Posted on 11/24/2015 6:44:30 AM PST by Bratch
The actor was interviewed with five other A-listers for The Hollywood Reporter‘s Actor Roundtable conversation when he was asked whether prejudice had affected his decades-long acting career.
“My wife and I were just having this conversation, and we were going to the dictionary for ‘prejudice’ versus ‘racism,'” Smith replied, adding:
Everybody is prejudiced. Everybody has their life experiences that make them prefer one thing over another — it makes them prefer blond hair over a brunette; if you see somebody with dark skin walking down the street, you have a different reaction than you have [with] someone who is 5-foot-1 and white. But there is a connotation with racism of superiority: You feel that your race generally is superior. And I have to say, I live with constant prejudice, but racism is actually rare — someone who thinks their race is superior. I don’t want to work for them. I don’t want to work at that company. And the times I have come in contact with it, you get away from those people.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Oh my God.
Not only an intelligent answer, but he talks about going to a dictionary.
In various parts of the country, (Minnesota, North Dakota,) with a high population of Norwegian immigrants, it was common to substitute Norwegians for Pollack’s when telling jokes..
This was indeed a few decades ago however..
I understand exactly what you mean. The problem today is that too many jump on racism, or intentional ill-will, rather than consider that a term is just common usage. It makes us leery of speaking to each other.
I agree with him. But it looks like he’ll producing his own movies from now on.
That's interesting. I live in a part of the country with a very large Norwegian population...western Wisconsin. I've heard numerous Norwegian jokes from people with full Norwegian ancestry.
I grew up in Chicago. I recall the columnist Mike Royko writing a column (about 35 years ago) that there were ethnic slurs for almost every group in Chicago, except Norwegians.
Uf Da!
I am of Norwegian descent too in fact my later father was born in Norway. The joke he liked and told often was “You can always tell a Norwegian. But you can’t tell him much”.
Vel, Ole and Lena finally got married, and Ole was driving her to St. Paul for the honeymoon.
“Ole,” says Lena, “give me a kiss.”
“No,” says Ole, “somebody might see.”
“Nobody vill see,” says Lena, “and besides, we’re married now.”
“No, Lena,” says Ole, “somebody might see.”
“Ole,” says Lena, “I vant a kiss and I vant it now! Stop this car and park it. Ve’ll get out and crawl under the car and then nobody vill see!”
“Vat if somebody comes by?” asks Ole.
“Yust tell them you’re checking the clutch!” yells Lena, and Ole knows he’d better stop right then or there will be trouble.
Vell, vun ting leads to another, and Ole and Lena are under the car for quite awhile ven He is so happy that his eyes are shut, and then Ole feels a hand on his shoulder. It vas Lars!
“Ole!” says Lars. “Vat the heck are you doing?”
“Go avay, Lars,” says Ole. “I’m checking the clutch.”
“Vell, you’d better check the brakes,” says Lars, “because your car’s rolled fifty feet down the shoulder!”
LOL! I have heard that one.
I resemble that remark.
I used to love movies before they became so relentlessly filthy and political, and would often go to a movie specifically for the actor, comedian or director. Will Smith is one actor/comedian whose movies I went to see specifically for the actor, which, since I'm an old white person, makes his claim of deep reach into American culture quite verifiable.
Other black actors/comedians I admire and who would add to my estimate of a good cast are Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle (who should have won the Oscar for Hotel Rwanda), Eddie Murphy, Queen Latifah, James Earl Jones, Alfre Woodard, Andre Braugher, Anthony Anderson, Taraji P. Henson, Ice T, LL Cool J, Arsenio Hall, Taye Diggs, Dennis Haysbert, Alfonso Ribeiro, Kenan Thompson, S. Epatha Merkerson, Sinbad, Sophie Okonedo, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Maya Rudolph, Gabourey Sidibe, Tamara Tunie, Giancarlo Esposito, Viola Davis, Jay Pharoah, Niecy Nash, Jasmine Guy, Sheryl Underwood, CCH Pounder, Bryton James and Mo'nique.
And that's excluding the ones whose past work I enjoyed but whose politics have since turned me off completely, like Forest Whitaker, Jamie Foxx, Danny Glover, Morgan Freeman, Spike Lee or Oprah, off the top of my head.
I was working in Baltimore City when parts of Enemy of the State were being filed a block from my office. FWIW Hackman played the same character in that movie as an earlier (1974) movie - The Conversation.
It was amazing watching all the big tractor trailers; dozens and dozens of them lined around for several blocks and all the equipment - the lights and sound equipment, what seemed like miles of cables, trailers full of costumes, all the extras, the support staff and the security people and even the caterers who set up just outside my office window to feed the crew - all the people and equipment that arrived a good two weeks before the actors ever arrived that were all necessary to film what ended up being all of about 10 minutes on screen. The same thing happened when Barry Levinson was filming some scenes for Liberty Heights across the street. It was amazing to watch.
And when they were filming, you could always tell when Will Smith came out of his trailer because the deafening shrieks of the young and not so young girls.
But I understood that Gene Hackman used walk on his own a few blocks up the street to the local deli to buy his own lunch. I didn't get a chance to see or meet him but I understood from some co-workers who did that he was so unassuming and such a "normal" and regular guy that he sort of blended in and that a lot of people, most people in fact didn't even recognize him. But when people did, he was very gracious about signing autographs or just talking with them.
I could not care less about celebrities or fame or stardom or for their autographs (I wouldn't walk across the street to get someone's autograph) but I am fascinated with the craft of movie making and of good acting. Gene Hackman always impressed me with his versatility as an actor (playing good guys, bad guys, conflicted guys, in comedies, dramas, thrillers, westerns) over his long career and all the other great actors and directors he's worked with and I always thought it would probably be cool to sit down over a few glasses of beer and talk about movies and the craft of acting with him for a few hours. There are a very few other actors who I could see myself doing that with, Paul Newman would be one of the others.
I understand that Hackman is a Democrat and is probably fairly liberal but he's never been one to talk or preach much about it and during a rare interview on Larry King Live (1985) in July 2004, Hackman stated that although he is a Democrat, he liked President Ronald Reagan, who had died the previous year and is known to be quite shy in life and was once quoted as saying "If I start to become a "star", I'll lose contact with the normal guys I play best."
I can't find a source but recall once reading about Hackman at one of the Oscar's one year, where he was up for a nomination. He didn't walk the "red" carpet and in fact as the awards show was about to start, he wasn't in his assigned seat, that no one could find him. It turned out he was out back of the theater, smoking cigars and shooting the breeze with the limo drivers.
Racist: 1. Any non-black who disagrees with any black or objects to any black's behavior. 2. Any white person.
You're confusing smarter and wiser with clever and calculating.
And must NOT say that government CREATED the problem.
I’ve maintained that Will Smith is a pretty straight-up guy. Good post.
IIRC just a few years ago he was doing some interview in France about something along the lines of the rich should pay higher taxes which he supported until he realized that he was included in that tax bracket...
And gay used to mean happy. Now discriminate means to unfairly exclude, and gay means to be afflicted with a mental illness.
Every time I watch that movie Gene Hackman’s character reminds me of my dad. He looked just like him in is military issued blacked rimmed glasses and haircut.
Cultural analysis and comment is not racisim
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.