Race/Related: ‘You can’t dream with what you can’t see’

Tenoch Huerta Mejía’s breakthrough moment playing Namor in the “Black Panther” sequel is especially gratifying for the antiracism activist. [View in browser](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP4QpAWh0dHBzOi8vbWVzc2FnaW5nLWN1c3RvbS1uZXdzbGV0dGVycy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS90ZW1wbGF0ZS9vYWt2Mj9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIyMTExOSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03ODAwOCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZwcm9kdWN0Q29kZT1SUiZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTEzNjkwJnRlPTEmdXJpPW55dCUzQSUyRiUyRm5ld3NsZXR0ZXIlMkY4NTFjYTdlZS02OGE4LTUwODQtYjI2OS1kNzFlNDRhODM3ODYmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgpjc2rFeGP-aEXKUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~)|[nytimes.com](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0SxaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMTM2OTAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~)[Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-ad-marquee) ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTgwJmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIyMTExOVcDbnl0Qgpjc2rFeGP-aEXKUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ [More Race/Related](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0S_aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vc3BvdGxpZ2h0L3JhY2U_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjExMTkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzgwMDgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKY3NqxXhj_mhFylIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) November 19, 2022 “I’m the child of Mesoamerican civilizations, even if my veins have blood from many parts of the world,” Huerta said.Elliott Jerome Brown Jr. for The New York Times The beauty of representation in ‘Wakanda Forever’ By Carlos Aguilar It was during an idle summer when he was 17 that Tenoch Huerta Mejía attended his first acting workshop. His father had signed him up, and just as he had been playing football since the age of 5 for fun, he thought of performing as no more than another amusing pastime, not a potential vocation. “Becoming an actor was as far-fetched as it was for me to become a professional American football player from Mexico,” Huerta said in Spanish by phone from a moving car in Mexico City. “You can’t dream with what you can’t see. I didn’t see people with my skin color onscreen.” But now, the Mexican star, 41, from the city of Ecatepec just outside the Mexican capital, has leveraged that first taste of the dramatic arts into a blossoming career that landed him the role of Namor, the flying ruler of the fictional underwater kingdom of Talokan, in the superhero epic “[Black Panther: Wakanda Forever](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TEaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjExMTkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzgwMDgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmdj1fWjNRS2tsMVd5TVcDbnl0Qgpjc2rFeGP-aEXKUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~).” Representing his international breakthrough, the performance has been earning plaudits from critics. For [The Hollywood Reporter](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP4QNAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmhvbGx5d29vZHJlcG9ydGVyLmNvbS9tb3ZpZXMvbW92aWUtcmV2aWV3cy9ibGFjay1wYW50aGVyLXdha2FuZGEtZm9yZXZlci1yeWFuLWNvb2dsZXItc2VxdWVsLTEyMzUyNTYwMDUvP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMTM2OTAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~), David Rooney commended Huerta’s “glowering demeanor and burly physicality in the role,” while David Sims of [The Atlantic](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP4QBAWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWF0bGFudGljLmNvbS9jdWx0dXJlL2FyY2hpdmUvMjAyMi8xMS9ibGFjay1wYW50aGVyLTItd2FrYW5kYS1mb3JldmVyLW1vdmllLXJldmlldy82NzIwMzYvP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMTM2OTAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) praised how the actor infuses the character with “great dignity.” For as long as Huerta can remember, the Mexican television and film industry has looked “like it’s made for Scandinavians,” as he put it. The productions mostly feature white Mexican or Latin American stars, while brown-skinned performers like him are relegated to subservient, criminal or generally disparaging parts. [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-0) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTc0MTQ5JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIyMTExOVcDbnl0Qgpjc2rFeGP-aEXKUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ Thankfully, even when he wasn’t included in the narrative, he took encouragement from his father’s unconditional trust. When he asked his dad why he had enrolled him in the acting class, the seemingly ambiguous response struck a chord. “He told me, ‘I saw something in you,’” Huerta recalled. “For me the significance of that phrase was that my father was fully seeing me, that he had his eyes set on me always.” Long before Marvel Studios put wings on his feet, Huerta had earned his stripes, working for more than 15 years on both sides of the border in acclaimed independent titles like “[Sin Nombre](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TOaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAwOS8wMy8yMC9tb3ZpZXMvMjBub21iLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjExMTkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzgwMDgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKY3NqxXhj_mhFylIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA),” “[Güeros](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0T_aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxNS8wNS8yMC9tb3ZpZXMvcmV2aWV3LWd1ZXJvcy1hbWlkLXRoZS1tZXhpY2FuLXN0dWRlbnQtcHJvdGVzdHMtb2YtMTk5OS5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMTM2OTAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~)” and “[Son of