Actress and comedian Anastasia Washington is known for breaking down barriers and giving a voice to those who need it. Her content often tackles tough societal conversations on subjects like police brutality, eating disorders, and colorism, with humor and love to kick-start them from a more receptive place.
Her latest project is Grind, a four-part horror comedy anthology making its world premiere at SXSW.
Anastasia plays various roles in the anthology as a through line that connects all the stories into one world, acting alongside all-star cast James Paxton (Twisters), Christopher Marquette (Barry), James Urbaniak (Oppenheimer) and Rob Huebel (Transparent)! The film follows four interconnected stories center around the gig economy, hustle culture, and evils of late-stage capitalism.
Grind tackles the modern work landscape through four timely perspectives – the hustle culture of an MLM, the endless repetitiveness of a food delivery driver, the online horrors of a content moderator, and the unionization of a familiar-feeling coffee shop. Grind shows what it means to be a worker in a world defined by wealth inequality and ruled by endlessly greedy oligarchs, one not so far removed from our own.
This is a film for anyone who’s ever hated their job, had a bad boss, or felt taken advantage of at work. In other words, it’s a film for all of us.
Check out our interview with Anastasia: