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I think it’s important for all Black men that have a circle of truth within them that they use their light to shine a positive relationship between Black men and Black women.” 

Hollywood Actor Amin Joseph gave one of the greatest performances of his time in To Live and Die and Live which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. With Oscar buzzing around his name, The Snowfall star led the way this past week in Park City, Utah alongside the film’s co-stars Omari Hardwick, Skye P. Marshall, and Cory Hardrict. As one of Hollywood’s leading actors, Joseph has been very deliberate about accepting thought-provoking, intense projects, and roles that speak to social issues that impact the Black community – a decision that continues to catapult his career as he rises to new heights.

He is a mirror of the experience of a Black man in America and encapsulates it from the lowest socioeconomic to the highest, from the most godly to the debased. “It’s my job to take my people’s story and provide a mirror of reflection. And do that while entertaining – to affect someone, the star tells SHEEN.

And he did just that at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival as the lead actor of Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi produced film To Live and Die and Live where Joseph plays a strong, handsome Hollywood film director named Mohammed that returns to his hometown of Detroit after his step-father, a highly regarded building contractor, passes away.

His character, who has a battle with addiction, fades away into the sultry, late-night, drug-saturated after-hours of Detroit and enters into an equally intoxicating romantic relationship while he struggles to cope. As Mohammed’s family looks to him as a leader and provider, he forges ahead shouldering all of their needs as this story shows a “fresh” exploration of addiction, loss, and love – serving as an emotional testament to the astonishing power the community can provide in a cruel world.

This past week, SHEEN caught up with Hollywood’s new leading man for a conversation about the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, his latest film project To Live and Die and Live and how Black men can restore dignity and show Black women that they are enough.

“I was very intentional with choosing this role as a lot of Black men deal with the anxiety and pressure of holding things together. Whether that’s in regard to family, career, or community – one of the biggest coping mechanisms is substance abuse. It’s wreaking havoc on men my age oftentime leading to early death,” he says.

Shedding light on loss, love, and addiction – Joseph understood the assignment of how a Black man can use his power to restore dignity and show Black women that they are enough.

“Although I feel like restoring one’s dignity is a journey for the individual, I do recognize that the relationship between Black men and women is very complex. I wish everyone that entered into a relationship were responsible, mature, and spiritually evolved enough to take care of the other person but that is not the reality within our community. I think it’s important for all Black men that have a circle of truth within them that they use their light to shine a positive relationship between Black men and Black women.”

For more information, follow Amin Joseph on social media @AminJospeh.

Photo Courtesy of: To Live and Die and Live