Justina Machado: Hope we come to point where inclusivity is no longer a discussion point

Diverse Hollywood is one dream that actor Justina Machado hopes to see in the coming future. The49-year-old is glad that the industry is making great strides in setting the tone of the portrayal right and is “moving in the right direction of diversity”.

“In the coming future, I would love to see representation of people of colour, or the lack of it, being an issue anymore. The onscreen world should really reflect what the world looks like,” says Machado, adding, “We see that happening, but we just need more. We need to reflect on what it is we really look like, not just in America, but all over the world. So I have hope and faith about that while I see it moving in the right direction. Also, I hope that one day, there comes a day where we no longer have to ask those questions. And it is just there.”

After her debut in 1997, over the years, Machado has explored varied characters in projects such as One Day at a Time, Jane the Virgin, Six Feet Under, Queen of the South and Scoob!. She recently lent her voice to the animated film, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, which released on an OTT platform.

The actor believes in spreading the message through humour, something which she did in The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild as well.

“We don’t beat people over the head with different themes. They are displayed with humour and love. People always accept things a lot easier when there’s humour in it. Like, the film is full of hope, love, being brave and standing up for what is right. And these are things that we need right now in the world (amid the pandemic),” she says.

But how is she dealing with the new reality? “I am dealing with it by adapting. Human beings are incredibly adaptable. We are adapting in ways that we don’t even know. I am hoping for a time when we don’t have to adapt much, and where spontaneity comes back into the world when I can just get on a plane and visit my family in Chicago as opposed to having to worry about many things,” she signs off, with a hope that her dream comes true in the near future.