MovieChat Forums > Frida (2002) Discussion > Lila Downs would have been a great Frida

Lila Downs would have been a great Frida

posted 17 years ago by atsuinakada
6 replies | jump to latest

No offense to Hayek, but the first time I saw Lila Downs perform on and award show (this was before I saw the movie FRIDA) I thought, Wow she looks more like the real Frida Kahlo. And it is not that Salma doesn't look like Frida, because she does somewhat. It's just that Lila Downs has a little more height and a presence that can be slightly masculine enough to pull off the side of Frida that enjoyed women and dressed like a man (I saw a picture of Kahlo in a suit and she looked really good as a guy.) And yet Downs is beautiful enough to be the more femininely dressed Frida.

I know the movie came to fruition because of Hayek's great efforts, so she had every right to play Kahlo and I think she did a good job of it. But I still say Lila Downs would have been amazing as Kahlo even if she's not an actress. As a singer Downs puts a lot of emotion into the songs she performs, so I'm sure with some training she could have turned out a great performance as Frida.

And if not her or Salma, I'm sure they could have cast an unknown who came across more Kahloish. I know it's too late to change who played Frida, but just thought I'd share my thoughts.

[–] heartbrokentrust 17 years ago

I agree with you 100%.
no better way to portray in Indigenous Mexican than with an Indigenous Mexican..

[–] fafe22 17 years ago

HAHAHAHA people read your history! For starters Frida was not an indigenous mexican... her last name is KAHLO!!!!! her father was a foreigner!!!! Please people before stating something... investigate...
Same as Salma... Hayek is not mexican!
By the way how does Lila Downs come into all this?

[–] heartbrokentrust 17 years ago

...FIRST OFF, FRIDA IS INDIGENOUS!
by way of her mother, her mother was a Nahuatl speaking woman, FRIDA WAS A NAHUATL SPEAKING WOMAN!

do I have to conform to your words to be correct here?

to original poster:
Lila wouldve been great..

this movie does not do the real Frida justice!..

[–] Mrs_Mills 15 years ago

Frida was not indigenous as her father was a German immigrant. She was a Mestiza, much like Lila Downs who has a Mixtec mother and an American father.

'Lady Sarah, whose emotions are as frozen as Kidman's forehead'...Australia Review, Times Online

[–] fafe22 15 years ago

Fridah was the same as 99% of the Mexican population... and that is MESTIZO... which means half indigenous half something else.

Her father was a German jew named Carl Wilhem Kahlo who moved to Mexico to be a photographer. And her mother Mathilde Calderón Gonzáles was also of MESTIZO descent, she was devout catholic who was part indigenous and part Spanish.

This by all means states that Fridah WAS NOT indigenous. However, she did believe in indigenous ideals and was very patriotic. She was proud of her nation and Mexico's history and exalted those ideals in her persona and her work. But this does not mean she was originally Nahuátl. The Nahuas as a pure race have not existed for centuries!

By the way who cares if she spoke Nahuátl? She also spoke English, French and German... that doesn't make her European either... only a very intelligent woman who had a huge ability to learn different languages.

And I agree it doesn't make Frida justice, you should watch Ofelia Medina's portrayel of the artist. It's a brilliant film.

[–] herinfernalmajesty 15 years ago

I dont agree at all. First time I saw Hayek I thought she'd make a perfect Frida Kahlo, and she did.