In 2022, nearly 60% of Latino lead characters in Hollywoods top films were depicted as criminals. Forty percent were portrayed as angry, and more than 30% were sexualized. And more than a quarter were presented solely as the comic relief of their movie, often opposite a more three-dimensional white character. To add insult to injury, many of these characters are often portrayed as foreign, further otherizing and marginalizing Latinos in the U.S.

The persistence of these harmful stereotypes and tired tropes is among the many glaring findings of a new study on Latino representation in major Hollywood movies. Or more precisely, the report, from the University of Southern Californias Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, is really about the persistent invisibility of Latinos on the big screen. Thats despite 20% of Americans identifying as Hispanic/Latino in the latest U.S. Census. In Los Angeles, where many of the decisions for these movies get made, almost 50% of the population identifies as Hispanic/Latino.

Since 2007, the group has collected data on the top 100 highest-grossing Hollywood films each year and broken down who is represented in front of and behind the camera. Their newest report, released Monday, is the third time the group has specifically drilled down on Latino representation and virtually nothing has changed, according to the data. In fact, some of it, such as the prevalence of stereotypical Latino lead characters, has actually worsened in recent years, the group found.