Both films have solid casts that I was so happy to be a part of. I think that I was moved more by the fact that the values I grew up with were reinforced. I come from a really big family, and I see how much you can accomplish with the right set of friends, and the right guidance. I think that from each film ill take away the inspiration and ambition to do better by the legacy that all the people before me have laid down. I know it’s a lot to live up to, but I think we can do it.
Where did your guidance come from? What are your inspirations?
My parents. My brothers and my sisters – I’m the youngest of seven kids – I have a lot guidance, you know? I was raised in the church and have a lot of guidance. I try to do the right thing and it doesn’t always work out, but that guidance shows the difference between right and wrong.
And artistically?
Based on my parents and brothers, and sisters catalogue of film and music I was able to compile a deep database of diverse films and music and plays. Picking up the trombone, and trying to dabble in writing and poetry and then playing sports – listening to Duran Duran but also N.W.A. Listening to Prince but also to Fiona Apple. Going to see Phantom of the Opera, but also going to see I'm Gonna Git You, Sucka. I’ve been blessed to have a diverse upbringing that has informed me and introduced me to the well-rounded ideal that I strive for. I want to put that out there, so somebody can look at me and say ‘I want to be like that,’ or ‘I want to do that,’ or ‘man, that was crazy!’ I want to be that inspiration.
You might want to check out this band called Earl Greyhound –
Nice name!
Yeah, man, they’re pretty quality for a small outfit.
Are you hip with Citizen Cope?
I saw him live! I didn’t know what to expect at first –
Me neither. He blew. My. Mind. Completely. And then I ended up becoming friends with him. Clarence is dope, man; his music is butter. Nonstop. He’s touring with Alice Smith – go listen to her music, she has one of the most unbelievable voices that I have heard in recent history. Alice is amazing.
You know who does a real good live show, too? Matisyahu.
Really?
He’s got this stage presence where it looks like he’s just genuinely happy to be there. Sometimes when he’s performing he’ll just stop, cross his arms, look out into the crowd and give this little smile, like everything is right at this moment.
In terms of the films and TV we see coming out now, what do you find most appealing? What inspires you?
I don’t really watch much television; I just don’t have the time. I get a lot of inspiration from foreign films. My favorite films this year were two French films, one called Tell No One, and the other one called Priceless. I think that foreign filmmakers, especially a lot of the Latin filmmakers, take a lot more chances in their work: it’s not formulaic. You have some veteran American directors who have working skill but are looking to pass the torch. I got love for Vicky Christina Barcelona, and yet at the same time we need our new Woody Allen. We need our new Spike Lee. We need to be able to count on quality, challenging pieces of work from the entertainment community, whether it’s in film, radio or whatever. Not just this formulaic, repackaged garbage that’s so commonly promoted.
How will we find this new material though?
I think the key is being completely relentless. So if I find something that I think is worth promoting then I’m gonna stand behind it and tell everybody I know about it. The technology is such now that the grassroots movements can go forward to millions of people instantly – there’s no excuse not to promote what you believe in personally. Obviously the system is what it is, and the powers at be see no need to change it because it worked well for them. Yet, at the same time, it’s up to us to create this newness, and to create this freshness, and to create the new styles and trends, and create new quality and it can’t just be for money. It can’t just be about materialism; you have to personally stand behind what it is you create – be it your child, or your virtual child in your project.
Tell me about your own family project.
It’s a film called Gordon Glass. It’s about a guy who wants to be an actor and moves to California from Atlanta to get a job with a movie studio as a security guard. He thinks this will help him become an actor. The meat of the story comes from his staying at his cousin’s house. The cousin’s marriage is in shambles and he’s trying to help repair that. He’s trying to shine a light on his cousin to show him how much he actually has. He also meets these neighborhood children and tries to turn them around as well – he’s playing big brother to all these people. It culminates in a party. It’s my first piece, a learning experience, and I look forward to getting right back on the saddle and directing something again.
Distribution?
Not sure yet. We ran through the festival circuit, and I’m hoping that the success of both The Express and St. Anna will renew interest in the film.
