James Franco’s casting as Fidel Castro’s daughter in Alina of Cuba is defended by the Castro daughter

Leguizamo did not like the casting of James Franco as former Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the upcoming film Alina of Cuba, but the controversial casting has received a ringing endorsement from Franco himself.

Cuban government critic Alina Fernandez, Castro’s real-life daughter, has since weighed in on the matter.

During an interview with Deadline, Fernandez made it clear she fully agreed with the casting decision.

As for the rest of the main cast, Fernandez praised Ana Villafañe as herself and Mía Maestro as her mother.

As a final point, Fernandez seems to want people to focus on “the conversation about Cuba” rather than who might be playing what role, demonstrating her confidence in the talent assembled to make this film.

The fiasco began with a post on Instagram by John Leguizamo, blasting the casting. He felt Franco’s casting removed an opportunity for a Latino actor who could have played that role instead. Below is what Leguizamo said.

In response, producer John Martinez O’Felan argued that by getting involved in this manner, Leguizamo only created division in the community.

Additionally, O’Felan makes a comment about Franco’s “blood history,” apparently referring to his Portuguese heritage. Produced by

It’s clear that Franco is not going anywhere, in spite of any criticism Leguizamo may level against Alina of Cuba. Although there is no release date for the film, it is slated to begin shooting on Aug. 15.

Robert Poirrer

Robert Poirrer is a contributing author who covers Hollywood latest movie releases and web series for the MovieThop website. He has a decade of experience in writing movies based articles for numerous renowned media outlets. He is excellent at creating unique content based on emerging trends in a variety of categories especially entertainment, movies and lifestyle. When not writing articles you could find Robert enjoying mountain biking trips with his friends. He graduated in English Literature from North Carolina State University.