born in Mexico. Even Disney star Vanessa Hudgens is a mix of Irish, Native American, and Chinese-Filipino-Spanish.

And don’t think I’ve forgotten about the men. You’ve got Charlie Sheen, who’s real name is Carlos Estevez. His father, Martin Sheen (whose real name is Ramon Estevez), is Spanish and Irish. Benjamin Bratt’s mother is Peruvian.

Former MTV VJ LaLa Vasquez, a proud Latina from a Puerto Rican family, said in her blog, “One thing about being Latina is that there isn’t one look that comes with the territory. I don’t expect people to know my cultural background just by glancing at me … If you’re lucky enough to visit various countries in Latin America, you’ll be baffled to see the blackest of the black and the lightest of the light living together. And I dare you to ask one of them to prove their Latinidad.”   {Latinidad, most literally, is the identity of Latinos/as. More figuratively, it is a sensibility and way of being-in-the-world that expresses who one is and what one’s culture is about.}

Spanglish Chick Contributor Karah Leigh lives in Houston with her boyfriend and two awesome dogs. Known for her on-air talent at Houston’s 94.5 The Buzz, Karah is not only ‘in the know’ about music, she’s in the loop on pop culture and celebrity entertainment. Visit her Houston Examiner page for more juicy celebrity news and updates!

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