With the year’s end fast approaching, many may have forgotten some of the best 2023 moments featuring outstanding Latinos in film, television and music.
From moving film and TV performances from America Ferrera and Pedro Pascal to Shakira’s record-breaking pop diss track and Peso Pluma’s popular corridos — and Bad Bunny delivering memorable turns in all three categories — these moments and more brought joy and Latino pride to us all.
Here’s a compilation of top 2023 moments we want to remember before welcoming the new year.
Film
America Ferrera in ‘Barbie’
The Honduran American actress delivered one of the most memorable speeches from this year’s biggest blockbuster.
Ferrera’s “Barbie” monologue rang true to millions of women watching her run through a series of contradictory demands that reflect the impossible expectations society places on women. Her words went viral on social media as users reposted clips of the speech and shared the speech’s text.
“Barbie” director Greta Gerwig recently told Variety she always envisioned Ferrera in the role of Gloria, the character who explains to the Barbies the contradictions of womanhood. Gerwig said Ferrera took the words from the script and “made the speech her own.”
“It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough,” Gloria tells the Barbies. “Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong.”
“I felt like I did it 500 times,” Ferrera recalled in an interview with the Los Angeles Times this summer about what it took to nail the scene. “It’s rare as an actor to get the opportunity to get to play a moment like that.”
‘Blue Beetle’: The first Latino superhero lead
DC Comics released the first live-action superhero feature film with a Latino lead.
In “Blue Beetle,” the star of the film was not just superhero Jaime Reyes, played by Xolo Maridueña, it was also his Mexican American family. The ensemble included comedic actor George Lopez, Belissa Escobedo, Damián Alcazar, Adriana Barraza and Elpidia Carrillo.
The movie was released during the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, preventing its all-Latino cast from promoting the project.
Ahead of the movie’s opening, director Ángel Manuel Soto rallied DC fans and Latino moviegoers in support of the film.
“By embracing who we truly are, maybe we can find our superpower,” Soto told NBC News. “And maybe we can find our own freedom.”
Visually, the film is undeniably Latino since it mixes distinct landscapes from predominantly Hispanic places like Puerto Rico, Miami and El Paso.
It is also peppered with recognizable Latino pop culture Easter eggs such as references to the famous Latino variety show “Sábado Gigante,” the Mexican telenovela “María la del Barrio” and satirical superhero “El Chapulín Colorado” — and we can’t forget its recognizably Latino soundtrack, which included everything from Latin pop icon Luis Miguel and urban music from Calle 13 to classic rancheras from Vicente Fernández.
“Blue Beetle” fans rooted for the movie’s streaming debut and a chance for more viewers to cheer the Mexican American superhero.
‘Flamin’ Hot’: Eva Longoria’s feature directorial debut
In 2019, Longoria sought to direct “Flamin’ Hot,” a feel-good film based on the life of Richard Montañez, a Mexican American janitor turned Frito-Lay executive.
Based on Montañez’s memoir “A Boy, a Burrito, and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive,” the movie details his humble beginnings from growing up in a migrant labor camp in Southern California to eventually pitching an idea to former PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico to attract the Hispanic market by putting spicy chili on Cheetos chips.
Following its direct-to-streaming release on June 9, “Flamin’ Hot” became the most watched streaming premiere ever for Searchlight Pictures, the production company behind the film.
The movie won a few Imagen Awards, which recognize the positive portrayal of Latinos in the entertainment industry, including Best Feature Film and Best Director.
“We had a chance to create a hero in showing Richard Montañez’s story,” Longoria said during her acceptance speech at the Imagen Awards earlier this month. “It was such an honor to direct ‘Flamin’ Hot.’”
The film’s release also reignited a debate over the origin story behind the popular hot Cheetos snack. The controversy first arose in 2021 after a Los Angeles Times investigation concluded that Montañez worked on creating “Flamin’ Hot” products but didn’t specifically invent “Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.”
Longoria told Australian television show “Today” in an interview over the summer that people mistakenly think the film is “about the ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheeto’ but it’s about the life of Richard Montañez.”
Eugenio Derbez in ‘Radical’
The Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez starred and produced the film based on real-life elementary school teacher Sergio Juarez. Teaching at a school in a Mexican border town, Juarez’s unconventional teaching methods helped unlock his students’ potential and genius — and the working-class students scored the top math test scores in Mexico.
One of his students, Paloma Noyola Bueno, was even featured on the cover of Wired magazine in 2013 as “The Next Steve Jobs.”
Best known for his roles in Oscar-winning movie “CODA” and the highest-grossing Spanish-language film in the U.S. “Instructions Not Included,” “Radical” marks Derbez’s first leading role in a dramatic film.
