Can Hollywood Shatter its "Blockbuster" Image and help Heal and Change the world?

I am an actor.

I am a writer.

I am a producer.

I Long to use my talents to help heal and change the world. To better our lives and the humanity that resides in each of us, whether it be through broad, healing strokes or minute, specific pin pricks that resonate with one person.

As some of you know, I've been doing a little online dating, why not?! Everyone else seems to be doing it. Recently I came across the profile of a very attractive man, one who seems to have it all together. He teaches highschool and coaches the football team, his ultimate goal is to open a clinic to treat disadvantaged children, Additionally, he teaches female recruits for the LAPD in self defense and fighting tactics. He does volunteer work mentoring kids at risk. He also is in shape, likes to work out, can have more fun at Disneyland than a kid does, is generous to a fault and not to mention is 6'3" and gorgeous. He's got it all, looks, smarts, sense of adventure, I would be a FOOL not to pursue this guy.

Anywho, I contacted Mr Perfect and we struck up a little back and forth. On first mention that I was an <gasp> actor, he was done. Said no thank you. . . etc. Of course, I should have said, Great. Not the guy for me. . . I should have. . . I pressed on, insisting that being an actor does not DEFINE everything about me and that just because he had a stereotypical view of all actors that I don't necessarily fit into that mold. I shared with him my dreams and desires to change and better the world through film, acting and writing. He has very strong opinions about Hollywood and insists that they do no good. Maybe it's the title,  "Hollywood". I don't necessarily view Hollywood as only the decision makers, and the major studios, etc. But perhaps he is?

Recently, he asked me this.

"In your opinion is there a specific movie made over the past five years that has truly had a positive affect on society? If so give me some examples of how it made a difference."


I started thinking and even asked some of my friends what they thought.

~ BROAD STROKES of Change ~

One of the first movies that comes to mind is, "The Blindside", last years film that won Sandra Bullock an Academy Award. In my opinion, that movie helped open people's minds in regards to race, differences in social and economic stature, being able to help someone who needs you and realizing that sometimes its not a WHOLE WORLD of people who need your help, but that in helping that ONE person, you can change their WHOLE WORLD for the better.

Movies like, "Milk" that are based on True Events can help bring awareness to a cause. This one being the gays and the struggles they have had to face in fighting for equality. Sure, they are still fighting for it, but who is to say that audiences who saw Milk didn't leave the theatre thinking, wow, I didn't realize that Gay people have had it so rough. You know, they should have the right to marry. It's an uphill battle of course, but in my opinion if a few people left that theatre thinking, wow, how terrible. Can you imagine if someone treated me in that way? Then that movie was a success.

~ MINUTE, SPECIFIC PIN PRICKS ~

As an actor, healing the world through my art has a much broader, yet simpler meaning. Let me explain myself. If I am in a movie where I play a character that is a victim of abuse, and ONE person comes to the movie that has suffered from abuse, and they are somehow healed or moved through my performance, I have done my job. It may seem small and irrelevant to the WHOLE WORLD, but can make a difference in that victim's WHOLE WORLD, enabling them to release what has been holding them back. Perhaps it allows them to heal and speak out about what happened to them, therefore helping a handful of other people heal. Those people heal themselves and in turn reach out to other victims of abuse, allowing them to smile more, hold doors open for people, be kinder, gentler, more open in their humanity and THAT will always change the world. It's a delightful SNOWBALL of reaction from one seemingly silly part in a silly movie with that new actress Elizabeth Mihelich that no one really went and saw.

This is an art and a passion that I can get behind. I also see Hollywood as a driving force for change in the world because of the expanse of influence that it has, the money it is able to put behind the movies, and the celebrities, who can reach more people in a day,  just by living open, giving, and compassionate lives.

~ GRASSROOTS EFFORTS for CHANGE ~

I have an amazing friend, who is a documentary filmmaker. She set out on making a documentary about the children of Cambodia who live on the street, are orphans, and spend their days digging through the dumps in search of treasure. I KNOW that her efforts and her movie, Small Voices: The Stories of Cambodia's Children has made a difference in the world, because she is still in contact with all of the children. She has helped place them in schools so they are learning and becoming educated. She visits them multiple times a year and because of the amazing, Heather Connell, they have learned that there are people in the world they can trust and rely on to help them. I KNOW that the kids she has helped will one day reach out and help someone else, because they were helped one day. She changed their WHOLE WORLD and I know one day they will strive to better the WHOLE WORLD.  Not to mention the fact that while in Cambodia, she connected with a young handicapped boy, Sum Namg, at an orphanage, learned that there was really no place for him to learn or grow, because of his disability, and she sprang into action. She is currently building a school for handi-capped children in Cambodia called Safe Haven. You tell me that film does not make a difference in lives after that?

Of course, Hollywood isn't perfect. Of course there are bad people in it that only have money and greed in mind. Of course. There are people like that in every industry of the world. I refuse to believe that we have no influence over the world. Artists are catalysts for change. John Lennon continues to change the world everyday and he's been gone from this planet for a long time. Thankfully, his music and his messages of "All You Need is Love" survive. Lucille Ball still brightens the days of people who had a rotten day at the office, they come home, turn on the tv and get a good belly laugh, because re-runs of "I Love Lucy" are on. Laughter is one of the most healing properties we have to work with. Even silly little sitcoms and crazy over the top comedies like Airplane! heal the world every single day because they help us laugh, they lighten our load and they allow us to open our hearts.

Please feel free to comment on this blog with movies that have inspired you, changed the world or that have simply brought a smile to your face when you needed it the most.

I am most grateful to Mr Perfect for pushing me to define WHY I pursue this passion with such tenacity and drive everyday of my life.

I believe in Love.
I believe in Peace.
And I believe that within each and everyone of us lies the power to Change and Heal the World.

Please honor Heather and her efforts to better the world by checking out her movie, Small Voices: The Stories of Cambodia's Children by renting it on Netflix or going here http://store.cinemalibrestore.com/smallvoices.html to purchase the DVD.

"Like" Small Voice on FB here, http://www.facebook.com/#!/smallvoicesmovie !

Follow Safe Haven's progress on FaceBook also, here http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Safe-Haven-School/148444011848303?v=wall

Shatter away.

Elizabeth