The Rev. Suzan Johnson Cook, longtime Baptist minister and former religious freedom ambassador, took on another role with the recent animated movie “Soul.”
She was not an actor or a director, but an adviser. In late 2019, she traveled to Pixar’s studios to watch a rough cut of the film. She was joined by other notable experts, including Fuller Theological Seminary President Mark Labberton, United Negro College Fund CEO Michael Lomax and musicians Yo-Yo Ma and Quincy Jones.
More than a year before its recent release on Disney+, Johnson Cook joined in giving feedback to Pixar’s directors and storytellers on the film, which centers on a New York band teacher named Joe Gardner, who strives to be a pianist at a famed jazz club. A misstep unexpectedly takes him to “The Great Before,” and, as a result, he learns more about the meaning of life.
“We came (up) with the comfortable answer that this was this man’s journey and that everyone has a soul, whether they believed or they did not believe,” she said of discussions about the ways people might view the word “soul.”
The native New Yorker, 63, talked about her thoughts on “Soul,” Black culture and the next steps in her ministry.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: Have you ever served as a consultant for a movie before now?
Answer: I did once before with Mark Burnett and the History Channel Bible series about seven years ago. Same kind of thing. He was doing a movie, and he showed some of his storyboard panels to me. And I was like there’s no Black people in here. And so we ended up having an arrangement where I advised him, and he actually went out and cast (more) Black actors after that.
Q: How do you define “soul” to Pixar and others?
A: When I use “soul,” I define it two ways. I do a cultural soul where we’re talking about the culture of Black people. ... But then also I actually have a (devotional) book that’s “Soul Sisters,” and we’re connected at our spiritual soul as Black, Asian and Latino women. I’m a faith leader, so I wanted to make sure my definition wasn’t too strong, and their (Pixar’s) definition wasn’t too weak. But when we arrived at the cultural definition of soul, I was comfortable with that.
Q: For all the talk of souls, there’s very little direct discussion of religion in the movie. I think the word “church” was mentioned once. Did that disappoint you?
A: No. The ultimate goal of movies is to entertain, so I go to a movie with that perspective. I don’t go there for church. Whether I’m going to Harvard, whether I’m at the White House, everybody has a culture, and you learn the culture. That was the definition that was determined, and I was comfortable with that, that it was more cultural than religious.
Q: Theologically, do you think there could be a place such as “The Great Before” — a place depicted in the film where a soul is before a person is born?
A: For me, I think it’s all intertwined. None of us know, but I believe the soul has a place and a resting place. And what happened before, we don’t really know. You’ll hear a lot of people, particularly in the South, will say: “That’s an old soul.” It’s almost like they embody the people, the ancestors, who went before. They’re not supposed to know that much, but they do. So there has to be something there.
Q: As a Black woman, what struck you most about the way the film captured African American culture?
A: We were reminded again of the best of our culture. It wasn’t just about this Black man Joe Gardner, but it was about Joe Gardner in the midst of a village. And I think that’s what makes our people soulful. And so when I sent out my email, I said, “May your Christmas be soulful.” And it was a good time of the year to be full of soul.
Q: You’ve been a minister, a religious freedom ambassador and now a movie consultant. What’s next for you?
A: I call myself a FED: faith leader, entrepreneur and diplomat. I’ve been busy building the Global Black Women’s Chamber of Commerce because I think what makes us whole is not just mind, body and spirit, but it’s also commerce and cash and being Christian. It’s also helping women in ministry who are leading communities as well as congregations to really have it all together. ... So I’m about legacy right now, making sure our people are whole and wholesome.
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