COSBY

A SHORT FILM

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

INT. OUTDOOR MEXICAN RESTAURANT IN LOS ANGELES, ROOFTOP- NIGHTTIME

JADE, a Black woman, and LEA, a white woman, are having a good time at the restaurant, post-meal. Chips and salsa adorn the table, as well as margaritas. One drink, becomes two, becomes four. They're clearly having a good time.

LEA

No, I was all l for being Miss Home Birth 2020-

JADE

That makes one of us-

LEA

‘Cause I realized how much fear has been created around women giving birth, even though there's nothing more natural-

JADE

I mean, I can think of a few things-

LEA

Since the dawn of time, Jade! Not everyone needs a C-section, but hospitals make more money off of it and doctors don't have to be on call, so they’re giving ‘em left and right.

Lea dips a tortilla chip into the salsa and takes a big bite.

JADE

Okay?… So? You changed your mind?

LEA

Well. Turns out. I found out that while you give birth your vagina can rip to your butthole, Jade. Your butthole!

JADE

Stop! No!

LEA

Yes!

JADE

No!

LEA

Yes! No wonder women want to be cut open like a fish instead. And sometimes-

JADE

We are at the dinner table here!

LEA

You have a vaginal birth and you rip and then you can't control your anal sphincter-

JADE

No! You did not say anal sphincter-

LEA

Like, you can't control it! When you poop! Granted, it's either your gut or your butt and one's natural and the other's not. So, I still want a home birth for my imaginary child. And you will be in attendance.

JADE

You are too much!

LEA

Yes I am. Alright.

Lea takes a big gulp from her margarita.

LEA

Against my better judgment. I have to ask.

JADE

Oh Lord! Here we go.

Jade takes a swig that matches Lea's.

LEA

You have one too many and then it gets real.

JADE

Come out with it, child. What?

LEA

You said earlier Bill Cosby’s innocent?

Beat.

JADE

Oh. You want to go there?

LEA

You believe that? That he’s innocent?

JADE

I do.

LEA

As in, you don’t think he raped those women?

JADE

No. I don’t think he did.

LEA

Alright. That’s. Okay. Okay. Can you tell me why you think he's innocent?

JADE

Girl. How long have you got?

LEA

No, I’m serious!

JADE

If you’ll just give me a second to prop myself on this soapbox.

Jade pretends to physically prop herself up, as Lea mimes like she's assisting.

LEA

Get comfy, I’m here to listen.

JADE

Ahem. Let’s take a look at some white men who are not behind bars. Take Woody Allen. He molested his young daughter, married his stepdaughter, has a track record of creepiness towards underage girls, and he's still making movies starring Selena Gomez. Roman Polanski. He pled guilty to drugging and raping a thirteen year old girl, released an autobiography saying he likes young teens, went on record saying "Everyone wants to fuck young girls", and he's living the life in Europe, getting all those residuals. And what about Donald Trump, who has 25 people that have accused him of sexual assault. 2-5. He got caught on tape saying "Grab 'em by the pussy, you can do anything" and he's the president of the free world. Bill Cosby has always claimed his innocence, so, let's start there.

LEA

You’re completely right. But just because old, powerful, white men get away with raping girls, which in no way is fair, that doesn't mean Cosby is innocent.

JADE

This isn't the first time white people have tried to take down a Black man, Lea. In the real world, it's George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Abery, Tamir Rice, just to name a few. And in Hollywood, the fall is what kills. White Hollywood fetishizes you for being a 'good' Black man, and then they wait for you to fall. And when you don't, when you're not what they want you to be, when you're not angry, when you're not a criminal, when you're a doctor and a father figure and a successful, beautiful, strong, intelligent, Black man, they create something to knock you off that pedestal so they can say they were right all along. So they can say that Black men are dangerous predators who should be locked up. Because, "See, even Cosby is a predator." So what does that mean for the rest of us? What does that mean for Black Americans?

LEA

Those deaths are unacceptable. There is no excuse, and as Americans, we must do better. But Cosby can be strong, and intelligent, and a doctor, he can be someone who did so much good for the Black community, and he can also be a rapist. It's an awful reality, but it's not an either or situation, Jade.

JADE

So, you don’t think it’s a little suspect all these women came out of the woodwork decades later?

LEA

You think these women made it up?

JADE

They might have. These women are white, Lea, they don't understand.

LEA

But all the accusers aren’t white. Why would they lie?

JADE

For money. For fame. Their accusations don't add up.

LEA

Unless you’re not mentally stable, literally no one wants that kind of attention. It's not fame. It's shameful. I can't imagine these women making any amount of money that's worth how much they were attacked in the public eye.

JADE

They were attacked because they were saying some decades later that something happened. Why didn't they speak up earlier?

LEA

It takes time to process trauma. And to find the courage to speak out. Especially against someone so powerful, especially against someone you respected. It's hard to believe it yourself. You don't want to believe it.

JADE

Well, it’s just a little strange that however many years later they say it wasn't consensual when they went to his house and were at his party and were drinking alcohol.

LEA

These women said they were drugged.

JADE

Then how did they remember?

Beat

LEA

Do you believe me, that I remember?

JADE

Yes, of course. This is different.

LEA

It just, doesn’t feel different, ya know? I just, I need a minute. I'm sorry, I just need a minute.

Lea gets up to leave, and Jade is left at the table. She gets up, and goes to look out over the city skyline. Emotion covering her face.

Lea goes into the bathroom, locks the stall, and lets out emotion. Two frames, side by side, Jade and Lea ‘back to back’ in the frame.

Back to the full screen of Jade, looking over the skyline, then heading back to the table. Cut to Lea, putting on makeup to mask tears.

Jade waits at the table. Lea sits down beside her.

LEA

Well, that really was against my better judgment! You want to grab the check?

Awkward silence.

JADE

Are you okay?

LEA

Yeah, yeah! I’m fine.

JADE

Am I never gonna see your ass again after this?

LEA

What? No, we’re good. We’re good.

Silence.

JADE

I just want to say, that, I don't know what I know. I'm learning everyday and I'm trying to listen and understand. You know?

LEA

I don’t know what I know either. And I can't pretend to know how hard it is to be Black in America. I know, it's a privilege to be white, and there's so much, I don't understand. I know Cosby broke through a lot of racist stereotypes. This particular topic just hit a nerve, ya know? It's hard with my history, my family calling me crazy and saying I'm making accusations to get attention. And the man who drugged me, who violated me consciously and unconsciously as a kid, he's a doctor and he's the one my family believes. I'm seen as crazy and he's above reproach. They defend him, but who’s left to defend me, ya know? It just triggered something. But I want to understand your pain, not just my own.

JADE

Yeah, but I want you to know I believe you. And I've never questioned your truth or thought that you were crazy or any of that. This is different. I'm with you, you know that, right?

LEA

Yeah. And I’m with you, too. Always, lady.

JADE

Does that mean you're with me in another round?

LEA

Let’s make it a double. Lawd knows we need it.

JADE

Done and done. So, is this next round an appropriate time to bring up the O.J. Simpson trial or...?

Lea dies laughing.

LEA

Stop! Get out of here with that!

THE END