On Race, On Gender, On Life as Artist

I spent 30 minutes watching this discussion between Kerry Washington and Don Cheadle this morning, and when it ended I couldn’t believe how quickly the time had gone by.

In general, I avoid listening to people analyze large conceptual ideas (gender in Hollywood) because too many people fall back on well-worn cliches and show little original thought.

That is not the case here.Washington and Cheadle talk about their individual experiences as actors, and more importantly, their experiences in historical contexts. (Bonus: Cheadle uses drops a sine waves reference so you may end up at Google during the interview.)

What comes out of the interview is a wonderful portait of these two actors, and a road map of sorts for those who want to follow in their footsteps.

For those students who are considering a life in the arts or who hope to engage in creative works, this is a must-watch interview with two intelligent actors.