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BGN interviews the cast of the Apple TV+ series Servant.

Featured in the interviews are: Lauren Ambrose (Dorothy), Nell Tiger Free (Leanne), M. Night Shyamalan, Rupert Grint (Julian) and Toby Kebbell (Sean). From executive producer M. Night Shyamalan, Servant follows a Philadelphia couple in mourning after an unspeakable tragedy creates a rift in their marriage and opens the door for a mysterious force to enter their home.

In addition to Shyamalan, the series is executive produced by Jason Blumenthal, Todd Black, Steve Tisch, Ashwin Rajan, and Taylor Latham. Directors for this season are M. Night Shyamalan, Ishana Night Shyamalan, Carlo Mirabella-Davis, Dylan Holmes Williams, Celine Held & Logan George, Kitty Green, and Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala and writers are Ryan Scott, Ishana Night Shyamalan, Alyssa Clark, Laura Marks, Henry Chaisson, Amy Louise Johnson, and Kara Lee Corthon. Servant is a Blinding Edge and Escape Artists production. The series was created by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominated executive producer and writer Tony Basgallop.

Interviewer: Jeandra LeBeauf

Video Editor: Jamie Broadnax

Servant returns for a 3rd season on Friday, Jan 21st 2022.

Not only is Christine Platt a social media influencer with 74.1K Instagram followers, but this former Department of Energy senior advisor has also turned her unexpected life change into a source of healing through living with less. Platt has a M.A. in African-American studies, a B.A. in Africana studies, and a J.D. in general law, but after achieving everything she had spent her youth striving to achieve, Platt realized the cycle she was living wasn’t sustainable. 

Platt left her job, her marriage ended, she exited the suburbs, and she returned to live in her 630-foot condo in the city with her young daughter. Through this transition, the Afrominimalist was born. The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living with Less is much more than a system to get rid of old furniture and clothes; the author’s intention is to leave the reader with a path to authentic liberation.

Minimalism is a growing trend in America, from tiny houses to Pinterest pages filled with white-walled rooms and closets with seasonal capsule wardrobes, but the mainstream minimalist world can be strict, expensive, and hard to sustain in real life. The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living with Less takes into account the nuances of people of the African diaspora who have a unique relationship with ownership, value, and worth. 

Early on in the book Platt shares the four-step process to let go of the things we own that we don’t need. “This includes (1) acknowledging that you have too much, (2) learning how to forgive yourself, (3) approaching letting go holistically, and (4) paying it forward with any items that can be used to assist others in need.” Then she reveals a level of complexity often missed by non-Black minimalists. Black Americans “have significant power as one of the largest communities of consumers, yet our unique experiences are rarely addressed in the predominately white wellness and lifestyle industries.”

The difference with Afrominimalism a la Christine Platt is taking into account the unique relationship descendants of Africans who were enslaved have with physical possessions and consumerism when practicing a minimalist lifestyle. Throughout the guide, there are what Platt frames as “callouts” labeled “For the Culture” that speak directly to Black folks. Other marginalized groups can also relate to the “For the Culture” sections, and the author hopes that everyone else will gain insights that will increase empathy and compassion.

The Afrominimalist’s Guide for Living Less is divided into three sections: the principles, the process, and the practice. Platt is a gifted storyteller who weaves in her own real life experiences, which breathes life and relatability into this self-help book. It’s easy to tell someone to let go but much harder to actually let go because there is always a reason behind holding on. The book encourages the reader to take in the information slowly and warns that this is not a guide to quickly get rid of things. 

In the chapter “Why You Have More Than You Need,” Platt shares how even the seemingly most insignificant experiences from childhood can impact our connection to physical things. She tells the story about a couple she knows. The wife confides that she gets super annoyed that her husband buys and wastes expensive dish soap. When he washes the dishes, “he uses so much soap that the bubbles overflow the sink.” When Platt encourages her friend to ask her husband why he uses so much soap, he reveals that growing up in the Deep South with his grandmother, he was only allowed to use a tiny bit of dish soap, “just enough to clean but not enough to make bubbles.” Now that he’s grown with his own money, it brings him pleasure to buy the most expensive dish soap and have an overabundance of bubbles when he washes the dishes. 

