by senior contributor Brendan Kownacki
Photo credit: Brendan Kownacki
“I’m here to really just tell you thank you; to implore you to keep going; to let you know that the difference we’re talking about is the difference between life and death for some people,” said actor Esai Morales at the annual “Night Before” Supper Suite By STK for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, hosted by The Creative Coalition.
Esai Morales
If the Correspondents’ Dinner is the Nerd Prom as they say, The Creative Coalition is kind of like the student council–a band of scrappy do-gooders with ambition and a strong objective to champion for the arts around the city, including a firm day of advocacy on Capitol Hill.
Constance Zimmer
This year’s delegation was stacked with powerful females like Emily Ratajkowski (“Gone Girl”), Nina Dobrev (“The Vampire Diaries”), Rosario Dawson (“Daredevil”), Neve Campbell (“House of Cards”), Wendi McLendon-Covey (“The Goldbergs”), AnnaLynne McCord (“90210”), Constance Zimmer (“UnREAL”), Lisa Edelstein (“Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce”) plus Morales, of course. Morales took the chance to elegantly describe how the arts is one of those things that brings people together and can bridge across cultural lines. He called himself an empath and said that being able to channel others’ feelings is what helped him use the arts to connect with people and that truly, art is the tie that connects all people to each other.
The celebs munched on New York strip steaks, tartare and Duck Liver Foie Mousse through the charming dinner sponsored by Dobel Tequila, Blue Moon Brewing and Line 39 Wines.
AnnaLynne McCord
AnnaLynne McCord seemed to share the sentiment brought up by Morales and described how she has wanted to be an actress since she was nine and would hate to see young women miss out on the opportunities she had. She shared stories of using the arts as an emotional outlet after going through traumas and dealing with issues growing up, and she said the politicians’ reaction was “genuine.”
Emily Ratajkowski admitted that she’s not a politician but agreed about the opportunity to bring her voice to DC. “I definitely don’t think I’m any kind of politician, you know. I’ve been very lucky to be given a platform to talk about the issues that are important to me and bring a voice to things that are not being talked about enough,” she said.
Neve Campbell
Neve Campbell may have joined the cast of House of Cards this season, but this was her first trip to the Hill in real life and she enjoyed the chance to bring years of industry experience and passion to the table. “This is always going to be challenging, it’s always a roller coaster ride. You’re going to have good periods and you’re going to have hard periods. It’s just about seeing those through if you’re really passionate about it,” said Campbell.
As McCord put it though, “they seemed to genuinely care, but maybe they’re better actors than I am.”