Hello, friends.
With all the political turmoil out there, it's easy to get swept away in the Countdown Till November, letting great opportunities to see some art slip by. This, of course, is my way of introducing you to this latest miniseries of posts: a recent one-on-one interview with Omar Benson Miller of The Express, and Miracle at St. Anna.
In both films, Miller takes the lead in continuing to bring black characters to the screen that are as complex and underrated as they are interesting and well-performed.
Miracle at St. Anna – directed by Spike Lee, and based on James McBride’s novel of the same name – tells the story of four soldiers of the all-black 92nd Infantry Division trapped near a small Tuscan village during the Italian Campaign of World War II. Miller plays the role of Sam Train, a kindhearted infantryman who quickly befriends an injured Italian boy. When comparing the roles of Train and Jack “JB” Buckley (his character in The Express), Miller says that performing in both films allowed him to “show a good diversity and range [as] a performer” – a feat he attributes solely to “divine intervention.”
The Express chronicles the short, but influential life of Cleveland Browns running back Ernie Davis. While Davis himself is portrayed by veteran young actor Rob Brown, Miller lends an underdog-style shine to fellow
JB is based off of real-life
I felt this responsibility to make this relationship [to my character] very real, because my character, Jack Buckley, is based on a real man named John Brown. He went to the NFL. He was Ernie Davis’ best friend, to the point where he actually named his son Ernie Davis Brown, who I met out in
Being a black man, how do you feel being a part of two movies with strong roles on screen?
I think it’s essential for the youth of
This is a time period that the current generation knows only through story. What was most powerful about recreating that time for this film?
The struggle man, the struggle and the pain of being treated as less than, or being thought of as less than a man – for both films. And I think that the mental fortitude that was necessary for individuals to keep a cool head in the face of that sort of ugly, demonic, racism is to be applauded, and each and every story deserves to be told. And for every person that goes to see this story, that's another step farther away that we will make sure that we never return or never allow anyone in our society to be treated with such importance that can be so divisive and ultimately ends up being so transparent and so non-important.
You can't forget your history.
Unfortunately you can forget your history, and that's the thing. That's why it's important for films like St. Anna, and The Express to be made, because you know what? There are kids out there who will see the film who didn't know about a time period when the lunch counters were segregated, or when people were attacked by dogs for a peaceful march. Or when John Kennedy stepped up to the plate and helped sign into law the Civil Rights act – I think it was John Kennedy, it might have been Lyndon Johnson –
It was Lyndon Johnson.
Yeah, but John Kennedy was a major asset, as the leader of the country, to the Civil Rights movement. And it takes all types; it takes all types to get over the hump.
Keeping this nonpartisan, what changes to this country are you looking forward to come November? Whatever happens, it's gonna be a first; it's gonna be big.
I look forward to getting young people to vote. Young people, I think, systematically have been left out of the voting process. It's your own choice every time you choose not to register, and not to vote, but I think there's an element of society that wants older members of society to vote, although the country will belong to young people sooner than it will to those who are older and passing. I think that if young people can become politically active – as politically active as they are in pop culture – if young people can be as concerned with politics as they can be with fame or fortune, then the country can become a better place, and a more informed place, and in turn change the world. For me, I hope to turn the beat around in November, and it starts with each and every person casting their vote.
In terms of your own career direction, you've written for the stage, for film, and for TV, what kinds of directions do you want to take the medium? Which direction do you want to see it go?
I hope to see more. I hope to be a part of a rebirth of a manly cool – a 70s type filmmaking in an honest, and gritty, brutal sense; a movement. I think that other young people I've gotten to work with are also interested in the same thing, so I think that I, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Derek Luke, Rob Brown, all of these guys are interested in creating material that is admirable, yet real. It can be a social commentary, yet at the same time can be funny, and at the same time it can have an effect, so when you leave the movie it's not something you can just flush out. Art doesn't have to be a part of the society of instant gratification we've become so addicted to. We can digest a piece of art and say, 'wow, that movie changed my life!' I would love to see
continued in part 2
