Last night I saw an interview actor Anthony Mackie gave on The Pivot Podcast. That was the first time I heard anyone speak directly to my experience in Hollywood. That interview, his words, made me say okay, maybe it is time to have this conversation.

"I've been in the business 24 years. Right. And I've seen people go from nothing to the biggest stars in the world. I've seen people go from one role. To winning Academy awards and doing all this shit. And what I realized yesterday thinking about it, we're lying to our kids, dog. And I think that's a big problem in our community. We tell our kids that they can, and this is fresh on my heart, I literally just came to this conclusion last night. We tell our kids if they do right, and make the good grades, and they go to the programs and they, they will become successful. If you work hard enough your work will be paid off. And that's not true...Success is given. It's not earned. Because you can be the most brilliant. If one person don't tap you, each one of y'all. There were people who could hit harder, who could catch better, who could run faster. But somebody said YOU. You're the one. And the other 50 behind you fell off. You know what I mean. And because of that I don't know what that emotion or that feeling is." - Anthony Mackie

This was his response to a discussion about his current success. Truth. An unspoken truth. If people are chosen. If success is granted/given. Then it is all a well-constructed lie and illusion. All of it.

Lee Daniels and Danny Strong created the television show "Empire" using the screenplay of a young black creative as source material. And I, John Strong, am that black creative. The fact that Hollywood consist of opportunistic, unscrupulous deviants who lack moral character was not eye opening to me. Sadly, that is the norm and to be expected. But what I did not expect was for people to know this took place and not care. All while waving unity and awareness flags, and financially supporting similar causes, advocating for "change", just for optics sake.

This was written in 2024 before the government DEI policy cancellations of 2025. Before the reelection of Donald Trump and the boycott of Target and the likes. As often has been the case, I was just a tad ahead of my time.

-John Strong aka J. Suave