Jennifer Esposito Says Selling Her Home Was Painful, But Worth It to Keep Creating Art: 'I Didn't Lose, I Won'
Jennifer Esposito is opening up about a difficult and personal sacrifice she made for her art and why she would make the same decision again if she had to.
The Blue Bloods actress posted an Instagram video last Friday (January 30) where she reflected on her choice to sell her house, which she mortgaged to make her directorial debut film Fresh Kills.
Keep reading to find out more…
The 2023 film starred herself, Emily Bader, Odessa A’zion, Domenick Lombardozzi, Nicholas Cirillo, and Annabella Sciorra. It follows the daughters of the Larusso family as they “struggle to break the unspoken code of the women behind the men in the world of organized crime.” It was positively received by critics, with a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In her original video, Jennifer admitted she was emotional because she was preparing to leave the house she loved after selling it.
“And then to have people who are in the spotlight now to not be able to just throw one back and say, ‘Hey, watch this film.’ Then I said to myself, ‘You know what? Nobody owes anybody anything.’ And then I thought, ‘Do we? Do we as human beings?’ Maybe that’s why we’re in this problem right now where we are. I think actually we do owe each other something. We owe each other decency as human beings. That’s what we owe each other,” she said.
In the caption, she expanded on the thought, saying, “Basic human decency to another living being. That’s it. Think on that. Imagine if we all actually had one another’s backs. Systems that are meant to divide actually might fall…”
Her candor ushered in a wave of support, with celebs like Jordana Brewster, Rosanna Arquette, Don Cheadle, Jerry O’Connell, Debra Messing, and more sharing their support and encouragement in the comments, along with countless others discovering Fresh Kills for the first time.
On Wednesday, Jennifer shared a follow-up video where she said she is incredibly proud of herself for what she’s accomplished despite having to sell her beloved home.
“I didn’t lose, I won, I actually won, because I know exactly what I can do as an artist. I am not stopping,” she said.
She also encouraged her supporters to help her fund her next indie project, Mary Rides the F Train, which she is currently raising funds for.
Jennifer continued, writing, “Stories matter, from all- it’s our right as creators to make them and it’s your right as a human to be able to know about them and view them. Yes it’s that deep!! And to all who say I inspired them- good- keep going!!! Never let the world, a situation, doubt or others tell you what you can and cannot do with your life and your art! Much love!”
On Friday, a week after her original video, she shared an essay on her Substack slamming several media outlets for writing about her “losing” her home, re-iterating that she did not lose it, but made the choice to sell it.
“I loved my home. It’s the one place I ever felt safe. It was special to me for many reasons. And if my film would have been judged on merit alone, maybe I wouldn’t have had to sell it,” she said.
“Everyone in my film pretty much went on to do amazing things, HUGE things. Everyone except me. My tears were because I still believe art should matter. Good work should matter. Artists helping other artists should be the norm. Talent and good work should be what wins, but again- it doesn’t,” she continued.
“So yeah, leaving a home that I loved wasn’t something I wanted to do. But it was my choice to SELL it (with appreciation) to lessen my burden by paying off debt from the film (caused by an awful producer), but also to give myself space to keep creating.”
Fresh Kills is streaming now on Hulu and is also available to rent and buy from digital retailers like Amazon and Apple.