World-renowned for their talent, Adria Arjona, Sofía Vergara and Anitta know a thing or two about breaking down barriers. Who else joins them here?
The human condition is universal —experienced in different places and under different circ*mstances, of course— but universal nonetheless. Those who have broken down barriers and borders to reflect it in their life's work are worthy of praise and recognition.
Be it a José Andrés who can equally delight any palate at his award-winning restaurants and provide food relief to millions affected by natural disasters and armed conflict, or a Sofía Vergarawho refused to take no for an answer when she arrived in Hollywood and is now part of its establishment, or an Al Holford who left his soul on the court to win his first NBA championship with the Celtics, they are ours: Latin talent now applauded worldwide.
On this list they're joined by Adria Arjona and...
Adria Arjona
Adria Arjona will never forget the bedroom scene she filmed with her colleague Glen Powell for the movie Hit Man (Netflix). Amidst their passionate caresses and kisses, they realized they were both covered in rashes. “We put on makeup and had to film despite the irritation. It was anything but sexy. When we heard 'Cut!' we were like, 'Get away from me!'" she recalled, laughing, on The Drew Barrymore Show (CBS).
Since first landing in Hollywood a decade ago and booking the CBS series Unforgettable —and then HBO’s iconic True Detective— the Puerto Rican actress hasn’t stopped working. But she has set her own standards. “I’m Latina and very proud of it, but don’t cast me as the dummy or the maid, but as someone who can be anything,” she toldVogue México.
Growing up, she had a role model who taught her perseverance: her father, Guatemalan singer Ricardo Arjona. The “daughter of” label isn’t a burden, she says, quite the opposite. “I feel very proud of my dad and of our name. There hasn’t been any pressure, because I think he earned his place and now I have to earn mine,” she told the fashion magazine.
For a while, many expected her to go into music as a career, but acting stole her heart. “Now that nobody’s asking me to, I’ve started playing the guitar! My dad’s not very happy about that. He’s like, ‘Are you kidding? I begged you to play when you were little and now you want to do it?,’” Arjona, who is dating fellow actor Jason Momoa, told The New York Times. “I usually do just the opposite. That’s my personality.” —Teresa Aranguez
Marcello Hernández
Marcello Hernández has the gift of making others laugh. “I was always a hyperactive, annoying kid,” says the comedian and actor, whose roots are Cuban and Dominican and who grew up in Miami listening to jokes from comedians Guillermo Álvarez Guedes and Jerry Seinfeld. “The world gets more complicated every day, and comedy helps us take a little vacation from the real world,” says Hernández, 26. He has made a name for himself with his appearances on Saturday Night Live, where he has stood out for his Latin-tinged sketches, bringing a breath of fresh air to the venerable NBC comedy show.
Now, after wrapping up SNL's latest season, he’s on tour with his live comedy show. “I want to keep working and improving as a comedian, writer, actor and as a person,” says the young star, who hasn’t let fame change his essence or distance him from his roots. “The most beautiful things I have in my life are my sister and my mom and our relationship,” says Hernández, who visited the Friends Against Childhood Cancer Foundation during a recent trip to the Dominican Republic to spread good vibes, as he does wherever he goes. —Lena Hansen
Gina Rodríguez
Since the birth of her baby Charlie last year, Gina Rodríguez admits she is even more worried about climate change and achieving world peace —and is always thinking about the planet her son will inherit one day. "Beauty is one’s soul and how it is reflected in this world. Motherhood has deepened this belief for me," says the first-time mom, 39.
The most beautiful things in her life are "the health of my son, my husband and my family," adds the star of the ABC series Not Dead Yet who will join Shaquille O'Neill to hopefully give away $1 million as co-hosts of the game show Lucky 13 on the same network this month.
The actress, of Puerto Rican descent, feels she herself has already won the lottery with her family. Her favorite sound is her baby's laughter, and Rodríguez feels privileged to "watch the world through his eyes." —L.H.
Ramón Rodríguez
“I see beauty in the simplest of things, acts of kindness. I see beauty in nature,” says Ramón Rodríguez, star of the ABC series Will Trent, who in June was padrino of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York and can be seen in the suspense film G20. In his free time, the 44-year-old actor enjoys meditating, doing yoga, renovating his home and playing basketball. And if that wasn't enough, he also cooks and dances salsa!
