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Janelle Monae and Steve Carrell team up for a new movie called Welcome To Marwen. Inspired by a popular documentary called Marwencol this film follows Mark Hogancamp who was brutally beaten so that that it wiped away all of his memories. During his recovery, he finds a beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him put together the pieces from his old and make some new memories as well. Mark meticulously creates a wondrous town called Marwen and we get to see him build an astonishing art installation that serves as a place for the women in his life. In this magical world, he finds escape and healing.

I got to fly out to beautiful Los Angeles, Calfornia to sit down with Steve Carrell, Leslie Mann, Janelle Monae and Diane Kruger for this week’s episode of Extra Butter with Xilla Valentine to give you a glimpse at Welcome To Marwen. Steve who plays Hogie, opens up about the time he spent with the real-life Mark Hogancamp and how he took on his traits to make this character come to life on screen. “He’s a really specific guy, in real life,” Steve said. “There is definitely a responsibility there because you want to depict somebody but you really want to get the essence of who they are more than anything. So to me, the most important aspects were his kindness and the fact that he’s very self-deprecating and really just a decent human being and that was really my main goal.”

I also got to talk to Janelle Monae who told me she loved the type of dolls there were in this movie because they were action heroes and they protected someone who was unique. They stood up for someone who was different rather than being just an accessory. “I want to contribute to society and figure out how I can use my superpowers to take up for somebody who has been bullied.”

I also chatted with Janelle Monae about how she is setting an example for Black women out there as well as living in her truth. “I just walk in my truth, wherever I am at the time. My goal is never to be perfect, to never put pressure on myself. I make mistakes we all make mistakes but one of the things I am interested in doing is using my truth so the next person can walk in theirs, and feel more comfortable being themselves and embracing those things that make them unique.” This sums up what this movie is all about embracing the things that make us different.

Welcome To Marwen is in theaters everywhere this weekend.

Janelle Monae And Steve Carrell Talk Marwen, Standing Up To Bullies & More | Extra ButterĀ  was originally published on globalgrind.com