After the "Invictus" Screening...

The "Invictus" screening at the Pacific Design Center was filled with the South African expat community as well as the usual mix of industry types and members of the various NGOs that were being honored for their work in Africa. I was fortunate in that I was able to meet Adhir Kalyan, the South African-born actor who starred in the short-lived television show "Aliens in America."

He's an unrecognized hero in the greater scene of Hollywood; an actor of Indian descent who portrayed a Pakistani --and went to great lengths to assure a respectful and true-to-life portrayal of a Muslim youth from Pakistan although he himself is neither. Given the tense relations between Pakistan and India the past year since the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, his participation in bridging the the two countries may be little more than a butterfly's wing on the other side of the planet, yet it counts for something far more than most in Hollywood could possibly be aware of.

There are actors (and behind the cameras folk as well) in this town that really do care about what goes on in the world outside their rarified bubble, and do what they can to make a difference. Those making the real difference are so seldom recognized or acknowledged for their efforts, sadly.