Zorro, a fictional swashbuckling Spanish-speaking hero, has appeared on page and screen for over a hundred years, and as writer Gustavo Arellano argues in his latest for Alta Journal, few iterations get the character right. But a new crop of shows and comics might finally accurately represent Arellano’s favorite masked crusader. Arellano sits back down with Alta Live (he’s a welcome regular, the Norm to our Cheers) to tell us why Zorro is such a special character to begin with, what previous films have gotten wrong about the hero, and which upcoming shows seem to finally nail the persona. Masks off, swords at ease: Join us for a conversation around—and reintroduction to— a character we thought we knew.

About the guest:

Gustavo Arellano is the author of Orange County: A Personal History and Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America. He is a features writer for the Los Angeles Times and has been an essayist and reporter for various publications as well as a frequent commentator on radio and television. He was formerly an editor of OC Weekly, an alternative newspaper in Orange County, California, and penned the award-winning ¡Ask a Mexican!, a nationally syndicated column in which he answered any and all questions about America’s spiciest and largest minority. Arellano is the recipient of awards ranging from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Best Columnist to the Los Angeles Press Club President’s Award to an Impacto Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and he was recognized by the California Latino Legislative Caucus with a 2008 Spirit Award for his “exceptional vision, creativity, and work ethic.” Arellano is a lifelong resident of Orange County and is the proud son of two Mexican immigrants, one of whom came to this country in the trunk of a Chevy.

Here are some notable quotes from today’s event:

  • On Zorro’s enduring popularity: “I talked to the gentleman who runs the company that licenses Zorro—Zorro is in the public domain, the character, but not necessarily everything is. He’s saying he’s getting ideas for Zorro projects all the time: Santa Barbara, this past year, did an opera based on Zorro, which sold out. There’s a Zorro board game that sold out immediately. People love their Zorro.”
  • On the appeal of Zorro: “Zorro is a person. Zorro is not Wolverine—which God bless Wolverine. Zorro is not Deadpool—again, God bless Deadpool. Zorro is a G-rated character. In these films, you never see nudity in them. You see love, of course you see violence, but this is something that everyone can enjoy.… He’s a member of the gentry, he’s a member of the elite, and yet he sides with the underdogs. He’s against tyranny—this is someone that everyone, all of us underdogs, will always be rooting for.”
  • On upcoming Zorro projects: “I love anything that’s going to reimagine Zorro. The people who license Zorro, they’re very, very protective of the trademark. They’re not going to give away the likeness to his representation and confirm any project that just comes their way. I trust their taste—so far, so good.”
  • On where to start with Zorro media: “Start with the Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas one, because that’s short—an hour and a half—and it’s enjoyable. You get the whole mythology, the whole shebang. It’s a really good movie.”

Check out these links to some of the topics brought up this week.