A legendary actor, producer and director paid us a visit on Sway in the Morning. He was in Breakfast Club, 16 Candles, The Mighty Ducks, Repo Man, Mission Impossible & so many more — and now, he came by to tell us about his newest film that he wrote, produced and directed, The Public.
His newest project was inspired 12 years ago from an article in the LA Times and has been on his heart ever since. With a star-studded cast of Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, Gabrielle Union, Michael Kenneth and many more, The Public is a story about an act of civil disobedience that turns into a standoff with police when homeless people in Cincinnati take over the public library to seek shelter from the bitter cold. He even hired real homeless people for authenticity.
Che “Rhymefest” Smith called him out asking him, “what gives you the right as a liberal hollywood elite to make a film about poor people?”
As the studio chuckled, Emilio shared stories of being evicted as a child and living in extreme poverty — he even revealed that his father had been arrested 68 times in non-violent protests for immigration and social justice.
A truly insightful interview, watch below. The Public hits theaters on April 5.
