One of Many Prominent Black Artists Brought Onboard for Soul Pixar’s
One of many prominent black artists brought onboard for Pixar’s first black story, rapper/actor Daveed Diggs plays Paul in the recent Disney+ release.
Many accomplished black artists were tapped to provide their expertise to Pixar’s Soul, but who plays Paul in the movie? As the studio’s first project to feature a black character in the lead role, Soul follows Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), a middle-aged, down-on-his-luck jazz musician who is about to succumb to a middle-school band teacher position when he gets his big break in the competitive New York City scene. But when his soul is separated from his body in a near-death experience, he must fight to rejoin the mortal coil and fulfill his life’s purpose. With the help of some unlikely friends, he learns that life is about more than any singular goal.
Midway through the movie, Joe and a cynical unborn soul named 22 (Tina Fey) find themselves in a barber shop as Joe desperately needs a haircut ahead of his performance that evening. Here, they encounter Paul, a fellow barbershop patron who’s clearly built a personality around antagonizing folks, Joe included. 22 sums it up when she realizes “He’s just criticizing me to cover up the pain of his own failed dreams.” Later, the two make amends, just before Paul is unintentionally given a harrowing look beyond dimensions by Terry, who mistakenly captures him while pursuing Joe.
The voice behind the character is yet another talented artist, with Daveed Diggs playing Paul in Soul. The actor/rapper/writer/producer not only makes an appearance as Joe’s neighborhood nemesis, but sees his contribution to the project extend beyond playing the side character — and with the myriad of talents he brings to the table, why shouldn’t they? As well as voicing Paul, Diggs contributes to Soul’s original song “Rappin’ Ced.,” which can be heard when Joe looks at a flashback scene of him joining a rap group, and later plays during the end credits.
Diggs has built an impressive resume over the last several years, boasting an eclectic collection of credits from various disciplines. He’s performed on Broadway as the role originator of the Marquis de Lafayette in the smash hit musical Hamilton. He’s served as the vocalist for experimental hip hop group Clipping, and has released 4 albums with them. He wrote, produced, and starred in the 2018 film Blindspotting, and has played recurring roles in Black-ish and the new Snowpiercer television adaptation before appearing in the cast of Soul.
Diggs appears to possess a Midas Touch, as several of his projects have garnered great success. Hamilton is among one of the highest-regarded broadway shows in recent memory, and his performance earned him both a Grammy and Tony award. Clipping’s two most recent LPs, There Existed an Addiction to Blood (2019), and Visions of Bodies Being Burned (2020), have not only earned substantial critical acclaim, but have gone on to epitomize the horrorcore genre.
It’s comforting to know that the folks at Pixar sought out such cultural artistic torchbearers in this first foray into black storytelling. With such a focus on black creatives’ input, it’s no wonder Soul has earned such a positive critical response since its Christmas Day release on Disney+. And when looking for black voices to contribute to an aspirational work on this scale, Daveed Diggs checks all the boxes — and then some.
Source:
https://training.joniandfriends.org/eportfolios/1321/Demon_Slayer_Kimetsu_no_Yaiba_The_Movie/
