In short
Actor/writer/director Mario Van Peebles discusses how travel shapes his filmmaking and personal growth, and argues that human biology can drive “global tribalism,” which travel can counter by highlighting shared humanity.
Guest backgrounds
Mario Van Peebles is known for directing/acting from a Black perspective in Posse (Old West) and for New Jack City (crime thriller/social drama).
Key claims
He travels to “live life” for his work, recalibrates his identity from his younger self, and believes people must like both who you are and who they are with you; language and meeting diverse people build allies and connections.
Notable examples
Trips to Lisbon, Cannes, and St. Croix; discussion of group sizes (50–100 vs. 500) as a basis for otherizing.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOMario's Travel Inspirations
0:38 to 2:40
Mario Van Peebles discusses the importance of travel in his life and art.
“I feel as an artist, as a filmmaker, that I have to live life in order to put life in my work.”
Human Connections and Global Tribalism
2:40 to 3:10
Mario reflects on societal structures and the importance of human connections.
“As hunter-gatherers, are we really more comfortable in groups of 50 or 100?”
Closing Thoughts on Travel and Humanity
3:10 to 3:48
Mario shares insights on our shared humanity through travel experiences.
“And when you travel, you see the commonality of us, and you focus less on the differences.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00KCRW sponsors include FX's Emmy-nominated hit series, Love Story, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, starring Emmy nominee Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly. For your Emmy consideration in seven categories, including Outstanding Limited Series, now streaming on Hulu. Welcome to The Treat. I'm Elvis Mitchell. Mario Van Peebles is an actor, a writer, and a director who has taken us from a Black perspective on the Old West, this film Posse, to the main streets of New York with his crime thriller and social drama, New Jack City. For his treat, he talks about going to other places. I'm Mario Van Peebles, and this is The Treat.
0:47I've been enjoying traveling lately. I feel as an artist, as a filmmaker, that I have to live life in order to put life in my work. And so I've been trying to say, let me stay young enough to be a pretty good student and old enough to be a badass teacher.
1:11And part of that learning is, and I'm not just a nerd for books, I'm a nerd for people. So I like to travel and get out to the world. So I just went to Lisbon. I went to Cannes for a little bit. I went to St. Croix. I've been just looking and going around the world and trying to say, make sure that the Mario I am now is not living out the decisions that the 20-year-old Mario made. That I always take time to recalibrate.
1:42People have to like two things about you. One, they've got to like who you are. But two, they've got to like who they are when they're with you. So you need to help bring that out. Bring out the good lovers, and you'll find good allies, good friends, good loves coming all colors, all flavors, all shapes. Traveling helps you do that. And language. You know, so you speak different languages and hear different languages. They say if you speak three languages, you're trilingual. If you're two languages, you're bilingual. one language, you're American.
2:17But when you travel the world and you see it, people reach out and help you that don't always look like you, don't vote like you, and you wind up connecting with folks and seeing the human smorgasbord, and it's lovely.
2:39Are we wired to not be able to really exist in big groups? As hunter-gatherers, are we really more comfortable in groups of 50 or 100? Coincidentally, that's about the size of a good independent film crew, right? So if we can exist that way, but if we get into a group of 500, we'll break down into two groups. And so if that is the case, then we have a natural tendency, because of our biology, towards global tribalism. And it's hard for us to not otherize others. And when you travel, you see the commonality of us, and you focus less on the differences. And so I've been thinking about that lately.
3:35Actor, writer, and director Mario Van Peebles on the eye-opening pleasures of travel. The Treat is produced by Rebecca Mooney and mixed by Katie Gilchrist. I'm Elvis Mitchell. It's The Treat.
4:05Thank you.
4:50The Beast and Me
From the publisher
Writer, director, and actor Mario Van Peebles is perhaps best known for his 1991 breakthrough film 'New Jack City,' which he directed and starred in. Since then he has frequently been on both sides of the camera, which has taken him all over the world. For his treat, he explains why travel has been life changing for him and what it has taught him about humanity.