Clifton Collins Jr. Paid Homage To His Grandfather In ‘Westworld’
Clifton Collins Jr. honors the past and present when he wears his grandfather’s gun belt.
While the characters of Delores and Maeve were breaking away from their loops inside of Westworld, Clifton Collins Jr. was breaking loops in the real world. Clifton Collins Jr. plays the criminal leader Lawrence “El Lazo” Gonzalez who knows his way around the treacherous outskirts of Westworld. If you look closely, you can sometimes catch a glimpse of Lawrence’s gun belt. This is not your ordinary gunslinger prop. This gun and ammo belt once belonged to Collins famous grandfather Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez; a famous Latino actor that paved the way for other Latinos in the industry.
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Back in December, Collins posted a picture of his grandfather’s famous belt. Yes, this is the same belt his grandfather wore in Rio Bravo. In an interview with Fox News Latino, Collins explained the prop master’s reaction when he told him the history of the belt:
"“His eyes got really big and he said ‘Oh yeah, you’re wearing this,’” he said, adding that the propmaster asked if another one should be made so that it doesn’t get damaged. “I told him I was going to rock the OG one because I’m going to take care of it like it’s my kid.”"
The Cultural Importance Of The Belt Worn By Clifton Collins Jr.
[Credit: Warner Bros.]To understand the meaning behind the belt, you have to take a look at the history of Collins’ grandfather. At a young age, Pedro Gonzalez Gonzales was already entertaining crowds in the Carpa performances during the 1920’s and 30’s. After World War II, Gonzalez continued to hone his craft. This lead to an invited as a contestant on Groucho Marx’s quiz show You Bet Your Life. Here he used his comedic talents to dazzle and entertain the audience. Gonzales’ comedic routine on the show even drew the attention of John Wayne.
Due to that special moment and all of his hard work, the doors to Hollywood opened; Gonzales went on to play the role of several comic relief in several famous Western movies as John Wayne’s sidekick. His most famous role was playing alongside John Wayne in the movie Rio Bravo. Athough Gonzales never played roles outside of stereotypical Latinos, he did help usher in roles for other Latinos in the industry.
Breaking A Loop In Real Life
[Credit: HBO]When Clifton Collins Jr. talks about his grandfather’s belt, you can hear the admiration and adoration in his words. With or without the belt, Collins represents a movement that is currently happening in Hollywood. After the infamous #OscarSoWhite that occurred back in 2016, Hollywood started to examine how it could be better diverse. Even Collins explained in a interview with Latina.com how difficult it was to find acting jobs when he went by the name Clifton Gonzales Gonzales to honor his grandfather:
"The casting directors where like, “What’s your background? Clifton Mexican Mexican — that’s what they were internally saying.” I could say I’m half German but they don’t hear that, they just hear I’m half Mexican. Which is hilarious. I had to fight 10 times harder because there were so many nos. The doors were closed in my face. I wasn’t even allowed to audition. It’s an ugly double standard."
That didn’t stop Clifton Collins Jr. After changing his name back, he started to look at roles that would would help him grow as an artist. At the core of all his talent, he wanted to entertain audiences. Just like his grandfather. When he first started out, he mainly played Latino roles. But as he grew as an actor, he started to branch out and play various roles. One of his standout roles included playing the murderous Perry Smith alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman in Copote.
Just like his grandfather, Collins worked his way up through Hollywood. When Clifton Collins Jr. wears the belt, it represents more than just history. He’s wearing the belt of a man who gave credit and visibility to other Latinos. When you watch Clifton Collins Jr. in Westworld Season 2, know that he is part of the group actors changing the way we look at diversity in movies.
Westworld Season 2 will premiere Spring 2018.
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