Abstract
ABSTRACT This essay examines the ethnic and racial factors that inform the casting of BIPOC actors as Shakespeare's royal and authoritative characters. Utilizing an ethnic category – that of the U.S. designation of Hispanic/Latinx – rather than a racial category, and the specific case study of King Lear, the essay argues that notions of vocal command, sensuality, and the challenge for Latinx actors to be cast consistently in main roles all work against the necessary element for the role of Lear: gravitas. The essay details a theatrical and filmic history of Latinx actors and adaptations of King Lear to illustrate that in order to play King Lear, the Latino actor must be associated with the perception of having accrued gravitas, a capacious characteristic that functions in contrast to mainstream U.S. perceptions of Latinx.
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