“I’m black and find the word bi-racial to be offensive” – Paula Patton
The very popular game “Warcraft” is now a film and at a very special screening this week in New York City, Paula Patton showed up to thank fans and answer questions after the movie.
Patton said she was ecstatic when Duncan Jones told her she had the role but that euphoria turned to fear once her feet hit the ground.
“As I walked away from Duncan I said, ‘Yaaay, I got the job. This is awesome and I was so excited.
“I got into my car and I was like, ‘Oh my God! What have I done? I was scared taking on this character that people knew. I never played a character people knew before and so loved by so many people.”
Paula, why was this role so important to you?
“It changed me. It was a great transformation for me. It came at a special time in my life. I was separated and going through a divorce. What I liked about Garona is that, although she was a slave, she refused to be a victim. She went from being a slave to being a warrior.
“No matter what life you’re born into, you have the ability to change your fate and we all have a choice. Life can be unfair but we can’t spend much time on it. We can’t choose our parents, but you can choose your mindset, your aspirations and you can change your life if you want to.”
Speaking of parents, Garona is half human and half orc and you’re biracial. Do you relate to her on this level?
“My whole life I hated the idea of biracial. I found it so offensive because oftentimes when people said that word, it was a way to sort of disassociate themselves from being black which we all know is a struggle. I’m black and my mom was let me know that from early on when I was a kid.
“We all have so many backgrounds. Why can’t we get to a place where it doesn’t matter? And I think that’s what this movie is trying to say.”
Syndicated Entertainment journalist Marie Moore reports on film and TV from her New York City base. Contact her at [email protected]
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