Quote Of The Day: Rosario Dawson On The Future

Any one of Rosario Dawson’s different roles would ordinarily define an actor’s career, but she continues to push the boundaries and test her own capabilities. Dawson’s career in film took off after playing Ruby in the coming-of-age drama, “Kids.” Since then, she’s racked up other notable movie roles, playing Mooby’s manager Becky in 2006’s “Clerks II,” a character she reprised in “Jay and Silent Bob’s Reboot” and “Clerks III.” Dawson also starred in cult classics like “Josie and the Pussycats” and “Sin City,” as well as thrillers like Danny Boyle’s “Trance.”

The actress has also put in a considerable amount of time on the small screen. Her career exploded once again when she began playing Nurse Claire Temple in Netflix’s Marvel TV shows. She first appeared in “Daredevil” opposite Charlie Cox, and went on to appear in “Luke Cage,” “Jessica Jones,” “Iron Fist,” and the 2017 crossover series, “The Defenders.” 

In 2020, Dawson starred in one of the best Hulu original series, “Dopesick,” as DEA agent Bridget Meyer who investigates the criminal effects of Oxycontin. Her next major release is “Ahsoka” Season 2 on Disney+, which will see Dawson’s titular character going up against Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen).

Dawson’s ability to balance indie dramas, thrillers, cult classics, comic books and space fantasy has made for an impressive career — and that’s why she’s our quote of the day.

“This future is ours to embrace. Whether we, the established generations, choose to accept that is in our court. But I sleep well knowing that no matter what we make of our present, there’s an amazing generation waiting to claim their future.”

The above quote comes from Rosario Dawson’s op-ed published by Huffpost back in 2012 after Barack Obama won the presidential election against Mitt Romney. In the piece, she shared how optimistic she was about the generation who came out to vote for “their families and themselves.” 

Dawson highlighted her work with Voto Latino, the nonprofit organization she co-founded which works to get young Latinx and Hispanic people registered to vote. She explained first-hand how she turned up to events at colleges expecting to give a lecture about activism, but was met with forward-thinking questions and debates from the audience members. While the social-political landscape looks a little different over a decade later, Dawson’s comments still inspire hope for the future.

Rosario Dawson’s aforementioned quote — and her op-ed as a whole — is about embracing the unknowns of the future. It might feel like the world is not in our control, but we do have a say in how it moves forward in so many different ways. Despite the negative headlines that often dominate the news, it’s important to stay positive about what the future holds. 

In fact, positive, awe-inspiring things are always happening, from an Italian farm modifying its crops to withstand heatwaves to Tsunami the Border Collie rescuing earthquake victims in Venezuela. It’s these types of stories that exemplify Dawson’s belief that the next generation is claiming their future for the better.

Dawson herself has also made efforts to be part of positive change. She’s part of several philanthropic groups, and she is the co-founder of Studio 189, a fashion company which creates African clothing while establishing fair wages and community-led projects in Ghana.

• We can’t help it when we’re young. We’re like ‘I’m going to reinvent the wheel!’ You don’t have to do it, you actually don’t. You can forge a path, but it’s good to make sure you’re there with people around you. If you fall, you want them to help you up. And, if you get to go to the highest heights, you want them there to celebrate with you. It’s just really important to have people along the way.” — from a 2015 interview with Refinery29

• “We’re doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past if we don’t learn from them. There’s incredible pride and beauty that can be sourced in history, and you can be inspired by looking to the past.” — from a 2020 interview with T-Mobile

• “If we all gave a little, just imagine the world we could live in. Try to help someone today. You never know how much they need it — and how much you need to help. Nothing is better than helping someone else.” — from a 2023 interview with Las Vegas Review-Journal