Monarchs](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TeaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMC8xMy9tb3ZpZXMvc29uLW9mLW1vbmFyY2hzLXJldmlldy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMTM2OTAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~).” Still, Huerta admitted that he had often suffered from impostor syndrome as a result of the hostility that brown-skinned actors face in the Mexican entertainment industry. The fact that he didn’t receive a formal acting education from a major institution also didn’t help. [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-1) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MjA3NTc3JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIyMTExOVcDbnl0Qgpjc2rFeGP-aEXKUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ A watershed moment came when Huerta was cast as the lead in the searing 2011 thriller [“Days of Grace,”](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0T1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxNS8wNS8wMS9tb3ZpZXMvZGF5cy1vZi1ncmFjZS1hLW1leGljYW4tZmlsbS1ieS1ldmVyYXJkby1nb3V0Lmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjExMTkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzgwMDgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKY3NqxXhj_mhFylIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) directed by Everardo Gout. To prepare for the demanding role of a police officer losing himself to violence, Huerta enlisted in the Ecatepec police academy without fellow cadets knowing he was doing research. Not only did the visceral performance earn Huerta his first Ariel Award for best actor (the Mexican film academy’s equivalent to the Oscar), but it convinced him of his own hard-fought talent. “That movie changed my life because it was where I first saw myself as an actor and started building my life around the fact that I was an actor,” he said. “Before that I couldn’t see it.” Gout, who had first worked with Huerta on a video clip several years before, sees his friend’s rising profile as a personal victory. [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-universal-2) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9NzI4Njk5JmxpPVJSJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1SUl8yMDIyMTExOVcDbnl0Qgpjc2rFeGP-aEXKUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ “I’m so happy about everything that’s happening with Tenoch right now,” the director said by phone. “Finally other people are seeing what I saw in him around 15 years ago. His success validates all my decisions of fighting to have him in many of my projects.” One such battle occurred when Gout was hired to direct “[The Forever Purge](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TEaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjExMTkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzgwMDgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmdj14T3JYcEstclVhSVcDbnl0Qgpjc2rFeGP-aEXKUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~),” the 2021 installment in the hit Universal Pictures franchise in which Huerta played a hero in disguise. “I told the president of Universal that my actor was Tenoch and I refused to see anyone else until they proved to me there was someone better than him for the character,” Gout said, adding, “Fortunately, it worked out and they didn’t fire me.” He said that what Huerta brings to every project, regardless of the size of the part, is inner beauty and generosity with other actors. “His performance as Namor is so great because he imbues the character with his own identity,” Gout added. “He always has the same smile and the same way of speaking, so he grounds the character on something palpable — real humanity.” (The two are collaborating again on the Netflix series “American Jesus.”) On “Wakanda Forever,” the director Ryan Coogler witnessed both Huerta’s devotion to the process as he learned the multiple skills needed to play Namor — the actor didn’t know how to swim before he was cast — and the gravitas of his screen presence. “The entire antiracist movement is a train that has been gaining momentum for 500 years. Those hateful tweets are like pellets from a BB gun trying to stop this train,” Huerta said of receiving racist attacks online when he shares his views on social justice.Eli Adé/Marvel Studios “He was working in two languages that are not his first, English and in Yucatec Maya, while performing with prosthetics 15 feet underwater,” Coogler said via voice note. “He is a true chameleon and one of the most impressive actors I’ve ever worked with.” Offscreen, Huerta is an outspoken antiracism activist who uses his platform to demand reparations for brown-skinned Mexicans, whether they identify as Indigenous or not. He profoundly related to how proudly Namor embraced and protected his Mayan origins. “I’m the child of Mesoamerican civilizations, even if my veins have blood from many parts of the world,” Huerta said. “In terms of my identity, culturally and emotionally, I am tied to, shaped by and in sync with my history, with my heritage.” The actor’s first name, Tenoch ([pronounced teh-NOTCH](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TwaHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9wb2NjdWx0dXJlL3N0YXR1cy8xNTkxMTU1MTA1ODE0MTcxNjQ4P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImcz00NiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0PUFERFBKSVViXzk2Xzdma2pIR0d2MVEmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~)), which he shares with [a 14th-century Aztec leader](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TAaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnJpdGFubmljYS5jb20vdG9waWMvVGVub2NoP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMTM2OTAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~), comes from the Náhuatl language and translates to “stone prickly pear.” The name, the actor believes, is evidence that his father saw their Mexican identity as inextricable from its Indigenous foundation. “Since you are Mexican, I’ll give you a Mexican name,” Huerta’s father told him. Read the rest of the story [here](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMS8xNi9tb3ZpZXMvdGVub2NoLWh1ZXJ0YS1tZWppYS13YWthbmRhLWZvcmV2ZXIuaHRtbD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD0zNyZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ycl8yMDIyMTExOSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD03ODAwOCZubD1yYWNlJTJGcmVsYXRlZCZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTEzNjkwJnRlPTEmdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkN1cDbnl0Qgpjc2rFeGP-aEXKUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~). EDITORS’ PICKS We publish many articles that touch on race. Here are several you shouldn’t miss. [[Article Image] Ainslee Alem Robson](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZXJhY3RpdmUvMjAyMi8xMS8xNy9hcnRzL29jdGF2aWEtYnV0bGVyLXZpc2lvbi1raW5kcmVkLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjExMTkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzgwMDgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKY3NqxXhj_mhFylIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [The Visions of Octavia Butler As a science fiction writer, Butler forged a new path and envisioned bold possibilities. On the eve of a major revival of her work, this is the story of how she came to see a future that is now our present. By Lynell George](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vaW50ZXJhY3RpdmUvMjAyMi8xMS8xNy9hcnRzL29jdGF2aWEtYnV0bGVyLXZpc2lvbi1raW5kcmVkLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjExMTkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzgwMDgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKY3NqxXhj_mhFylIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [[Article Image] Daniel Dorsa for The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0T4aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMS8xOC9hcnRzL3RlbGV2aXNpb24vd2VsY29tZS10by1jaGlwcGVuZGFsZXMta3VtYWlsLW5hbmppYW5pLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjExMTkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzgwMDgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKY3NqxXhj_mhFylIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [Kumail Nanjiani Didn’t Know He Was Playing the Bad Guy In the new Hulu true-crime series “Welcome to Chippendales,” he plays the founder of the famous all-male revue. He swears he didn’t go full Method. By Alexis Soloski](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0T4aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMS8xOC9hcnRzL3RlbGV2aXNpb24vd2VsY29tZS10by1jaGlwcGVuZGFsZXMta3VtYWlsLW5hbmppYW5pLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjExMTkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzgwMDgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKY3NqxXhj_mhFylIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [[Article Image] Maiwenn Raoult for The New York Times](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMS8xOC9zdHlsZS9hYmJvdHQtZWxlbWVudGFyeS1icml0dGFuaS1uaWNob2xzLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjExMTkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzgwMDgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKY3NqxXhj_mhFylIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [UP NEXT An ‘Abbott Elementary’ Writer Who Draws From Her Experience Brittani Nichols went to Yale on a basketball scholarship and fell in love with acting. By Alex Hawgood](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TpaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMS8xOC9zdHlsZS9hYmJvdHQtZWxlbWVudGFyeS1icml0dGFuaS1uaWNob2xzLmh0bWw_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9MzcmZW1jPWVkaXRfcnJfMjAyMjExMTkmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9NzgwMDgmbmw9cmFjZSUyRnJlbGF0ZWQmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTExMzY5MCZ0ZT0xJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDdXA255dEIKY3NqxXhj_mhFylIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) [[Article Image] Christine Han](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMS8xNy9ib29rcy9yZXZpZXcvdGhlLXdva3Mtb2YtbGlmZS1sZXVuZy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMTM2OTAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) [INSIDE THE BEST-SELLER LIST The Family That Cooks Together Publishes a Best Seller The Leung family teamed up to write “The Woks of Life,” a compendium of recipes for Chinese dishes. By Elisabeth Egan](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMS8xNy9ib29rcy9yZXZpZXcvdGhlLXdva3Mtb2YtbGlmZS1sZXVuZy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMTM2OTAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) [[Article Image] Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Latin Recording Academy](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TnaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMS8xOC9hcnRzL211c2ljL2xhdGluLWdyYW1teS1hd2FyZHMtd2lubmVycy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMTM2OTAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) [CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK At the Latin Grammys, Youth and Age Were Both Welcome Jorge Drexler, Bad Bunny, Rosalía, Christina Aguilera, Christian Nodal and the 95-year-old Angela Álvarez reaped wins at the 23rd annual awards. By Jon Pareles](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TnaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMi8xMS8xOC9hcnRzL211c2ljL2xhdGluLWdyYW1teS1hd2FyZHMtd2lubmVycy5odG1sP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMTM2OTAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) Invite your friends. Invite someone to subscribe to the [Race/Related](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRlW0pqP0TJaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vbmV3c2xldHRlcnMvcmFjZS1yZWxhdGVkP2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTM3JmVtYz1lZGl0X3JyXzIwMjIxMTE5Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTc4MDA4Jm5sPXJhY2UlMkZyZWxhdGVkJnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xMTM2OTAmdGU9MSZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3VwNueXRCCmNzasV4Y_5oRcpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~) newsletter. Or email your thoughts and suggestions to racerelated@nytimes.com. Want more Race/Related? 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