Why ‘Soul’ Writer Kemp Powers Was ‘The Right Person at the Right Time’ to Create Pixar’s 1st Black Lead
TheWrap magazine: “I didn’t want him to seem like a stereotypical character that was just painted black,” says Powers of jazz musician Joe Gardner
A version of this story about Kemp Powers first appeared in the Actors/Directors/Screenwriters issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine
Kemp Powers faced a very personal challenge when writing the screenplay for his critically acclaimed 2020 film “Soul.” Pixar’s first movie with a Black protagonist tells the story of Joe Gardner, a Brooklyn music teacher who dreams of success as a jazz musician but loses his chance for an important gig when a fatal accident launches him from Earth into the world of souls.
Powers said this particular character of a Black middle-aged man living in New York and nurturing artistic dreams bore an extraordinary resemblance to himself.