Latinos are the least represented in Hollywood's film and TV projects, according to a research published this week.

The study, titled the "Comprehensive Annenberg Report on Diversity," was conducted by the Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The research found that even though Latinos account for 17.4 percent of the United States population, the community is among the least represented in terms of speaking roles in film and TV.

The report, which examined racial, ethnic and gender diversity on screen and behind cameras, found that the majority of the stories "fail to represent the demographic composition of the U.S.," especially in women and people of color. Only 5.8 percent Hispanics or Latinos are given speaking roles out of more than 11,000 roles in film and TV.

Latinos Sexualized in TV, Films

The report also found a gender disparity in onscreen Latino-speaking characters. Less than 38 percent are Latina actresses, and they are the most sexualized identifiable minority group.

"When Latinos are represented, they just play stereotypes," Felix Sánchez, co-founder of the National Hispanics Foundation for the Arts, said. "If the casting continues to portray a very singular look for Latinos, then that means women continue to be overly sexualized and [men] equally have to be the dominant, macho role."

Another study from USC found that Latino actors are the most likely to be partially or fully naked on screen. The report revealed that 37.5 percent of Latino actors were more likely "to be shown in tight, alluring, or revealing clothing."

Writers to be Blamed?

Sánchez said that the issues in onscreen representation begin in writers' rooms composed largely of white individuals.

"It all depends on who is in the writer's room because they control the words and images the actors produce," he said. "When you don't have diverse writers, you won't have three-dimensional minority characters."

According to the report, fewer than 27 percent of series regulars in TV hail from underrepresented racial or ethnic communities. For programs that are shown in streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, the number goes up to roughly 30 percent. Sánchez stressed that "the narrower the audience, the more it seems minorities play leading roles," and "the broader the roles, the less likely it is that Latinos are included in lead roles."

He added that if there's a bigger representation of Latinos on narrower platforms, they are missing a chance to create a high and national image. Excluding Latinos out of the entertainment forefront contributes to the issue #OscarsSoWhite, Sánchez noted.

Sánchez said that Latino moviegoers should "express dismay" at the lack of Latino representation in Hollywood, as well as the narrowness in which they are portrayed.