Latin representation is a big part of the upcoming film The Flash, now only a few weeks away from its highly-anticipated release, both behind and in front of the camera.
The film’s director Andy Muschietti and his producer sister Barbara Muschietti are both Argentinian, Supergirl is played by Colombian actress Sasha Calle, and even The Flash himself Barry Allen, the film’s lead character played by Ezra Miller, is depicted as having Latin heritage, with a Latin mother played by Spanish actress Maribel Verdú who speaks and sings Spanish with her son throughout the film.
This was a conscious consideration, Barbara Muschietti tells Esquire Middle East.
“Of course [it was a conscious choice],” Muschietti says. “Andy and I are Argentinian. We are Latin. We love our culture. And we love blending it with iconic American characters because that is the spirit of America, a land of immigrants.”
The reason that they chose to make Barry Allen have Hispanic heritage was because of the familial bonds in Latin families, Muschietti continues.
“In the specific case of casting Maribel as Nora Allen, Andy wanted to emphasize the bond between mother and child, a bond that is universally strong, but even more so in the Latino family,” she continues.
The team also cast Calle from over 400 actresses who auditioned for the role, finding that the former The Young and the Restless star had something no one else did.
“We had an embarrassment of riches. Truly wonderful actresses auditioned. But Sasha hit the nail in the head. Her strength and vulnerability are equal forces,” says Muschietti.
Muschietti overall feels that the experience was fantastic, despite the physical limitations of COVID protocols, and that the strong family bonds on screen mirorred those on set.
“We had a fantastic shoot. We shot the whole film during the pandemic, under very strict protocols, masks, testing, social distance,” Muschietti says.
“Hence we became family. We really had to look out for each other in order to keep going.”
Her favourite days on set is split between two highly-memorable entrances.
“I remember the electricity we all felt when we first saw Ezra walk into set in their suit. Same thing when Michael Keaton first walked into the bat cave as Batman. Legendary moment.”
The Flash is in cinemas June 15 across the Middle East