00:00How full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife?
00:20I wanted to start, I'd read, like you said, you were interested in this role just because
00:25it presented a challenge for you.
00:27And so I'm curious, you know, what were you able to do with this role that you hadn't
00:30been able to in other projects?
00:36Understand it?
00:37No, you know, Shakespeare is difficult.
00:41You got to figure it out, you know, and you need help and you get help from the other actors
00:46and the material itself.
00:48And, you know, it's a challenge.
00:50And that's exciting to me.
00:54That's what's interesting about it.
00:55Oh, you know, on that note, I was just speaking with Corey and he talked about, you know,
01:00the impact this film might have with Black audiences in particular feeling like Shakespeare
01:04is now accessible, you know, and understandable.
01:06And I'm curious, you know, for you, if you kind of see it having that same impact with
01:10the colorblind casting and diversity.
01:13I think that that's the case beyond color.
01:16People might think of, oh, Shakespeare, oh, what's that, you know, those eyebrow, big word,
01:21British people or whatever.
01:23So this ain't that.
01:26You can figure this out.
01:28If they didn't say anything, you could follow the story.
01:30Like, ooh, he did something.
01:32He's mad about it.
01:33His wife is, you could, I'd be curious to watch this without hearing it.
01:38And watch it, you know, she's in his ear, you know, she's like feeding him.
01:42He's like, yeah, yeah, I got to go get him, don't I?
01:45You know, it's there.
01:47Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:49And thinking about that, I read also that you say you don't watch your films, you know,
01:54and your performances.
01:55No, I watch it, you know, I watch it once.
01:58So I know what I'm talking about.
01:59I got to watch it, you know, I got to know what the film, you know.
02:02Okay.
02:03Well, I wondered about that.
02:04I was going to say, you know, how have you been able to continuously, you know, improve
02:07your craft, you know, as you don't spend a lot of time looking back?
02:12You know, you said, I look forward, I don't look back.
02:14Well, I don't know if an actor can improve their craft by looking at their work, by being
02:19too, because you're not looking at it through an unbiased, if that's a way of saying it lens.
02:26You just aren't.
02:28You know, I look at a movie and I go, oh, look at that pimple on my head.
02:31Oh, I remember seeing a soldier's story, which was the film of the play.
02:38And the movie was over and I was like, oh man, I was, he messed it up.
02:43It was terrible.
02:44And the audience started applauding.
02:45And I was like, oh, it's, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:49No, no, it's good.
02:50They love, you know, so you just, you know, you don't know.
02:53Yeah.
02:53Yeah.
02:54Well, kind of related to that, do you read reviews of films?
02:58And how does that affect you or not?
03:00I try not to.
03:02You know, sometimes you can't help it to see something, but no, it surely can't help you.
03:08It can't help you when they tell you how great you are, or it can't help you when they tell
03:12you how terrible you are.
03:14I've been, I've had both said, you know, worst actor ever and the greatest actor ever.
03:19So, well, I don't know if they said ever, but the worst that day.
03:26You know, thinking about this time, it's been, you know, disappointing from some actors and
03:31directors having releases during COVID, you know, not having that big theatrical release,
03:36but I feel like you've embraced, you know, streaming kind of out of the gate.
03:39Is that fair to say?
03:40And, you know, how were you open to, you know, streaming platforms?
03:44It doesn't matter being open.
03:46There was no choice.
03:47This is bigger than the movie business.
03:51This is the health and life of the world that we're talking about.
03:55So it affects everybody in all walks of life.
03:59We just have to find a way to navigate it and to live with it.
04:04I read your recent piece with Variety and you talked about, you know, you acted to get the
04:10money to do directing, you know, and Journal for Jordan was the first time.
04:13You kind of felt like you, well, you were just able to direct, you know, without acting.
04:18Do you see yourself moving away from acting, you know, for a season and kind of just focusing
04:22on directing only?
04:25Roles like Macbeth raise the bar very high and it's hard to, well, I'll see, but I imagine
04:34it's hard to find that level all the time.
04:39It's impossible.
04:40So they obviously can't all be Macbeths and films like Macbeth make it harder to do films
04:48that aren't like Macbeth.
04:51That make sense?
04:53Yeah.
04:54Absolutely.
04:56Absolutely.
04:56Um, and I think your next directing project or at least, well, with August Wilson will
05:01be, um, the piano lesson.
05:03Is that producing, not directing.
05:05Okay.
05:06Producing.
05:06Okay.
05:07Yeah.
05:07Where do things stand currently with that project?
05:10Uh, right now we're, we're, uh, the, the act, two of the actors are scheduled to go to
05:17Broadway in the fall and, and, and hopefully we'll be in front of the cameras in, uh, in, in 23.
05:23Um, and, you know, later this year will mark the 30th anniversary of, of Malcolm X.
05:30I'm curious for you.
05:31You know, what do you remember about filming that project, um, and telling that story?
05:35Well, it goes back even before then I did a play about Malcolm X and I was, this whole
05:43this whole other world open up for, you know, the, the, the, the play was well received,
05:50but I, I can remember all the different people that were visiting that were coming to see
05:54it that were affected, you know, uh, whatever they'd heard about what I had done, but more,
06:00more importantly, were affected by this man and what, what he stood for.
06:04And, and, and, you know, yeah, it was a, it was a great time.
06:08Um, and lastly, you know, I, uh, seen, you know, with Sidney Courtney is passing and you talked
06:13about not getting the opportunity to work with him. Um, you know, are there any other actors,
06:18uh, that you are hoped to be able to work with in the future that you haven't yet had a chance?
06:22Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure. A ton. I can, of course, I'm not going to remember any of them right now.
06:27You name one. Who, who should I, you see what I'm saying? I haven't worked with Morgan in a long time.
06:32Oh yeah. There's one. Yes. Okay. Yeah. So there, I haven't worked with Courtney Vance in a long time.
06:40Oh my goodness. It's a good idea. Yes. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate your time.
06:46My pleasure.
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