Derbez told NBC News that unlike idealistic teachers who establish themselves authoritatively at the front of the class, Juarez treated his students as peers or friends — for example, by taking his desk out of the classroom in one scene “because he doesn’t want to be the authority figure.”
The film premiered at Sundance in January and won the festival favorite award.
Gael García Bernal in ‘Cassandro’
Gael García Bernal delivers a captivating performance as Mexican American lucha libre wrestler Saúl Armendáriz.
Best known for flaunting his flamboyant personality and adopting the name Cassandro as a luchador in the wrestling ring, Armendáriz is shown in this biopic struggling for self-acceptance as a gay man in the face of homophobia, family issues and societal pressures.
García Bernal, who also produced the film, told NBC’s “Today” earlier this month that he thought Armendáriz’s story was “a must-do.”
“I grew up a lot, watching lucha libre and being a big fan of that and also wrestling with my friends and my brother,” García Bernal said. “This was something I imagined doing, but never, before that.”
The film also features an appearance by reggaeton star Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. The rapper plays Felipe, who shares a kiss with García Bernal’s character in the movie.
In addition to acting in the film, Bad Bunny had a busy year providing a few other memorable moments.
Television
Bad Bunny hosts ‘SNL’
On Oct. 21, Bad Bunny didn’t only host “Saturday Night Live” for the first time, he also served as the legendary comedy show’s musical guest, performing his hits “Un Preview” and “Monaco.”
The most memorable sketch of the show was a sequel to a crowd-favorite skit starring Pedro Pascal as an overprotective Latina mother to “SNL” cast member Marcello Hernandez.
The skit features Hernandez’s mother, played by Pascal, and his aunt, played by Bad Bunny.
Much like in the original, the mother and aunt have few nice things to say about Hernández’s new girlfriend. They proceed to roast the girlfriend, mostly in Spanish, with an occasional sassy comment in English, until they agree that Hernandez doesn’t eat enough.
But perhaps the funniest sketch of the night was all in Spanish. It sees Bad Bunny and Hernandez as king and prince of 1500s Spain as well as “SNL” alum Fred Armisen, who is Venezuelan, as a conquistador.
Unimpressed by the turkey — or “chicken with testicles in its face” — and the other so-called treasures the conquistadors brought back from the “New World” while attempting to find a new trade route to China, the king and price poke fun at the explorers for not “just going around it” and continuing their journey to China.
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’
Speaking of Pedro Pascal, the Chilean actor had an amazing year. Not only did he guest-star on “SNL” alongside Bad Bunny, but he also took on hosting duties back in February and starred in Season 2 of the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian.”
But his portrayal of Joel Miller in the highly successful HBO series “The Last of Us” — an adaptation of the popular video game — is the one performance we can’t stop talking about.
In what some consider to be his “best career performance yet,” Pascal stars as the hardened survivor of a global pandemic that has destroyed most of the world. In the dystopian drama, Pascal’s character seeks brief moments of beauty and human connection amid the apocalyptic reality.
His breathtaking performance earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for outstanding lead actor in a drama series, making Pascal only the second Latino actor ever nominated in that category. Puerto Rican actor Jimmy Smits was the first Latino actor nominated in that category back in the 1990s.
Pascal was also nominated for several other awards, including a Critic’s Choice Award and a Golden Globe. He has also won a few other awards including an Imagen Award for best actor in a television drama.
Selena Gomez in ‘Only Murders in the Building’
Gomez reprised her role as Mabel Mora for the third season of the true-crime satire “Only Murders in the Building.”
Gomez, who is of Mexican heritage, stars as one of three true-crime-obsessed New York City neighbors who continuously find themselves caught up in murder mysteries.
Her on-point sarcastic humor and her magnetic chemistry with co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short provide “comedy gold,” as showrunner John Hoffman told The Hollywood Reporter in August.
“The thing we could never have predicted was that comedic alchemy that occurred among the three actors,” Hoffman added.
Her acting performance as well as her role as an executive producer on the show alongside her co-stars has earned Gomez several nominations, including a Primetime Emmy for outstanding comedy series and a Golden Globe for best performance by a female actor in a comedy.
Xochitl Gomez wins ‘Dancing With the Stars’
The 17-year-old Marvel star won the coveted Mirrorball Trophy this month after weeks of competing on Season 32 of the long-running celebrity ballroom dance show.
Paired with professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy, the Mexican American actress dazzled audiences with her vibrant performances.
She even paid tribute to her heritage in a few dance numbers, including her finale performance, which saw Gomez set against a backdrop of candles leading to a makeshift “ofrenda” (offering), inspired by the altars of the Day of the Dead, as she danced to “Qué Calor” by District 78.
