CLARKE: THAT F*CKING GUY!

20th October 2010

Post with 32 notes

YOU GOTTA LOVE OUR PEOPLE!!

So I don’t know how many of you know this but about a year and a half ago before 4.3.2.1 I was trying to set up a film for Samuel L Jackson to be in with me. I’d written it, film Company was on board and all that was needed was for me to meet the man and get talking to him.

It got set up, he was in London for something and I got to go to a private thing and meet him. We had a little chat and he was classic Samuel L. I left feeling pretty good. He was interested. It was now just locking it down.

So the next day I go to another event that he’s at. And an actor walks in. An actor I won’t name, but I rate him highly. I rate him so highly, I personally had made sure he was pulled in for audition for adulthood (Not casting) because i saw him on something.

He didn’t get the part in the end. Not because he wasn’t/isn’t great, but because, that’s just how it goes sometimes.

So anyway, he walks into this event and he’s acting a little funny but, so what… it happens. So while I’m talking to him. Samuel L Jackson comes over, gives him a hug, looks at me and says. “I thought you told me this guy didn’t like you” then smiles and walks off. WTF? Me and my boy Phil (Big up PHIL) were baffled.

Anyway turns out, this actor knows Mr Jackson well and had told him that I didn’t like him because he hadn’t got that part in adulthood and had been still vex about it.

Not only that, but they had been at a private dinner earlier in the evening when my name came up, about the possibility of the project I was working on and a whole bunch of people that supposedly don’t really know me/or don’t know me well/or may do, and are snakes. At that table started telling Mr Jackson how much they didn’t like me and that I was arrogant etc etc. And this actor was there the whole time.

When i finally spoke to the actor about it.

I asked the actor if he or anyone defended me? “Nope, i don’t know you well enough”

(But he knew me well enough to tell the guy i didn’t like him).

I asked the actor if he could tell me who the people were bad mouthing me? “I ain’t no snitch”.

So basically that was it. The momentum flittered away and the film didn’t happen… You know what. Honestly It may never have happened anyway, there was a way to go but I’ll never know…

Now my point here is this. Instead of people just letting me do my thing, they went out of their way to derail what I was doing. It’s not about the accusations of arrogance or anything like that. Maybe I was/am/not/will be/should be more/should be less. That doesn’t actually matter.

Some people think I am. Some people think I’m not.

Some people love the films. Some people hate the films.

Some people like everything about me. Some people hate everything about me.

So what? That’s life.

And that is the same for every actor and probably everybody else in the world. Everything comes down to people’s opinions. But he wasn’t given a chance to form an opinion. He was given an opinion by people he knew better than he knew me. They went out of their way to influence and stop my thing from happening.

You can dislike people all you want but what about live and let live?

Here’s my/the problem. Do you think Diddy letting Skepta do that mix of his track helps Skepta or does it help ALL GRIME music and all people involved in it?

Unless you’re stupid you know that it is ALL GRIME. Diddy doing that puts it all on a whole new level.

It doesn’t matter if you like Skepta… Which I do. But that doesn’t matter. The doors that have opened because diddy and skepta done that will never close again. That has changed everything… Sure it helps him short term, but long term it’s everyone.

So if it had worked do you think a film by me, with me in, with Samuel L Jackson in it would have helped me or all people trying to make the types of films that I’ve made so far. Answer, short term, yeah me… Answer long term. E V E R Y O N E.

Why? Because once an actor of his Calibre puts his seal of approval on something like this and validates it, it means other actors would follow suit, and once you have him, you can cast all the people you really wanna cast instead of having to get other names to make the package worth it to a financer, thus giving new actors a chance to shine.

But this actor and these other people as far as i’m aware, as far as my understanding is, fucked it. I never found out who they were,  and they should really pray that I never do, but I hope they have a plan to make a film with someone of that calibre that can help us all, because they sure ruined mine and it’s tough out there.

As for this actor….

On a professional tip I wish him well. If you really, really, actually know me, you know I’m not a hater. I help people you don’t even know I help, and I say nothing about it, because I don’t need to, and of course they are happy to never mention it either, lol That’s cool though… I’ve given up time with my own kid (who is my world) to work on other peoples things, because that’s just me… Sometimes they appreciate it, other times you think they do then realise later they don’t, but them’s the breaks.

So anyway, the actor. I wish the guy well. I really do. He’s got a big agent, he’s doing big things. And most importantly he is a phenomenal talent, both on stage and screen… It’s a tough business, but I think he could win big things one day because he takes the craft seriously, and I’ll be the first to applaud him if he does. And I ain’t kissing ass, because I don’t need to.

On a personal tip… I’m on some next level un-forgiveness shit. That film not happening messed up over 2 years of planning and work and took food off my table for my baby son. I can’t and won’t ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever forgive that. That’s something I just can’t fucking do. We should all remember that although people rise, they also fall… everybody does, i have, and will again… everybody does… Everybody needs somebody.

