JUSSIE SMOLLETT
Handsome as he is sensitive, sexy as he is smart, actor-musician Jussie Smollet is currently heating up the screen in his starring role as a hot gay college co-ed navigating romance and friendship in “The Skinny,” the latest feature film from “Noah’s Arch” auteur Patrik-Ian Polk. One of six acting siblings—he starred with his three brothers and two sisters in the TV series “On Our Own,” and his sister Jurnee made cinematic waves in the feature film “Eve’s Bayou”—twenty-nine-year-old Jussie’s been doing his thing on screen for nearly two decades, including appearances in such feature films as “The Mighty Ducks” and “North.” Had a chance to sit down with the Hollywood-based actor recently after a screening of his latest flick.
☛ Dave Bridgeforth
What statement were you trying to make as an artist/actor playing Magnus, the gay lead character in the film “The Skinny?”
☚ Jussie Smollett
I don’t think that there’s necessarily a particular statement that I was trying to make. Sure, some people are calling “The Skinny” the hottest gay film of the summer, but I call it simply a good film that represents so many different kinds of people you don’t often see on the screen. And for me it was a good role. I felt like I could add something to it, and that I could take something from it. That’s why I did it. Once I made the film, I saw all that it really meant.
☛ Dave Bridgeforth
What was the filming experience like for you on this project?
☚ Jussie Smollett
It was a great experience. This was gorilla film making at its core, but [Director] Patrik [-Ian Polk] is really good at creating a family environment. [Fellow actors] Anthony, Jeffrey, Blake, Shanika, and myself really did become a family. This is what I took most from the experience of working on “The Skinny”—four extremely incredible people who most likely would be friends. And that’s no bullshit. I didn’t know them at all before the film, but now, these are now my friends. I can’t praise my cast mates enough. I truly truly love them; the film was a wonderful experience. We even shot on a float in the New York Gay Pride Parade. I have never been on a float or been a part of New York Pride or anything like it before, but I believe it was a day or two after New York State legalized gay marriage. So to be on that float and see signs that say “30 Years Engaged To Just Married,” wellthat’s when it really hit me. It meant something, and it was amazing to be a part of that type of experience. I will remember it forever.
☛ Dave Bridgeforth
How do you feel you’re similar to your character Magnus?
☚ Jussie Smollett
Magnus is very protective of his friends, and I’m kind of a lion in that sense. I’m extremely protective of the ones I love and care about. I got so close to Blake-Young Fountain, who played Sebastian. During the shoot I always say that he is literally the most capable, most intelligent human being that I have ever met in my life, but I still find myself extremely protective of Blake the person, the way Magnus was of Sebastian the character, because Blake is such a genuine spirit, and such a beautiful soul that you just want to protect him. I’m like that with many of my friends. I’m that guy that you would come and talk to. Also I like being that guy that my friends know they can count on. That’s really important to me. I’m also like Magnus in the sense of being a Gemini/Cancer. But I’m more of a Cancer because I do wear my heart on my sleeve. I feel like I’m getting better as I get older at recognizing, and accepting that I can recognize the bullshit. There are definitely parts of me that are like Magnus.
☛ Dave Bridgeforth
What are some of your other aspiration?
☚ Jussie Smollett
Beside acting and my music, I want to get involved in philanthropy and social justice issues. That’s something I’m passionate about, something my family has been involved in. My mother was a leader in the civil rights movement. One of my godparents is Angela Davis. This is someone that my mother really grew up knowing, and spending time with. She also met Huey P. Newton and Ben Davis, and Dr. King. There’s history there, it’s something that my family, my siblings and I feel deeply about; social causes. Many have gone before us doing the right and righteous thing, working their asses off to make this a better world. It’s now our responsibility to pick up the torch and continue the effort. The fight against HIV/AIDS is something that I have been passionate about since I was a little kid. We worked with HIV/AIDS organizations in South Africa and I’ve been working with the Black Aids Institute here since I was 15. That’s one of the most important things in my life. So don’t be surprised if you see me speaking out on Capitol Hill one day.
☛ Dave Bridgeforth
You seem like a conscientious guy.
☚ Jussie Smollett
I try to be.
☛ Dave Bridgeforth
What is the foundation of your consciousness?
☚ Jussie Smollett
Love, pure and simple.
☛ Dave Bridgeforth
What is the greatest thing that you’ve learned about love?
☚ Jussie Smollett
Love is the most important thing on the face of this planet. Love is the root of our happiness. The opposite of love is usually the root of unhappiness. You see when you test love, fuck with love, that’s when you have a problem that goes from something as simple as a kid being bullied to something as earth-shattering as World War II. I know for certain that I love love more than anything in the world; I had my share of falling in love, and falling out of love, and being forced out of love.
☛ Dave Bridgeforth
How many times have you truly been in love, relationship-wise?
☚ Jussie Smollett
Twice
☛ Dave Bridgeforth
What have you learned about relationships?
☚ Jussie Smollett
That without loyalty and honesty there’s nothing.
☛ Dave Bridgeforth
Are you in one now?
☚ Jussie Smollett
I will say this. I am happy. I am truly a happy man. Whatever you want to take from that, it is what it is.
☛ Dave Bridgeforth
So what have you learned about life?
☚ Jussie Smollett
I think the most important thing is something that B. Scott actually said to me a long time ago: “Walk in your truth.” I think that whatever your truth is; make sure that it’s your truth, not bullshit. When I heard that, I felt like something clicked in me. It made me realize that life is about steps and stages, and everything is meant to be temporary. But you have to be smart and follow your gut, and know that nobody can tell you how to live your life, who to live your life with, who to love, and who not to love. You can’t even tell yourself that. Within this thing called life, the most important thing to honor and cherish is love, because it’s the only thing that matters.
Photo by Chia Ferguson
