"For minority actors, developing our own projects has to be the eventual path. We have a lot of stories to tell and a really unique voice. But none of that is going to be heard as long as we're just the hired hands, acting"

Jimmy Smits asserts that true advancement for minority actors lies not only in performing roles already written for them, but in taking creative control over storytelling itself. The traditional model of the entertainment industry often relegates minority performers to roles crafted by others, usually by people from outside their own communities, making them interpreters rather than originators of cultural narratives. Smits emphasizes that minority actors possess abundant stories and a distinctive perspective shaped by unique life experiences, history, and culture. These are assets that can reshape film, television, and theatre, broadening the range of characters and plots audiences encounter.

However, as long as minority actors remain mainly as "hired hands", hired to embody someone else’s vision, their capacity to influence larger cultural narratives stays limited. They may bring their artistry to a role, but the structural hierarchy of the industry still positions them in a subordinate relation to producers, writers, and directors, those with real decision-making power over what stories are made and how they are told. Smits sees this as a systemic barrier to authentic representation.

By advocating for minority actors to develop their own projects, Smits is calling for a shift from mere participation in existing frameworks toward leadership and authorship. When actors of color move into creating, writing, and producing, they gain the power not only to tell their own stories, but to choose which stories deserve the spotlight. This also challenges stereotypes and brings authenticity to the screen, breaking away from one-dimensional or tokenized roles often relegated to minorities.

For progress in the industry, this path means growing opportunities for diverse voices at every stage of production. When minority creatives author and control the narratives, the cultural conversation broadens, moving towards richer, more accurate depictions and empowering the communities they represent.