'Onward' Star Wilmer Valderrama Hopes His Character Is an Inspiration
Onward is about two brothers who constantly quarrel about petty things that live in a world full of mythical beings. Chris Pratt and Tom Holland will be taking the role of the two brothers. Valderrama's role in the film is brief, but significant to one of the lead actor's stories.
Pixar invited Wilmer Valderrama to be part of the cast for their film Onward. Knowing that Pixar Studio has already made several great movies that touched a lot of children's hearts, Valderrama was overjoyed as he would be part of the history who has made a lot of children and adults smile.
Valderrama said that he usually was feeling a bit insecure due to his accent, but because of his fellow Latin American, he started to gain confidence. His confidence was the foundation of his career and has brought him to the animation world.
Along with the three actors, Octavia Spencer, Ali Wong, Lena Waithe, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus will also be part of the film. Valderrama's character will look similar to the two main characters, but with a different accent. He is thrilled with his role since he will be able to move the audience and future actors, especially from Latin America.
Valderama was famous for his role in That '70s Show and his character as Handy Manny of Disney. His inspiration to be part of the animation world is the Latin children who live in the States.
He wants to use his character, Manny, to inspire children. He wanted to create something different from what cartoons usually present or say, and so he went to Disney and took the role for Manny. Manny was the first preschool show to have a Latin character.
Valderrama wanted to portray a message to the Latino children that it is alright to be a Latin child in an American country.
He will be taking the roles of a supporting character in a TV series and film Gentefied and Blast Beat.
Gentefied is an American comedy that portrays the culture of Latinos. It is about gentrification, but in the Latin world which uses the word gente. Blast Beat is about a family from Colombian who decided to migrate to the U.S. and make the culture of America their own while keeping their original culture alive.
Valderrama wants his fellow Latinos to be fully and perfectly part of everything, and not just to be a part of something. He wants the Latin community to be part of the normality, and not just to create a remarkable history.
He believes that every time he and other Hispanic actors become part of the movie industry, even if it is only a supporting role, it becomes something significant for Latinos. He took the role in the film Onward to portray the Latino voice on behalf of his fellow Latin Americans.
Valderrama stated that it is wonderful that they became part of the major films. Through historic films, they could portray the fascinating cultures of Latin America and inspire generations of audiences.