Peruvian actor Marco Zunino has sparked widespread controversy after claiming that white, blonde and blue-eyed actors now struggle to find work on television in Peru.
Speaking during an interview on the digital program Modo Avion on Trivu TV, the actor argued that selection criteria for television roles in Peru have shifted drastically from previous years.
Zunino, who gained widespread popularity for playing the character Leonardo Llanos in the long-running Peruvian television comedy-drama series Al fondo hay sitio, stated that physical features have become an obstacle for certain performers seeking work in the local audiovisual industry.
Casting history in Peruvian television
During the interview, Zunino reflected on how physical appearance used to dictate casting choices in older television productions. He explained that producers routinely associated an actor's skin tone with specific roles.
He noted that in past decades, it was considered natural for darker-skinned actors to be cast as housemaids, adding that both producers and audiences normalized the practice at the time without questioning it.
The show's interviewers brought up Nubeluz, a famous Peruvian children's television program from the 1990s in which Zunino participated as a young cast member. The hosts pointed out that the show appeared to feature predominantly Caucasian performers.
Zunino strongly rejected the assertion that the cast of Nubeluz was made up exclusively of people with Caucasian physical features, defending the diversity of the iconic show's team.
Reactions and social media backlash
Expanding on his view of current casting trends, Zunino asserted that Peru has gone from one extreme to another. He said that actors who previously enjoyed abundant work opportunities during earlier decades now find it difficult to secure new roles simply because they are white, blonde or blue-eyed.
His remarks quickly triggered intense debate across social media networks, drawing criticism from viewers who questioned his perspective on industry representation. Many users recalled how television characters were represented in past decades and rejected his claims of reverse hardship.
Online commentators criticized his comments, with several social media users describing him as viewing himself as a coveted actor and expressing disappointment over his position. Other critics highlighted that a white actor was complaining about opportunities for white performers, while some recalled that non-white participants on Nubeluz were routinely pushed to the background.
