Jon Huertas, Fellow ‘This Is Us’ Stars & Creator Dan Fogelman To Launch Latinx-Focused Fund
28.04.2022 - 23:41
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: As NBC’s prepares to say its final goodbye on May 24, the cast and creator are leaving behind a legacy that will include a scholarship fund supporting Latinx students with big Hollywood dreams.
Jon Huertas, his costars Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, Chrissy Metz, Chris Sullivan, and Susan Kelechi Watson, as well as series creator Dan Fogelman, have partnered with the art advocacy group Nosotros on the creation of the Somos Nosotros Fund (that’s Spanish for This Is Us). It will be used to bolster the quality of inclusion from a creative perspective.
The Latinx-focused scholarship fund is the culmination of a conversation that started over parity late last year when Huertas was given a lower bonus than his costars, as Deadline reported, This Is Us original cast members offered to pool together a portion of their final season bonuses when fellow series regular Huertas had been given less, an offer which he declined.
Huertas approached Nosotros, founded by Hollywood legend Ricardo Montalbán in 1970, with the idea of starting a scholarship fund because of his deep respect for its history of serving Latino artists.
“The primary directives of the Somos Nosotros fund is to solidify and build on Nosotros’ current initiatives while creating more opportunities to foster Latinx talent,” said Nosotros President Joel M. Gonzales. “The initiation of this fund serves as an inaugural partnership between Huertas and Nosotros where he will serve in a high-visibility Advisory role alongside Nosotros’ already well-established leadership.”
The cast’s generous contributions will be pooled with other donations from organizations like NBC, Netflix, and other endowments. “We’re going to continue to