Knowing the actual “why” behind the physical object before deciding whether or not it should go is vital to being able to authentically let go. Without processing that “why” the “letting go” may just be temporary. The wife in the prior paragraph may get her husband to stop buying the expensive soap temporarily, but the feeling of joy he gets from being able to afford the bubbles is priceless to him. 

In the “For the Culture” section, Platt then gives the example of Black kids in the ’70s and ’80s who dealt with “constant guilt from caregivers being told everything from clean your plate because there were starving kids in Africa to reminding this generation we were the first generation with a real chance to make something of ourselves so we better not waste the opportunities our ancestors died for, especially gaining an education.” Throughout this chapter there are sections labeled “A Note for Caregivers” that give wisdom on ways to identify, process, and work towards changing negative inherited patterns of behavior.

Another part of this guidebook that is thought-provoking is the idea of sustainability. Platt has entire chapters dedicated to what happens when we donate old furniture and clothing. She explains how fast, cheap fashion is actually expensive. Cheap clothing worn for one fashion season ends up in landfills and doesn’t decompose, harming our environment. Cheap clothing also means that the person making the garment has less money to live on, which causes them, mostly women of color, to live in poverty all over the globe. No matter how inexpensive the garment is, we pay a price. 

Platt shares her journey to letting go of the hunt for sales. So many Black women have connected with our female friends and family through bargain shopping. What is the actual reason behind buying that $200 bag that you don’t need for $25? Platt also breaks down how to let go of the politics of giving and receiving gifts. How brave do you have to be to tell family and friends that as a minimalist you no longer have space for gifts that are permanent and take up space? How wonderful will it feel after having that difficult conversation to never have to politely say yes to things you will never use again?

Living with less can mean we don’t have to be locked into the grind of making more money to maintain things. The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living with Less is an outstanding book for anyone looking to start the process of living a sustainable liberated life. 

Son of Monarchs

By Désirée I. Guzzetta

“Son of Monarchs,” written and directed by Alexis Gambis, premiered at the 2021 Sundance Festival, picking up their Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize. It’s been shown at several festivals since and had a short theatrical run before coming to HBO Max.

The film stars Tenoch Huerta Mejía as Mendel, who travels from Mexico to the United States to study biology. A death in the family brings him back home to Michoacán, where unresolved tensions with his brother, Simón (Noé Hernández), and memories of childhood trauma cause Mendel to grapple with his identity. “Son of Monarchs” uses magic realism to tell Mendel’s story and also features Paulina Gaitán, Alexia Rasmussen, Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez, and William Mapother.

The Nerd Element recently spoke to writer/director Gambis about “Son of Monarchs.” Gambis, who is French-Venezuelan, is himself a biologist who came to the U.S. to study molecular biology. In addition to “Son of Monarchs,” he has filmed documentaries and shorts. Gambis also founded the Imagine Science Film Festival and the VOD platform, Labocine. He discussed with us the major themes of the film, the use of magic realism, and why science and animals are an important topic for him.

Learn more about Gambis here: https://alexisgambis.com/about

The post Son of Monarchs Interview with Alexis Gambis appeared first on The Nerd Element.

Russell Hornsby has been at the top of his game in Hollywood for over two decades. He’s consistently delivered stellar performances on both stage and screen. He currently has two series in rotation, Lost in Space and BMF, with a third, Iron Mike, to be released as a limited series from Hulu. 

The authenticity and intensity he brings to his characters is a very big part of who he is in real life. BGN had the wonderful opportunity to conduct a phone interview with Hornsby about his most challenging and rewarding roles, the fun of portraying Don King, and the psychological warfare of being Black in Hollywood. 

How does it feel to be named on Variety’s “10 Actors to Watch” list?

It felt like it was about time on a certain level — just being honest. But it was also a great honor. I felt as if I’m finally being validated for the work I’ve done for the past 20 years. You know, people have recognized that you are doing some special work and that it’s work of distinction.

You’ve had some major roles. Which of them has been the most challenging and/or rewarding and why?

