If I Ruled the World...

"If I ruled the world and everything in it, sky's the limit."

If I was an actor, I wouldn’t want to be a “superstar”. I wouldn’t want to be the lead in a blockbuster film, or the star of the series. I’d rather be the sidekick… maybe not even someone that familiar. I’d rather be a guest, or maybe at times a guest with a re-occurring role. Aren’t they so much more interesting? I’d bring in a steady paycheck, but it would constantly be coming from different production companies. I’d be the Samuel L. Jackson of bit parts. Let me explain…

Who always gets the best lines? The villain or the sidekick… OR, that scene-stealer that was only in about 10 minutes of the movie but you can’t forget them.

Kendrick Lamar made a memorable debut in an episode of Power. Too bad he's already an award-winning lyricist. #Pulitzer

The freedom to truly be as reckless and vulnerable as you need to be is what I’d want. To be ugly, sloppy, embarrassing, charming, witty. The possibilities are endless. I know what you’re thinking.. isn’t that the point of acting in the first place? Well yes. And no.

Today, when everything is caught on camera and gone viral in the blink of an eye, people place more and more stipulations on themselves. You have to always look a certain way, act a certain way, speak a certain way. Social media makes you think you can only be the lead, seen in the best light living your best life. How many selfies do you take before you actually post? How much editing software and filters to you go through before you are actually ok with a picture being seen by your followers? No judgement, I’m guilty of it too. (I once took 63 pictures of my son laying in the crook of my neck before I got the “perfect” shot). The lead actor needs to have mass appeal. They need to be relatable… aspirational, but still relatable. But me? I wouldn’t have any of those stipulations. No, all I’d need to do is stay black and die (and last time I checked, the oldest human remains are that of a black woman so no, we ain’t going nowhere lol).

I feel like when you have that kind of abandon, you are truly free to take your character to the next level. Now don’t get me wrong, there are some lead actors who are able to do that. But most either don’t want to take the chance and fail, possibly turning off their core audience; or their characters simply aren’t written in a way that would allow them that kind of freedom.

So yes, if I were an actor (a big IF because I’d much rather be in the script room) I’d want to be the name you see in a bunch of credits but you can’t place the face. I’d want to be the name only familiar to the casting agents when they need to make sure the scene is a memorable one. I’d want to be the “That’s the same woman? Man, she looks like a completely different person every time I see her!” I'd be Arya Stark-ing my way through Hollywood, with full anonymity steadily stacking coins.

My resume would be a mile long, with a plethora of movies and television shows spanning the entire spectrum of genres. I’d be like the musical artist known for bomb features but no hit singles. I’d be like a University of Kentucky freshman basketball player on these shows. #OneAndDone I’d be sitting in a restaurant, completely unrecognizable and unbothered. Then I happen to overhear a conversation at the table beside me, unknowingly discussing my latest role:

“OMG! The light-skinned chick in the alley when they were taking out the garbage? I bet she’s a crackhead in real life and let them film her for some cigarettes and a Red Bull!” They'd later come to find their dinner was paid for by...