If he can’t see why I’m vex or thinks “I ain’t a snitch” cuts it with me, so I don’t even know who these people that caused this to happen are. It doesn’t. 

And you know the one thing that really amazes me in all of this, is how people, particularly some cultures (you know what I’m talking about) of people not only dislike when one of their own is doing well. They really try and stop it from happening… Just because it’s not them.

You gotta love our people.

NC

**EDIT**

A REPLY FROM SOMEONE CLAIMING TO BE SLJ

YOU GOTTA LOVE OUR PEOPLE, YOU REALLY DO!

You Gotta Love Our People, you really do! They find more excuses for their shortcomings & then convince themselves it is someone else’s fault. I can’t count the number of people I’ve met that have a script or project that was “written for me”. I only remember this because of the incident w/ the unnamed actor (whassup widdat?!). I did ask the actor, “Is this the nigga that doesn’t like you?”,& laughed. NC looked shocked! He sputtered something & tried to recover. The actor said it wasn’t like that & laughed, I left them standing there. Now here’s the thing, that ‘company was on board’, all I need to do is talk to the man, was never discussed after our first meeting! Even then, it was only NC saying he’d written this script for me to star in & someone was supposed to set up a meeting. It never happened! Bruthas bullshit bruthas all the time. I was just fucking w/NC’s head about the young actor. GUILT now rears it’s ugly head, as the audition story for adulthood was nothing like you said. That’s all good, but own it!! TWO YEARS later you’re still clinging to the lie you’ve created to justify your career stagnation.  Move on Playa, we have!

BTW don’t be afraid to name names, as many people as you’ve apparently helped, it would surely elevate you in your readers eyes to know just how much you’ve contributed to the cultural landscape. Not to mention how many of us owe you a hand up, or at least a shout out at the BAFTAS!

Samuel L Jackson

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MY REPLY TO THAT

Very good answer to the Gotta love our people Blog!! different perspective on things.http://clarity2010.tumblr.com/ 

here is my reply

Don’t believe I lied about anything, (I TRY not to in life, although I sure as damn hell ain’t perfect). That’s the story from my perspective, this is obviously your’s whether you are really SLJ or not.

And it is true, the meeting never happened after the first meeting, I was told interest wasn’t there. That may have been because of various things but i put it down to the incident and what was said. At the time i was repped by the same agents in LA, so heard pretty quickly, happy to hold my hands up if wrong.

Don’t see what i have to be guilty about? I never disliked the guy and that was the first time i’d seen him since. Of course i sputtered and tried to recover because i didn’t know what the fuck anyone was talking about. The guy did get called for adulthood audition because of me, who else would have done that? He did also tell me he was vex for not getting a part.

Also short comings or not, which i do have many of. (I’m not the best at anything I do, not even near, but i’m trying ringo, i’m trying). The same actor told me that these people said these things around the table. I’m allowed to be annoyed at that no?

I’m not afraid to name names, but I feel like, people have enough public beef, it was just a story i wanted to tell. Not start a public thing, and i do rate the guy i think he’s gonna go far. I’ve crossed paths with him since on a project for another guy and we were both very amicable.

Career Stagnation?? Be interested to know what you class that as since you know nothing about what i’m doing. But cheers anyway man, that’s kind of you. It’s a shame that a person such as yourself (if this is you) would feel the need to throw that at someone, when you more than anyone know that this job has massive ups and downs, but cool. We all can only do what we can do.

And the people i “apparently” help know who they are, so i don’t need to shout their names because that’s not why I do it, I’m not trying to elevate myself in the eyes of others. I want people to break out over here, I think it benefits us all if we help each other.

And you’re right again, I should probably have let this go. I’m not perfect like you obviously and since i had my kid i find it harder to forgive things that i deem as jeopardising his future. which unfortunately is still something i have to worry about. I don’t make millions of $$ per project. So when you say “let it go, WE have” If you mean you, well it probably wouldn’t have meant as much to you and your millions as it did to me, so why would you be bothered about it. 

So if this is you, then thank you for taking the time from what i’m sure is a busy schedule to put your side of the story across. My side is my side, so i guess we both have to deal with the difference of opinion.

And for real. if i’m a dickhead for writing the first blog, which actually wasn’t intended to be offensive, just a story. But if I’m a wasteman for writing it… What does that make you for even bothering to respond?

If it’s not you then, it’s only one of two other people, or both of them, but again, thanks boys for answering back, least i know your perspective on things, no need for the rudeness i don’t believe I was rude about you in the slightest, just shows what you are all about. Keep on doing your thing boys and may stagnation never happen to you.

Nuff love (really)

NC