On the work front, he's currently directing his first feature film after writing the script and spending time with his family in Puerto Rico. “The beauty of life is that it’s always changing and flowing,” he says. “And while you’re alive and not six feet under, you’ve got another chance.” –L.H.
Olivia Goncalves
In Gordita Chronicles (Tubi), Olivia Goncalves plays Cucu, a young girl who —like the 14-year-old Dominican American actress— suffered bullying at school because of her weight. “I feel like her confidence can help other young latinas who are also chubby be more confident in their skin and not care what other people think,” she says about her character.
Like Cucu, Goncalves knows the value of authenticity. “Being who you are is beautiful, being yourself is the best type of self-love,” says the actress, who doesn’t let fame go to her head. When she got her first lead role, her family jumped for joy and they are her biggest fans. “They love me,” she says. “That’s what got me through everything, thinking of my family and how proud they are of me.” —L.H.
Eiza González
2024 may go down as the year of Eiza González. The 34-year-old actress, singer and model started the year by dazzling audiences as the star of 3 Body Problem, created by David Benioff, D.B. Weiss—part of the team behind Game of Thrones—and writer Alexander Woo. The sci-fi series went straight to the top of Netflix's most-viewed list, spending seven weeks in its Top 10, and has been renewed for two more seasons.
In April, González, who has also partnered with Casa Azul tequila, stood out as Marjorie Stewart in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, her second project of the year with director Guy Ritchie. The two are taping a third: the film Fountain of Youth (Apple TV+). “I am amazed about how self-assured she is, and I wanted it to come through [on] the stage,” says the actress of her iconic role in The Ministry..., which is based on historical events. And to close off the year, the unstoppable Mexican actress is preparing the thriller Ash for Amazon Prime Video. –Mayra Mangal
Anitta
One big life lesson Anitta learned is not think too much about the future. “It was making me anxious,” says the Brazilian singer of overthinking things. “I’m at the top of my profession right now, cool and confident.” It’s certainly an extremely creative time for her. “My last album, Funk Generation (Universal Music Latin) is the result of lots of love and reverence for the sounds that shaped me as an artist,” says the “Me gusta” performer, who has collaborated with Madonna, Luis Fonsi, Ozuna and Rita Ora, among others. “I feel better as an artist every time I perform this album. I’m having a blast.”
That’s especially true every time she takes the stage on her Baile Funk Experience world tour. “I’m really excited about the future,” shares the artist, who after a decade of hits has shined on global stages this year. That must be why stories written about her spiritual beliefs, her sensuality or her love life don’t seem to affect her. “I love to look back and see what I did right and what I did wrong," she says. "It’s all part of what has brought me to this point.” —Carole Joseph
Sofía Vergara
On the verge of turning 52, Sofía Vergara recently told People that she’s “never felt stronger.” The truth is plain to see: after a high-profile divorce from actor Joe Manganiello and a new love match with surgeon Justin Saliman, the Barranquilla, Colombia, native continues dazzling audiences. First, as a judge on season 19 of America’s Got Talent (NBC) and with her tour-de-force performance in Griselda, the multi-part series she produced for Netflix.
She also recently made her debut on a cooking show, Celebrity Family Feud Battle (Roku), alongside her son Manolo and her ¡Dios Mio! brand coffee. The tireless performer can also be heard these days on the animated film Despicable Me 4, where she lends her iconic laugh and comedic chops to voice the movie's glamorous baddie, Valentina. The key to achieving so much? “I think it’s having confidence [in yourself],” she says. “Once you find that [and] when you mature, it’s liberating.” -M.M.
José Andrés
Phone in hand, contemplating the garden of his suburban Washington, D.C., home, chef José Andrés describes what's beautiful to him with the same elegance that he prepares one of his award-winning dishes. Beauty, he says, is seeing the mountains of his native Asturias, Maryland’s Great Falls, the fireflies that light up summer nights or the sunsets in Zahara de los Atunes, in southern Spain. “There is beauty in all those things, in those places that somehow make you feel at once very small and very big,” says the 54-year-old chef. “Very small, because you see the immensity of the sky, the stars, the planet where we live. But also very big, because you’re part of it all.”
It’s surprising that José Andrés, who is also a businessman and a writer, has time to enjoy those moments. If he’s not opening a new restaurant—he has almost 20—launching a cookbook or a television show, or participating in a gastronomic festival, he can probably be found someplace where people are hungry, lending a hand through the organization he founded 14 years ago, World Central Kitchen. Maybe because, as he says, there is also beauty in solidarity. “Someone helping an old lady cross the street. A car that stops to help somebody else who’s broken down at the side of the road,” he says. “There is also beauty in great gestures of human empathy.”
