For quite some time, Hollywood has failed to embrace the diversity of the real America. Most movies star all white people, all black people or a token friend to represent the other culture.
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It figures that it would take a movie about Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier in Hollywood. In comes 42, the new biopic starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford. I asked the legendary actor and the up and coming leading man about this film pioneering the type of movie blacks have been asking for, and Chadwick said 42 is the first time he’s ever seen a love story starring two black people in his life.
“I think it’s fitting that this movie exposes that, because you haven’t seen this before,” he says.
The actor who portrays Jackie Robinson wants people to know that 42 is “a love story.” He continues to explain his point…
“I realized I have not seen two black people in love in a major motion picture. It’s crazy! I’ve seen Claudine, I’ve seen Love Jones, but I’m talking about Warner Brothers, billboards going up, trailers on TV. I had never in my lifetime seen this.
You think you have, but you’ve only seen Denzel have a wife, but never a love story. You’ve seen Will Smith have a wife that’s tacked onto the story, but it’s not a love story.
So to be a part of that was something that seems like it’s so simple, but it makes you human. It makes you tangible. I think it’s revolutionary and some ways sad to say that, but I think once you see it, you have to embrace it. I hope this is the only time I’ll say this as an artist, but hopefully people will copy this. I think it will resonate with other artists and it will not seem like such a strange thing that we thought we had seen before.”
Harrison Ford, who nails his version of Branch Ricky – the owner who decided to break the color barrier in the MLB – explains:
“The best movies are not made from a point of view that depends on personal history. Whether it comes from the color of your skin or the politics you have, or the place that you come from. The best movies are made from a point of view of your understanding of human nature and history and what motivates people.”
“…Having an understanding of what makes a good movie from an emotional place. I think this movie tends to all of those requirements. I think there are movies that often do that and I think there’ll be more.”
We sure hope there are more movies that tell the true experience of what it is like growing up in America and what it’s like to work together and for blacks to be truly in love with one another.
42 comes out this Friday.