The most challenging, if I were to exclude anything that I’ve done on stage, would probably have been Seven Seconds. The reason being is obviously because of the subject matter and how deep I had to sort of draw from my reservoir of emotion for that. Also at the time, I had one child and one was on the way. My second son was born right in the middle of shooting, so all I could think about as a father and as a Black father was someday this could possibly be me. Also, we’re dealing with stories of the human spirit. So we’re talking about relationships; we’re talking about husbands and wives, lovers and friends, and whatnot. Being married, you’re really asking yourself to go deep into yourself and your personal life and bring a little bit of what you’re living into the work. That was a great deep challenge. 

Probably the most rewarding, though, was my character Maverick on The Hate You Give. After reading the book, I wanted to show myself and also the community at large that I could do that. Up until that point, I had played doctors and lawyers, which means people who speak well and who are bright and somewhat erudite and who can enunciate. It was very safe. Please pardon me if I come off a little indelicate, but I think at times it takes people really seeing you as an n-word for them to really want to honor your ability and your talent. So it’s almost like Wesley Snipes as Nino Brown. It’s like Denzel playing Alonzo. It’s that thing — “Oh, he can get down into the dark spot for real. Oh, he’s a real actor now. Okay, so there’s another gear he can get to.” 

You grew up in the ’80s like I did. How has it been to portray Charles Flennory, the father of drug-dealing brothers, at a time when the crack epidemic was ravaging our communities?

It’s been a true satisfaction for me in that I am able to show the world what Black men went through and what Black men were willing to do for their families. I was raised by a single mother, so I know what my mom did for me. My father was not around, but there were Black men that were around. They were Black men who were there, who woke up every day just to work, brought their checks home, were loyal, were faithful, were God-fearing and hard working. I wanted to show that representation because those men existed and they exist now. I just wanted to give our people and the culture at large, everybody, a reminder that we’re not just out here living willy nilly. There are blue-collar, hard-working men. Charles Flennory represents the last of that kind.

Tell us about portraying the infamous Don King in the Iron Mike series.

I’m going deep into my artistic reservoir. It’s just going to be interesting. It’s been fun. I get to show a different side of me. People get to see the other tools in my toolbox that they don’t know or think that I have. For the first time, people will really get to see the fun, light side of Russell Hornsby that only a lot of my dear friends and people I kick it with really know exists. I’m excited for that. 

It’s a challenge though. Don is a conundrum. He is a man who is misunderstood but for good reason. I think that a lot of the things that have been written about him, that people have said about him, are just true. As my momma used to say, “Where there’s smoke there is fire.” a thousand people can’t be wrong. What I tried to do was still bring a level of humanity to this carnival barker. I want people who are watching, especially Black people, to understand that we are three-dimensional human beings in Black. I think that we’re slowly having an awakening that sees that we are real human beings, and that Don King suffers from the same affliction that other Black folks had. You were placed in a corner, right? You were cornered by society, by the country, by the government, by the world. How do you get out? He chose a way, at times ways of illegitimate means. Don King bought into the idea of “Only in America.” He gave the people what they wanted, and he was right. What he was doing was totally calculated, even in his use of words and his mispronunciation of words. There’s genius in that. 

With all that is on your plate, how do you find balance and take care of your mental health? What do you do to unwind?

If you’re dealing in this business, it is psychological warfare in terms of people’s perception of you, people dealing with their different perspectives of you, or lack thereof, your work, your person, your color, your manhood. There are times you have to consciously, metaphorically, talk low, and that’s painful. But it’s real. I can’t come with the full level of bass in my voice. I have to lighten it up just a tad. I have to change my words, and we inherently know what it is to do that. That’s part of the code switch. It’s a part of living and being Black in America. To manage, I work out a great deal. I do my best to meditate. I try to eat well. I mean, I’m down here in New Orleans, so it’s more difficult than it normally is. I do infrared saunas, acupuncture, things of that nature. I have a therapist I talk to to just kind of get things out. 

You can see Hornsby in Season 3 of Lost in Space on Netflix and BMF on Starz.