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Why I Do What I Do

7/16/2012

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Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far! We're nearly on schedule: only $1,000 left to get to 25%. Please help us spread the word so we can get there by Wednesday (the quarter mark).

Making this film is the hardest and most important thing I've ever done (taking the SATs is a close second, which tells you something about our warped education system). Here’s why:

1. White Alligator is my first film. I do not yet have a proven track record or
fancy-pants introductions to big studios.

2. It takes a lot of money to make a movie, but you need a track record to get said money (See #1.).

3. I've had to bleed my friends and family dry in the worst recession of my (admittedly short) lifetime. With more and more celebrities using Kickstarter for their projects, we newbies are fading into the wallpaper.

4. The networking is killing me. (I'm naturally shy.)

But you know what? It’s all worth it. And here’s why:

In the process of making this film, a lot of people have been telling me their stories. When you take on a cause, you become an ear for the unheard voices. Although it is difficult for me to listen to these stories (I’m awfully sensitive), I know how vital it is for them to be told. Because injustice thrives on silence. When you are not heard, you start to lose a sense of your own humanity. And then you're toast.

Here is the latest story, which just happened to one of our cast members.

She was in an acting class last week. Halfway through the class, the instructor separated the students into groups based on nationality. I have no idea what he was trying to get across, except maybe trying to teach them their "types.” (I hope a shudder just went through you when you read that: actors routinely get "typed".) She was the only Spanish speaker, and when she introduced herself, the teacher had the gall to ask her if she was legal. Later, when she asked if there were many opportunities in film for a woman her age, he said that of course there were because everyone else her age is dead.

This is a teacher. A teacher. And this woman paid her hard-earned money to take this class. And these things happen all the time.

She called to thank me for making this film. I thanked her for sharing her story with me.

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We made it!

8/16/2011

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We met our goal!  

Thank you all so much for your generosity and amazing dedication in seeing this project to fruition!  

You will soon be getting an email from Kickstarter requesting your mailing address.  If you're anything like me, you will immediately become incredibly paranoid and question why anybody needs your address, and possibly ponder whether you should move to the Amazon just to make sure nobody finds you.  Fret not, however: they are only asking for the address so I can send you all the rewards you have chosen for your contributions.  None of your personal information will ever be shared.  

Now that our Kickstarter campaign has finished, we are working hard to raise the remaining funds needed so that we can start production as soon as possible.  White Alligator will most likely be shot this fall, and I will certainly keep everyone abreast of our milestones.  If you'd like, for more updated information, you can sign up to "like" the Facebook page that we started specifically for this project (note: this is separate from the page Kickstarter started for us that you all have already liked).  Not only will your "like" help us with eventual distribution, but it's a great way to stay connected with the White Alligator message forum. (I will continue posting interesting articles on relevant topics, as I have done with my Kickstarter updates.)  

We have also revamped the film's website, www.whitealligatorthemovie.com, and have included all your names as our backers.  Yes, I drew those alligators by myself on Microsoft Paint.  And yes, I'm currently looking for higher meaning in my life.  

And on that note...  

In the news this week: Jane White, Broadway and film actress, daughter of Walter White, the founder of the NAACP, died July 24.  She had a nice little write up in the NYTimes:   http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/08/arts/jane-white-actress-and-singer-who-rebelled-against-racial-straitjacketing-dies-at-88.html?_r=2&hpw  

A quote that caught my eye was: "I've just always been too 'white' to be 'black' and too 'black' to be 'white,' which, you know, gets to you after a while, particularly when the roles keep passing you by," taken from an interview in 1968.  I guess this struck a cord, because it is my own story, except replace 'latino' with 'black', and you have White Alligator in a nutshell.  I would have never known who Jane White was if my husband hadn't sent me this article.  But everyone knew who Paul Newman was when he died and he was on the cover of many magazines and mourned for years after.  What was the difference, other than one was allowed to have a career because he didn't stradle two racial worlds and "confuse" people?  

Another noteworthy article our director sent my way (subject of her email to me: The Help needs our help...):   http://www.indiewire.com/article/2011/08/10/critics_notebook_how_movies_like_the_help_reinforce_hollywoods_race_problem  

I read this book one boring Summer when I was temping.  My thoughts: emotionally sucks you in and fun to read, but we've heard it all before.  I was a bit shocked (but not really) to see it become a film so soon after the book's publishing.  And it's funny, but one of my first thoughts when I saw the film's poster was, "what if Viola Davis wants to wear the pretty dress for a change?" (...and stop being the maid).  I mean, honestly, it's a period piece being shot in 2011, we can all suspend our disbelief.  Emma Stone's character could have easily been played by Zoe Saldana, and we all would have gotten what was going on.  

And finally, for the hat trick:   http://www.examiner.com/soap-opera-in-riverside/former-young-and-the-restless-star-francesco-quinn-dead-at-48   Now, not to be morbose and include another death in this email, but this news of Francesco Quinn's early death caught my eye for one reason: the article states that he was nominated for an ALMA award (American Latino Media Arts Award), the "Latino Oscars."  The thing is, though, Mr. Quinn was actually Italian.  Pause for dramatic effect.  So, should we then rename these awards, GDMA (Generally Darker-Skinned-Than-Others Media Awards), if that's really what they're going for?  When has Italian been considered Latino?  Should we include Greeks in that grouping?  And while we're at it, let's throw in Turkish people, why not, it's geographically close enough.  Is Japan too far?  

There is indeed a point to all these articles.  I say, if the media has had trouble in the past with actors' ethnicities, and Hollywood has had trouble following its own rules on this front, let's just forget the whole thing.  Why don't we take ethnicity out of the casting picture, shall we?
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They call it the American Dream

8/9/2011

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(Originally published on Kickstarter on June 27)
I had a tough week that culminated with an entertainment industry professional requesting that I do black face.

Let me explain. I happened to be at an audition for a Spanish speaking project, a rare opportunity due to my white skin. As I sat there going over the material, the monitor approaches us, humiliated, with a small jar of bronzer and some cotton pads. He says to us, "they want you to put this on before you go in." I could tell the boy was just a messenger, and he himself was horrified at the request. Nevertheless, I looked at him like he had three heads and I was about to eat one of them. He apologized and walked away silently. The other girls and I tried to laugh it off and go back to our material.

You know how I was able to laugh it off? Because it's happened before. I have had a manager ask if I can wear darker foundation to appear more Hispanic (by the way, there is a scene in White Alligator comprised of this experience).

This happened after I already had a friend stare at me in shock for a few minutes after I told him I was born in San Juan, and I heard another industry professional explain to an actor taking direction that a Hispanic character's motives for cheating on his wife were "cultural". All in a week. And this is the norm. I took the edge off by treating myself to the Klimt exhibit at the Neue Gallerie on Sunday.

I leave you with this fascinating article about a man who's lived in the US his entire life (like me) and is still trying to fit in, just like you and me. Hell, at the end of the road, we're all in the same boat...pursuing the American Dream.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/magazine/my-life-as-an-undocumented-immigrant.html?_r=4&ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

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    Viviana Leo

    Viviana Leo is the writer and star of White Alligator.

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