Director Barry Jenkins on Blue Ivy Carter's Performance in 'Mufasa': "Absolutely Crushed It" | THR Video - video Dailymotion

Hollywood Journal

'Mufasa: The Lion King' Director Barry Jenkins describes Blue Ivy Carter's performance as the character Kiara in the film while chatting with THR at the premiere. Plus, he describes his collaborative relationship with Lin-Manuel Miranda while working on this film.

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00:00I wanted to know, why was it important to tell this story via flashbacks?

00:04Yeah, well, I don't consider it being flashbacks.

00:06I feel it's like a pre-sequel, you know?

00:09There's a story that's happening in the present tense

00:11with Kiara, played by Blue Ivy, and Dr. John Connie,

00:15who just happen to be both the eldest and the youngest members of our cast.

00:18And then, yes, you're seeing the story that's being told

00:21through these characters of a young Mufasa, a young Taka, a.k.a. Scar, a young Rafiki.

00:26I thought it was really lovely, because in Kiara,

00:28if you're a child in the audience, you're looking,

00:31where do I see myself in the film?

00:32You see yourself in that character.

00:35And so as she's evolving and growing from the lessons she's learning

00:38and the story she's being told,

00:39children in the audience are doing the same thing as they're watching the film.

00:42And speaking of Blue Ivy Carter,

00:44what was it about her that made you say, yes, this is my Kiara?

00:48You know, this movie starts purely in voices,

00:51and I heard her perform my friend Matthew Cherry's novel, Hair Love,

00:55as an audiobook.

00:56And, you know, I love that in this film,

00:59you know, the actress, it's just about the voice.

01:01I don't care what you look like, how tall you are, what your hair is like.

01:05If you can communicate that emotion with your voice, you have the part.

01:08You know, she gave a great audition,

01:10and somehow I just felt like, you know,

01:13Kiara is the daughter of a king and queen, you know?

01:16And I do think in some ways Blue Ivy is the daughter of a king and queen.

01:20And yet she has this really wonderful humility, a self-centeredness, a self-possession

01:26that I just found to be really invigorating and rich.

01:29And she just crushed this, absolutely crushed her.

01:31Did you ever think about making her sing for the film?

01:34No, that's Lin-Manuel's job.

01:37You know, nobody can blame me or thank me for the songs they have in this movie.

01:43But no, we didn't.

01:44Especially because, you know, in the role that she's in,

01:47you know, being sort of like the children's eyes and ears sort of in this movie,

01:52she is here to sort of receive and react,

01:54and not so much to express the way the songs do.

01:59What was it like collaborating with Lin-Manuel on this film?

02:02It was really great.

02:03I've never directed a musical,

02:04and I love knowing what I do know

02:07and also acknowledging where that knowledge ends.

02:10And so I really leaned on Lin, you know,

02:12and expressed to him how I wanted to make sure the songs were serving the narrative,

02:16you know, and not distracting from it,

02:19you know, not taking away from it.

02:20And he really embraced that.

02:21And together, we sort of worked on why do we need a song here

02:25and how is it advancing the story we're telling?

02:27And obviously, this is a really big franchise that you stepped into.

02:30So do you see yourself continuing doing those type of films

02:33or go back to more like indie type films?

02:36Why can't I do both?

02:37Why can't I do both?

02:38You know, in the span of the time that we've made this,

02:41we also finished The Underground Railroad and put that out.

02:43Very different project than this.

02:44And we produced a film called After Sun, directed by Charlotte Wells,

02:48and Aldrich Rose's Taste of Salt, directed by Raven Jackson,

02:50and True Detective Night Country, directed by Issa Lopez.

02:53So we're always doing multiple things at once.

02:56And the same way Jeff Nathanson wrote an amazing script

02:58that completely took me by surprise,

03:00if someone else did the same thing,

03:02because there's so much more story to be told here, who knows?

03:04What do you think the audience is going to be the most surprised

03:07to find out on this film?

03:09I don't know if they'll be surprised,

03:10but I loved when I first read the script.

03:13You know, there's this notion of good and evil.

03:15And we assume that Taka and Scar is evil purely because he is,

03:20and Mufasa is great purely because he is.

03:23And I love the complexity of going through their lives

03:26and showing how this choice versus that choice,

03:29this parenting versus that parenting,

03:32can kind of put you on the path to where you're evolving,

03:34but you're evolving into the worst version of yourself

03:36versus the best version of yourself.

03:38I think it's a really rewarding and rich thing

03:40to explore with these characters that are so intimately connected

03:44to so many audiences around the world.

03:46Absolutely.

03:47And what do you want people to take away?

03:48After watching this, after going home and letting them marinate,

03:51what do you want them to take away from it?

03:53Oh, just that this idea of nature versus nurture, you know,

03:56and hopefully just through watching this film,

03:59especially with the deep connections we have to these characters

04:02when we walk into the cinema,

04:03this idea of nature versus nurture

04:05and maybe looking around in our lives

04:07and seeing how there are so many people around us every day

04:10who could evolve to be their best or their worst selves

04:13based on how we treat them.

04:15And the last question we're asking everyone,

04:17what was their favorite movie of 2024?

04:19Oh, so far, The Nickel Boys, 1,000%.

04:221,000%, point blank, period.

04:25You know, I watched it twice in like three days.

04:27Love, love, love that movie.

04:28Rommel Ross is, he is a true visionary, a true artist.

04:33That film is extraordinary.

Director Barry Jenkins on Blue Ivy Carter's Performance in 'Mufasa': "Absolutely Crushed It" | THR Video

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