Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine / Forest Whitaker

The star of the upcoming Repo Men and Our Family Wedding on acting up, moving forward, and staying grounded

1 Alter Egos My work is a way to explore and connect and grow as a human being. Each new character is a new life; it’s a reincarnate moment over and over again, a chance to live a different lifetime and, hopefully, become more centered. Without that opportunity, I think I would feel pretty lost.

2 Lasting Impressions I was in Uganda a few years ago and there was this child soldier following us around. He’d been a soldier his entire life. He’d been at war. And our guide said that this child had just begun to smile, just since we’d been there. The child danced and talked with me and put down his gun and shared his life instead of sacrificing it. That is one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.

3 Fresh Perspectives I have lived in Texas and South Central and many other places. My work has allowed me to see places where the polarity and duality of things are everywhere evident. Where people are literally living in the mud to the palaces of kings and everything between them. Any chance you have to see the world through someone else’s eyes is a gift.

4 Golden Silences When I was a kid helping out on my grandfather’s farm in Texas, he put a seed in my hand once and didn’t say much about it. But I came to see the blessing of what a seed is. What it takes to be nurtured, to plant it, to protect it, to keep it in harmony with the elements. My grandfather taught me all of that, without ever saying much. I think that lesson has informed everything about me.

5 Higher Powers My mother taught me that I didn’t have to believe in the things she believes in, so long as I believe in something bigger than myself. That’s one of the most powerful things anyone has ever told me. We are all connected to something. You can call it whatever you want.

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