"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.
After serving an in-school suspension over his hairstyle, a Black high school student in Texas immediately received the same punishment when he arrived at school Monday wearing his hair as before in twisted dreadlocks tied on top of his head, his mother said.
Jackie Siegel, best known for her 2012 documentary 'The Queen of Versailles,' joined Cheddar News to reflect on the death of her daughter due to a drug overdose. She also discussed how she's using her platform to advocate for awareness of overdoses and to help with prevention.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy died after he was shot in his patrol car Saturday evening by an unknown assailant, and an investigation is underway that the sheriff said will press all of the department’s resources into action.
