In the Golden Age of Hollywood, few stars shined brighter than Ramon Novarro, a Mexican-born sex symbol of the silent era who worked opposite fellow legends like Joan Crawford & Greta Garbo, and who’s widely regarded as cinema’s first Latin leading man.
He was also gay, though most of his career he managed to kept that a secret from the public, only ever sharing his truth with close friends and trusted colleagues.
And yet, there were rumors, rumors that were unfortunately further stoked by the news of his shocking death in 1968, murdered by a pair of young brothers who had posed as sex workers scheming to steal his fortunes.
When the case went to trial, it sparked a media frenzy, and Novarro’s sexuality was posthumously used against him. At a time of rampant homophobia in the industry, the “gay panic” defense was wielded to shift blame back at him, marring the late actor’s legacy in speculation & scandal.
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Now, nearly 60 years later, Cuban-American filmmaker Kevin Rios has set out to reclaim the narrative with Latin Lover, a short film that blends fact & fiction as it reimagines Ramon Novarro’s final night as one not swallowed by tragedy.
“Novarro’s life has been defined by a violent, sensationalized narrative,” the writer-director shares in a press statement. “I wanted to restore his dignity and give him a final moment of connection. This film is about the man, not just the crime.”
Rios says he first became invested in Novarro after watching Quentin Tarantino re-write Tinseltown history with 2019’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, realizing the queer star was more than worthy of a spotlight that could similarly reframe his story, showing us not a victim but “a complex man whose life, talent, and humanity deserve to be remembered.”
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In researching for the project, Rios pored through court documents of the trial, using real details to inform the world of his film, from its Laurel Canyon setting to intriguing minutiae like the name “LARRY” found inscribed on Novarro’s sheet.
The facts became the basis for a surreal tale that dabbles in both the magical and the macabre of Los Angeles in the late ’60s. Shot on location via film, Latin Lover enchantingly evokes the era, “preserving both the grit and the beauty” of the city with dreamlike imagery that’ll stick with you long after the movie’s over.
And to play the screen legend, Rios tapped Jonathan Del Arco, an openly gay Latino actor & LGBTQ+ advocate best known for his work on The Closer and across the Star Trek universe. For his part, Del Arco recognized Novarro as a “pioneering artist” for the queer & Latin communities alike, yet whose contributions to Hollywood are too often overlooked:
“Ramon Novarro was a groundbreaking talent whose achievements helped pave the way for generations of Latino and LGBTQ performers,” the actor says. “What moved me most about this project was the opportunity to honor the fullness of his life—not simply the tragedy that has come to define it.”
Also starring Robert Solomon & Rowen Kahn as Novarro’s would-be assailants, plus Blaise Godbe Lipman, Benny Burns and Alessandra Mesa, Latin Lover made its world premiere at the Outshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival —in Rios’s hometown of Miami—where it won the Audience Award, and recently screened at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.
And next, after being accepted into the Cherry Grove Archives Collection, the short will screen as part of the Cherry Grove Archival Film Festival this July. In anticipation, Queerty is honored to share a first look at the film’s stunning trailer, which you can watch below.
And be sure to follow Kevin Rios on Instagram for all the latest on Latin Lover & more!
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