The purpose of acting

Wow. I just got out of a discussion we were having in acting class. It started with watching an Actor's Studio video about Sean Penn. We always have a bit of discussion about what we noticed or heard afterwards, and I was really struck by something he said. He said something to the effect that acting and movies that are entertaining for entertainment's sake are no better than a couple of hookers and an eight ball. I completely agree with him so I said so and thus started a big talk about just what it is that we are suposed to be and do. You see acting isn't just entertaining. It's about getting people to think. It's about sending a message and getting people to feel and see a part of reality that maybe they've never seen before. Cindy said something really cool that I've never thought about much. She said "I could be exactly like her (a character she was playing that was a drug addicted homeless prostitute). The only difference is the situations and choices that we've made." That is so true! The bible says that everyone has fallen short of the glory of God and that everyone is equal because of that. It made me wonder just how different I was from a gay man. I think that being homosexual is a choice, and I may be wrong, but could I really understand who this person is and why he does the things that he does. The church always gets all up in arms about different plays that are really raw, but we forget that these are real people! These are real people that you or I could be! I could be a drunk. I could be a homosexual. I could be a murderer. How often do we just watch the news and see the horrible things that go on, people shot, beheaded, lighting themselves on fire, and just say "oh, that's terrible!" Click. What if Joel was shot? What if your sister was raped? What if your dad killed someone? These things have to affect us! They have to but they don't! That is so scary! We have become so numb to all the crap that surrounds us that we don't even see it anymore. It's our job as actors to Make people remember. Make people care! Two thirds of the world is starving. More than a million kids are put into slavery every year. KIDS! That could be your kid! That could be the son or daughter that you love! The one that you hold close to heart and protect. We have to care. We have to do something. We have to make people care. We can't be useless entertainers. It's not about that. Laughing is good. Entertainment is good. But that's not the main point of our job. We are here to remind the world of our humanity. Remind us of why we used to care. Why people are the way they are. To understand ourselves and how we have to be there for our people. We are here to remind the protectors of our world. That is our duty.