"Love, Simon" Wants to Create a Safe Space for Outcasts
“Love, Simon” wants to tell the story of the underrepresented on the big screen.
“Representation in general is important,” director Greg Berlanti told Cheddar. “I think it’s better for the audiences, and it’s better for the movies overall.”
“Mainstream studio films have a lot of catching up to do with some of the stuff we’ve been doing in television for the past 15 years.”
The movie centers around high schooler Simon Spier, whose peers do not know he’s gay. As his secret is revealed, he struggles with coming to terms with his identity.
Actress Alexandra Shipp says that the cast not only wanted to educate the audience and showcase the struggles of the LGBT community, but also to encourage people to stand up for those who are being discriminated against.
“There’s a scene where Simon is getting accosted by some of his classmates in the lunchroom...Maybe his friends weren’t able to stand up for him, but maybe homeboy in the back of the cafeteria is going to stand up and say, ‘Hey, that’s not OK,’” she said. “That’s what we want. We want those people to feel safe. We want those people to feel represented.”
The movie hits theaters Friday.
The Walt Disney Co. will be laying off several thousand employees this week, a second round of cuts that’s part of a previously announced plan to eliminate 7,000 jobs this year.
Longtime CNN host Don Lemon is out at the cable news network a little over two months after apologizing to viewers for on-air comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, CNN announced Monday.
Prince William gave a British restaurant customer the surprise of their life. While on an official visit to the city of Birmingham, William and his wife Kate Middleton stopped by a popular Indian restaurant, and the prince took a call from a customer looking to book a table.
