“The 10 days I spent on Skid Row that Milazzo refers to before agreeing to make the film were not intended to help me “absorb Skip Row’s nuanced layers” or “understand mental illness and poverty,” (mental illness is something I’ve had the privilege of understanding on my own). They were intended to help me come to a decision as to whether I wanted to go on that journey. I decided I did, but on the condition that the studio would allow me to employ members of the community to work with me as extras, actors, and consultants. The scenes set on Skid Row are as much their portrayal of their lives as mine. My job, as I saw it, was simply to give them an opportunity to be heard.”
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Joe Wright: Why I Hired the Homeless to Work on The Soloist
[I think the fact that he gave them employment was a good thing and it gave them a chance to tell their own story, rather than have people come, observe them, and then make their own film based on that short observation period. The latter makes me think of scientists going into a lab to observe their caged species. -B]
2 years ago