One of of the first posts on this blog was all about Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey’s Bottle Impressions, an activation where the bourbon brand teamed with artists across the country to express themselves using their bottles. Among those artists was someone that you might recognize from the big screen.
Actor Aldis Hodge, best known for his roles Straight Outta Compton and Hidden Figures, is also an accomplished painter in his own right. We spoke with the North Carolina native about his relationship to Bulleit, expressing oneself and balancing your passion. And if you love Hodge as an actor, don’t worry… He’s not calling it quits. Next up, he will star in What Men Want with Taraji P. Henson and Tracy Morgan.
The Whiskey Lifestyle: What got you into this event and working with Bulleit?
Aldis Hodge: My representation told me about this thing that Bulleit had. I’m a painter, my girlfriend Harmonia Rosales is a painter. We work together and we’ve been doing this thing for a little bit now so when I heard that Bulleit was doing something to highlight artists, I said, “You know what? That’s actually pretty damn cool.” For me, art is my life, my language — it Is everything that I eat, sleep and breathe. They said they were doing to the bottle impressions and I was interested in seeing how it went. They told me that their idea was to help everybody feel like or at least discover the artist inside of themselves and I’m down with that message because every time I talk to people [about art], they say, “Man, I can’t draw a stick figure.” And it doesn’t matter, you’re still an artist.
Here, you can like place like a paper on the bottle impression, color over it and you actually create the imprint that you can create your art from there. It’s cool. It’s interesting. It helps me tie my world is into what I love, to give it a little bit more of a platform, because art is something that I do that not too many people, are aware of. And it’s not something I’ve really shown to many people… yet.
TWL: So that was going to be our next question. When will we start seeing some pieces?
AH: I’ll say it like this. I’ve got no reason to complain because I have champagne problems, but I’m trying to work on a series. I have a series to finish with my girlfriend right now. Our series called “Through the Looking Glass.” We debuted two pieces at the L.A. Art Show. We actually have 10 [in the series], so we’re finishing those up, trying to figure that out. And we have another collection right after that that’ll probably follow up the next year. I’m working, but right now I’m actually in the middle of doing a film called “What Men Want” down in Atlanta. I flew up this morning, so I’m kind of back and forth.
TWL: How do you balance these passions?
AH: You don’t sleep. When I get off set, I go back to my hotel room and I’m back to painting. I have a set up in the room. I probably should not but… [laughs] But, it’s all good. I have to keep it going. And the more I can really take advantage of my time right now I’m going to. Being on set is fantastic. I love it! It affords me the space to do this while I can. Something that’s really cool with [Bulleit Bottle Impressions], later this summer Bulleit is actually going to highlight some of those people in their campaign—putting them in the spotlight and giving them a little shine. That to me is fantastic because then people actually get to see that work on a bigger scale. If I can be a part of that, then I’m all about it because again, it taps into a whole different part of my love that I don’t really get to share with most people. But working for Bulleit, I actually get to share a little something something.
TWL: Earlier you said that art is so many things. Whether it’s painting on a canvas, making whiskey or creating cocktails, tell us a little more about that.
AH: To me, art is always a cumulative language. It is not secular in the sense of aesthetic drawing, even painting or modular where you are building or carving statues. Art is my language and my passion. I think everything can be an art form, like making a whiskey. When you’re sitting there thinking about what kind of grains you’re going to use, understanding that particular mix is an art form because you’re now building the brand DNA. This is the art that you’ve given to people. Bulleit, in that respect, has their own form of art. I meet people all the time who work in ad agencies and they’re like, “Oh, I don’t do art.” Look, if you can sit there, figure out how to put a campaign together and give something to people that’s going to translate emotionally—not everybody has a skill set. So, you’ve got to just understand that and pat yourself on the back because that is your art. People just have to celebrate themselves more in what they do and how they do it, and not lock themselves into thinking that their idea of passion or art can be displayed one very specific way. Everybody in this world as an artist to me.
I’ll say this, and this is more or less for any kid who wants to do a lot of things and is told to do one thing. A lot of people told me, well just do one thing and stick to it. I never believed in that because if I have the instinct to do something, I will do it. My hero coming up was Leonardo DiVinci. My girlfriend’s hero is Michelangelo. Michelangelo, most people don’t realize, was an architect. He helped develop the Sistine Chapel. He did not consider himself a painter, even when he started painting [“The Last Judgment”] inside the Sistine Chapel. He didn’t consider himself a painter. He did all these other things. DiVinci was an inventor, painter, sculptor, all these different things. So for me, acting is an art form. I’m also a watchmaker, that’s an art form. Painter, that’s an art form. Writer, different art form. It’s all about whatever your conduit is to distribute your idea of art. You can do as much as it is in your heart and you should challenge it. A lot of kids are told, “Stay in your lane.” Don’t stay in your lane, create a lane.