That empathy, plus the enthusiasm with which he approaches everything he does, has made him a beloved character wherever he goes. “Maybe it’s my blue eyes and the fact that with this white beard there are kids who tell me I’m Santa Claus, or maybe it’s because my intentions have always been noble,” say says good-naturedly. His wife, Patricia, listening in on the conversation, offers another explanation. “José is human too, and he has all the [good and bad] parts, just as we all do. But the truth is that he’s the most big-hearted person I know.” -Joaquim Utset
Nava Mau
In the darkest moments of the series Baby Reindeer, one of this year’s biggest hits on Netflix, there is a character who radiates light and compassion like a lighthouse on the darkest night. That role is played with warmth by Nava Mau in the series, which tells the story of a woman who pursues a down-on-his-luck comedian with a traumatic past. Mau’s character, Teri, is the star’s trans girlfriend, bringing him sanity and affection amidst his descent into hell. “Richard [Gadd, who wrote and stars in the series,] has created a character who is portrayed first of all like someone who exists in real life,” says Mau. “It’s very rare to see someone, especially a man, express so much love, affection and respect for a trans woman on a TV series. Society has taught us to believe that they are to be feared, that they’re not to be trusted.”
Despite having vast experience as an actress and filmmaker, nothing compared to the impact of Baby Reindeer on Mau's career. “I knew the series was going to make an impression on anyone who saw it, but it’s been a surprise that it affected so many people around the world,” shares the 32-year-old actress. Another aftereffect: Mau, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 8 and lives in Los Angeles, lost her anonymity. “There are parts of my life that have changed, but more than anything, I’m greeted with support, love and connection. Lots of people feel something special when they see the series and discuss the themes [that it takes on]. I think it’s brought us all together.” It has also inspired pride. “It’s something very special to see a Mexican woman in a series like this, with the emotional impact that it’s had. We don’t get that chance every day.” -J.U.
Enrique Arrizón
Just as his character on Acapulco, Enrique Arrizón got a break that changed his life when he landed the role of Máximo on the Apple TV+ comedy series starring Eugenio Derbez. Máximo comes to his job at a resort in this Mexican beach front city ready to conquer the world —which is also how the 30-year-old actor approaches his profession. “We have a great sense of humor; we would get along. We’re energetic, sure of ourselves, persistent, and we believe in ourselves,” he says of his similarities with the character he plays. He’s also grateful, especially to Derbez, for having placed his faith in him. “I really admire his career; he’s a great role model,” Arrizón says. “He shines because of his commitment and professionalism. He’s polite and kind to everybody on and off the set. Now I understand why he’s been so successful.”
Arrizón seems poised to follow in his footsteps. With several series and films under his belt, the Mexican actor isn't lacking for work. “I have projects coming up, but it’s too early to share more details,” he says mysteriously. Acapulco has given him more than a great profesional gig. Just like Máximo, Arrizón has found love at the Las Colinas resort. That’s why he looks so starry-eyed on social media alongside fellow cast member Gabriela Milla, who plays his girlfriend on the show. Fiction becomes reality. - J.U.
Al Horford
The biggest win in Al Horford’s 17-year NBA career came after a premonition. Ean, the eldest of his five kids with former Miss Universe Amelia Vega, had a dream in which he was hugging his dad while confetti rained down as the Dominican player’s Boston Celtics celebrated winning a championship. Fast forward a few months and that’s exactly what happened last month. Holford celebrated the Celtics’ overwhelming NBA Finals victory over the Dallas Mavericks on center court at Boston’s TD Garden with his family, an achievement that had so often eluded the Celtic center, and seemed out of reach to the 38-year-old. “It’s been a long road, with a lot of hard work,” said the Dominican player after being presented with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. “It’s exactly how [Ean] had dreamed it would be.”
On the long road that ended with Holford crowned as the first Dominican NBA champion, his family has always been by his side, consoling him when agonizing losses wiped a smile off his face and it appeared that after 185 playoff games he would never hoist that trophy. “Living through that experience," Vega said on social media, "is like a dream I can’t wake up from.” –J.U.
See more "50 Most Beautiful" here:
Most Beautiful 2024: A New Era
