I often have to play a role to get what I want in my life. At the same time, I can’t do that without also nourishing who I really am and being aware of my true self and the ways in which I’m not bound by my race or sexual orientation or class or country or whatever. Justin Simien Read Quote
I’ve always thought that ‘Dear White People’ should live on as a TV show, so I’ll leave it at that. Justin Simien Read Quote
Blue is the Warmest Colour’ – I’m not a lesbian, I’m not French, I’m not a woman, but I saw so much of myself in those women and in those characters. I saw different parts of myself than I ever would’ve seen if I hadn’t seen that film. Justin Simien Read Quote
The way Hollywood and TV is, black people don’t have any choice but to see ourselves in white-dominated television shows and stories and movies. Justin Simien Read Quote
I remember the first time that I realized that being black meant that I wasn’t allowed certain things. It was in the fourth grade, and it was who I thought was my best friend not inviting me to his birthday party because I would be the only black kid there. It was the first time I ever felt restricted, and it certainly wasn’t the last time. Justin Simien Read Quote
Shows like ‘Empire’… one of the most profound powerful things is that there’s a gay male character who is loved. That character is going to save a lot of people’s lives. Black families are confronting the idea that a gay black character can be human. Justin Simien Read Quote
There is no monolithic black culture. It’s completely different for someone born in Harlem to someone born in Houston or London with one exception, which is that people contributing to black culture have the experience of being black. Justin Simien Read Quote
I went to a school called Chapman University, which is a wonderful film school. It was a great program, but it was very white, and it was a culture shock for me because I grew up in Houston, Texas, and I went through what they call magnet schools, so my friends were like a Benetton ad. Justin Simien Read Quote
Self-doubt is a constant companion for a chubby, gay, black boy born in the South. Justin Simien Read Quote
