It's exhilarating to be alive in a time of awakening consciousness; it can also be confusing, disorienting, and painful.
My undergraduate years at the University of Nebraska were a special time in my life: the combination of partying and intellectual awakening that is what the undergraduate years are supposed to be. I went to the university with the goal of becoming an engineer; I had no concept that one could pursue science as a career.
The musicals on Broadway have not necessarily been true musical theater. I'm speaking generally, of course: I saw 'Spring Awakening,' and I was completely inspired by that.
I did a 20-minute selection of scenes from the play 'Spring Awakening' in college, well before the musical came around, so when the musical was becoming a hot thing, and I was reading interviews with Duncan Sheik about how he came to do the music, I think it's interesting.
Racism has been for everyone like a horrible, tragic car crash, and we've all been heavily sedated from it. If we don't come into consciousness of this tragedy, there's going to be a violent awakening we don't want. The question is, can we wake up?
Some films are pure entertainment of course, but what interests me and what I want to do are projects that really make you think, that move you, that will bring you something that will stay with you for a while. I think films are essential to the intellectual awakening of people.
The Arab Awakening or Arab Spring has transformed the geopolitical landscape.
Honestly, I was a little bit arrogant because I came in and thought it was going to be easy and that I'd be on television in a year, no problem. Then you realize how many different things it takes to become a successful superstar, and it really is a rude awakening.
Thank God for the efforts of Black Lives Matter - we've seen an awakening in this era in a way we didn't see in Daddy's era in terms of people coming to grips with white privilege.
If you think about 'The Matrix' and how high-concept it was, it had these incredible ideas that really penetrated people's consciousness. It really was a film of awakening. I think a lot of people woke up around that film.
