Who’s in Your Corner Matters…
We live in an imperfect world and there are 3 categories everyone fits under. You’re either, 1 Proactive with change, 2 exploiting the current climate or 3 you’re complicit.
Recently watched a film which inspired one of my upcoming songs. While I was writing this record I had to dove down into what was inspiring me…Turns out it was Jessica Chastain.
Jessica Chastain is an incredible actor. Somebody recommended that I watch a couple more of her films. I went through her IMDB and she takes so many diverse roles. And it’s something subtle being said by the roles/films actors pick.
I watched a couple of her interviews and she said something that I say all the time. She talks about how she doesn’t like it when it’s just all one demographic in the room and wanting to tell new stories of less talked about cultures like Indian and Asian. There was something very authentic about what she was talking about.
I grew up in a very diverse town.
Some of my friends who didn’t grow up in my area think I’m so random cause I’ve kicked it with Arabs, watch Superbowl games in spanish with my Dominican friends, I got good friends 10 to 20 years older than me, I could be kicking it with med school friends, my white friends just some of everybody.
For me if I haven’t experienced every culture I don’t have a full picture of life. I see people as people first. Then it’s up to them to determine how they want me to perceive them.
At the end of the day we can divide up into our little gender, race, classism and social groups but we all really need each other to upgrade life and not life-based on material things but life itself.
In my culture white people have done a bunch of things to blacks in the entertainment world. They have culture appropriated, financed and pumped ignorance into our music and the list goes on… But then on the bright side, there are people who are really bout that life like Jessica Chastain.
Women of color get paid significantly less in films. When Octavia Spencer mentioned that to her did you know Jessica went back up to that film studio and tied Octavia to her deal. Now Octavia is making 5x her initial salary.
What made that situation authentic is that Jessica Chastain never announced to the world what she did until Octavia said something. and on the flip side, I seen an interview with Jessica where she was supposed to do a film with Tom Cruise and he got Jessica out of her deal so she can do a film called Zero Dark 30.
We would like to think we can do it all but in reality, sometimes we need help.
Who you have in your corner matters. This week I want you to encourage you to look out for somebody.
P.S.
Watch Jessica Chastain in the Oscar Nominated film “Molly’s Game” that movie is the reason why this post even exists….
#8Grammys