John Leguizamo uses Tony Awards speech to honor missing migrants, Puerto Rico

John Leguizamo had some choice words for President Donald Trump as he accepted his Tony Award on Sunday: “I am a human, not an animal,” he said, referencing the president’s controversial comments about Latino gang members in May.

The “Latin History for Morons” actor, who was born in Colombia, used his emotional speech to highlight the importance of diverse representation in media and theater, noting that Latinos are “the least-represented minority in Hollywood.” Latinos are the minority with the fewest speaking roles on film and TV despite making up 17.4% of the U.S. population, a 2016 study found.

“This stops here,” he said, noting that there is a huge demand for these roles. “Thousands upon thousands of Latin people showed up and paid unreasonable prices to see themselves reflected back and see someone like themselves talking about them to them. My hope is one day our stories won’t be the exception, but the rule.”

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As Leguizamo said, diversity can be big business. Walt Disney Co.’s   “Black Panther,” one of the first black superheroes to hit the big screen, made more than $650 million domestically, becoming the highest-grossing superhero film and the third-highest-grossing film of all time. 2017’s “Get Out,” a thriller featuring a largely black cast, grossed $254.7 million at box offices worldwide on just a $4.5 million production budget.

Leguizamo’s show, “Latin American History for Morons,” was also a successful portrayal of diverse stories, recouping its capitalization in just 15 weeks to become the first play of the 2018 Broadway season to turn a profit.

In addition to underscoring the success of diverse casting and importance of telling Latino stories, Leguizamo used his speech to make an emotional plea to viewers to “never forget the 1,500 missing Latin American babies in detention,” referencing the nearly 1,500 unaccompanied minors who were apprehended at the border and the government lost track of, according to recent reports from the Department of Health and Human Services. He also implored viewers, through tears, to never forget the estimated 4,645 Puerto Ricans who died in Hurricane Maria.