Rosario Dawson on ghosts: theres a lot that we dont see and that we dont know

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While the actor’s strike went into effect on July 13, there are still some stories coming out from before the strike. I guess outlets like People Magazine, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter are releasing older stories here and there to stretch out promotional content as long as possible. This is one of those stories that predates the strike. Rosario Dawson is starring in Disney’s upcoming movie Haunted Mansion, which is a reboot of the Eddie Murphy movie of the same name from 2003. It just came out on Friday, so she and other union members can’t do any promotion for it right now because of the strike. Prior to the strike, she was interviewed by People about a commercial she made with State Farm that has a tie-in to the movie (how to file a claim when ghosts are tearing the chandeliers out of your ceiling!). She was asked about ghosts which makes sense because of the content of the commercial and the movie. And Rosario said that she has had encounters with ghosts, and feels a spiritual connection to her grandmother, who has passed away.

Rosario Dawson is no stranger to spooky encounters!
As Dawson, 44, spoke with PEOPLE recently about State Farm’s new Haunted Mansion-themed property damage commercial — before the Screen Actors Guild went on strike July 13 — the Haunted Mansion star revealed that she has “definitely had some ghost experiences over the years.”

“Growing up, you know, my name is Rosary — I grew up praying. We grew up very spiritual,” she says. “I think we absolutely believe in things and have faith that there’s a lot that we don’t see and that we don’t know. And that it has its own presence, you know.”

Dawson stars in the new Disney movie as a woman named Gabby who purchases a mansion only to find that it’s inhabited by a number of ghosts and ghouls, including Jared Leto’s Hatbox Ghost. The actress notes that she has at times felt a supernatural connection to her late grandmother.

“I’ve felt her presence over the years at times and her directly speaking to me and looking out for me,” she says, adding that she loves “the kind of energy” horror-themed movies bring to a production.

“You know, some people [with] spooky stuff, they lean in or they turn away, but most people do believe there’s something there,” she tells PEOPLE. “You know, like, so having [Haunted Mansion set] in New Orleans, promoting it there, like, there’s just such a celebration and connection I think, in my culture and my family.”

[From People]

It’s weird to think that State Farm recently decided not to sell any new home insurance policies in California because the effects of climate change have made it too expensive for them to pay out claims. (They’re doing this while also continuing to invest in fossil fuel companies, which is the kind of hypocrisy that stinks to high heaven.) Anyway, Rosario’s answer about ghosts is kind of vague but I get what she means. I think it takes intellectual humility to admit that we don’t know everything and sometimes people have experiences that are hard to explain or spooky. I don’t see apparitions or orbs or anything like that, I can just sometimes feel a presence or an energy. It isn’t always sinister. Sometimes you just get the impression that you aren’t alone. I’ve had a similar connection to my grandma, feeling her presence with me at certain times. The Haunted Mansion movie looks cute enough but it’s a weird time to release it, in high summer. It should be a Halloween movie for sure.

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