Kate del Castillo, 52, didn’t let weak cellphone reception get in the way of celebrating her invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 'I’m shooting in the middle of nowhere with a terrible signal,” Del Castillo said on Wednesday via text. “I’m humbled by this invitation and also very aware of this huge responsibility. I’ll do my best to honor the academy and its members by being honest and fair.
Alex Rivera, director of “The Infiltrators” and “Sleep Dealer,” says he has a 'split ' surrounding his invitation. 'On one side, there’s the simple joy of some progress. It’s a delight to see so many Latinos join the academy this year. But the crisis of Latino under-representation in film is so profound, and we're so far from the large-scale, diverse and deep cinema our community deserves,' said Rivera. 'There’s a lot of work ahead.