“Representation is really huge for me in Latin ballroom dance. I want to really focus on the Latino portion of it and making it as accurate as I can,” Gomez told “Good Morning America” after winning.
Best known for her role as Marvel superhero America Chavez in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” Gomez has also appeared in “Gentefied” and “The Baby-Sitters Club.”
Music
Shakira and Bizarrap’s record-breaking pop diss track
Shakira set the internet on fire back in January when she dropped an unexpected collaboration with up-and-coming Argentine music producer Bizarrap.
Catchy melodies combined with lyrics that made direct references to her famous ex-boyfriend, former soccer player Gerard Piqué, and the very public events that surrounded their breakup created the perfect pop diss track.
The song titled “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” became a rallying cry for women worldwide who were also going through a tough breakup.
“It has become a sort of anthem for so many women out there. I’ve had a very rough year after my separation and writing this song has been so important to me. It’s been a healthy way to channel my emotions,” the Colombian singer told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” back in March. “I feel that after we put out this song, I really felt that I don’t even have fans out there, I have a sisterhood of women who have been through the same things.”
The tune shattered over a dozen world records, including most viewed Latin track on YouTube in 24 hours, fastest Latin track to reach 100 million views on YouTube, most streamed Latin track on Spotify in 24 hours, and most streamed Latin track on Spotify in one week.
The track also won two Latin Grammys, including song of the year.
Karol G makes Latin Grammys history
A fellow Colombian artist, Karol G, left her mark at the Latin Grammys this year.
The influential reggaeton singer and songwriter had a massive year after releasing her fourth studio album, “Mañana Será Bonito” (“Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful”) back in February. Following its success, she embarked on her first stadium tour in the U.S. in August.
“Mañana Será Bonito” also earned her a Latin Grammy for best urban music album, making Karol G the first woman to win in that category. She also won Latin Grammys for album of the year and best urban performance for her collaboration with Shakira in the song “TQG.”
“This album is super special and it changed my life,” an emotionally moved Karol G said while accepting her Latin Grammy for album of the year last month.
Peso Pluma popularizes regional Mexican music
With 22 of his songs landing on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart this year, Peso Pluma is credited with introducing regional Mexican music to a new generation and catapulting it into mainstream success.
His smash hit “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabón Armado also made history as the first regional Mexican song to enter that chart’s top five, Billboard reported.
While regional Mexican music has several subgenres, Peso Pluma mainly focuses on corridos tumbados, which contain a narrative quality similar to American hip-hop and trap music.
“It’s very original, very natural,” the 24-year-old artist told NBC News after performing at TikTok’s first-ever global music this month. “Every instrument, when we play, is live and I think that makes it special for people.”
He became the first Mexican artist to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards in September and was recently named Billboard’s “Rookie of the Year.”
Bad Bunny’s opening Grammys performance
Bad Bunny filled the hearts of fellow Puerto Ricans with pride back in February when he re-created iconic scenes from his homeland’s most famous street festival, “Las Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián,” on the Grammys stage.
Alongside the folkloric sounds of bomba y plena, Bad Bunny’s opening performance at the awards ceremony included performers dressed as “cabezudos,” wearing costumes with gigantic heads. The cabezudos commemorated historical figures who have contributed to Puerto Rican culture such as reggaeton pioneer Tego Calderón, poet Julia de Burgos, salsa singer Andy Montañez, music composer Tite Curet Alonso, women’s rights activist Lola Rodríguez de Tió, Major League Baseball player Roberto Clemente and musician Ismael “Maelo” Rivera.
The cabezudos danced alongside Bad Bunny, who performed a medley that included parts of his song “El Apagón,” which infuses Puerto Rican folkloric rhythms with electronic dance music, and his energetic mambo track “Después de la Playa.”
End of an era: Reggaeton pioneer Daddy Yankee retires
To close out the year, Daddy Yankee ended his farewell tour “La Meta” (“The Goal”) in his homeland of Puerto Rico this month, officially marking his retirement from reggaeton.
After performing his last concert in front of a cheering crowd of more than 18,000 people at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico and countless others worldwide who watched him via livestream, the 46-year-old singer gave a lengthy speech announcing he would devote his life to his religious faith.
“All the tools that I have in my possession such as music, social networks, platforms, a microphone — everything that Jesus gave me — is now for his kingdom,” he said. “In your mercy, Father, I hope you allow me to evangelize the world from Puerto Rico. Amen.”
With a music career spanning 30 years and countless hits, Daddy Yankee will always be remembered for his 2004 hit “Gasolina,” which catapulted reggaeton, a Latin urban music genre that was once considered clandestine, to a global audience.
“Gasolina” also became the first reggaeton song to be inducted into the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress earlier this year.
