Jason Weaver says he isn’t the ‘biggest star,’ but he’s one Black audiences never forgot
TheGrio...
After his candid conversation, fans across social media poured out love for Jason Weaver, celebrating his lasting impact on Black audiences.
There are certain actors who feel synonymous with your childhood, and actor Jason Weaver is arguably one of them. Whether you met him as a young Michael Jackson in “The Jacksons: An American Dream,” Marcus in “Smart Guy,” or a singing Simba in “The Lion King,” Weaver’s voice, face, and on-screen presence are ones that most people growing up in the 90s recognize and continue to recognize. During a recent appearance on Cam Newton’s “Funky Friday” podcast, the actor reflected on his place in Hollywood.
“I may not be the biggest star in the world. You know what I mean? I may not be the kind of actor or performer that has been on marquees all over the world and, you know, has been in a hundred-million-dollar film or generated billions of dollars at the box office,” Weaver admitted. “But I’m that guy when I go into my community and amongst my people, and they stop, and they acknowledge my work. And that means everything to me for a guy my age who’s a father, and he’s sitting with his children, and they may be having dinner and you having dinner, and he goes, ‘Hey man, I just had to come over here. I brought my son over here cuz I had to let them know, man, you know, I grew up watching you. You’ve always been a part of our household. The roles that you played, the way that you present yourself as a man, as a black man, I want my son to meet you.’”
Just as viewers recognize Macaulay Culkin from “Home Alone,” many Black viewers, including Newton, see Weaver in that same way. This is exactly why, when the clip hit social media, users wasted no time giving “The Chi” star his flowers.
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Now, in the conversation, Weaver sheds light on why he feels that way, particularly when thinking about other white actors from his era.
“Our journey is different from theirs. It’s just different, man…the things that um we’ve encountered, and I’m talking about black actors and black performers, just being all the way transparent and real…The opportunities are different,” he explained. “We have to kick down doors where doors are open for others. There are certain decisions we have to make and certain stances that we have to take in order to maintain our integrity and let people know that we won’t be played with. Not everybody has to go through that.”
He continued: “So everybody’s journey is different, and I learned that a long time ago and I accepted it, and that allowed me to go, ‘okay, well if those doors are closed like that or if they’re not easy to go through then I’m just going to create my own door. I’ll build my own door. I’ll make my own table where me and my friends can sit down and where we can eat, or I’ll align with this other black creative who could possibly give me an opportunity.’”
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“As long as I’m doing what God has put me on this earth to do. And he gave me this gift to connect with people and to touch people and to inspire people. It’s not for my own glory,” he concluded. “It’s for me to serve as a source of inspiration for that black child on the south side of Chicago or in South Central Los Angeles or in the Bronx or in Liberty City in Miami. When they turn on that TV, they can see an image of themselves and feel proud of who they are and what they represent and where they come from. If that’s how I was supposed to serve, if that’s ultimately why the Lord put me in this position to do that, I’m fine with that because I can’t take a gold statue with me when I leave here anyway. All I can do is take the love.”