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Spike Lee's Black k Klansman Beverly Hills Premiere - Film
Rych McCain International/Nationally Syndicated Entertainment Columnist
Spike
Lee’s
Black
k Klansman Beverly Hills Premiere!
The film
is centered on the true life experience of Ron
Stallworth who was the first African American to join the Colorado Springs,
Colorado police force and in 1978 became the force’s first Black detective and
the youngest as well. While at his desk one day, he was monitoring the local
newspaper ads and spotted one that was promoting the Klu Klux Klan and included
a P.O. Box number. Out of curiosity, Stallworth answered the ad by mail
pretending to be an angry, racist White man who wanted to join the organization
and thought nothing of it. Without thinking, he signed his actual name. Two
weeks later he received a call from a man identifying himself as the local
chapter President.
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| The red carpet walk before the guest arrive |
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| Members of the Press check-in |
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| Bomb sniffing dog checks everybody out |
This set up an investigation and a chain of events where the Klan President and Stallworth established a relationship over the phone which led to them wanting to meet him in person. Since he was Black, he had to groom a White co-worker to impersonate him in the flesh. The film unfolds the real events which took place. After developing a phone relationship with the KKK National Grand Wizard/President David Duke, Stallworth even got his Klan membership card in the mail making him the first actual Black man to become a member of the KKK by trickery.
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| Will call before the crowd |
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| John David Washington (stars as Ron Stallworth) |
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| Laura Harrier (stars as Patrice Dumas) |
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| Guest Yara Shahidi (star of ABC-TV's Blackish) |
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| Guest Dave Chappelle |
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| Guest Kelly Roland |
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| Ken Garito (plays Sergeant Trapp) |
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| Damaris Lewis (plays Odetta) |
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| Cory Hawkins (plays Kwame Ture) |
Some
of the Q&A on the red carpet:
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| Ashlie Atkinson |
Ashlie Atkinson:
(played Connie, Felix’s girlfriend).
Q. How was it to go back in time to the
70’s?
A. “The looks were so good. My
first four days were with JD, Laura and Damaris. They all just looked
absolutely gorgeous with their leather jackets and their natural hair and they
looked so stunning and I’m in this hot tomato colored pants suit with this
terrible flip hair do. The costumes are back in time but somehow the sentiments
feel right on time. 2018, it doesn’t look too different.”
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| Jasper Paakkonen (plays Felix Kendrickson) |
Jasper
Paakkon (played psycho Klansman Felix Kendrickson)
Q. This guy was ultra-hate filled to
the point of psychosis. How did you hone that character?
A. About five years ago I shot a film. I played an ultra-violent,
racist neo-Nazi skinhead in contemporary, modern day Finland. Back then I did
extensive research into racism and where that hatred comes from and what it is.
Even though that film was set in Finland, that hatred is universal and it usually
comes from the same place. So when auditioning with Spike for this film, I felt
like I was a couple of steps ahead.”
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| Jason Blum Co-Producer |
Jason
Blum:
Film’s Co-Producer and owner of Blum House Productions; that has produced
Hollywood’s top grossing horror films such as the Paranormal Activity, Purge,
Insidious and Sinister franchisees.
Blum House also co-produced Split, Get
Out with Jordan Peele and Happy Death
Day, as well as TV shows such as Hellevator
and more.
Q. How close is this (the
movie) to real horror?
A. “This is
real horror. What do you mean close? I don’t think there is anything more
horrible than the Klu Klux Klan. Out of the hundred movies that we have done,
nothing is more horrible than this because it is real life.”
 |
| Kevin Willmott Co-Writter |
Kevin
Willmott:
(film’s writer).
Q. You took us back in a time machine. What was the process of
putting all of those little scenarios together?
A. “Spike and I, we’re both are kind of children of the 70’s and
really just wanted to capture that moment. That was just a great experience
back then. So we wanted to really have fun with the 70’s thing i.e., the dance,
the costumes, the parties, the froes, the whole thing. And then of course the
big story. It really becomes an accent to the big story.”
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| Paul Walter Hauser (plays Ivanhoe) |
Paul
Walter Hauser:
(played the dumb witted Ivanhoe).
Q. Where did you go inside to get this
character he was so believable?
A. “Right
before I went on set I realized that I was a little too ambiguous in my
rehearsal. So to get some specificity, I hunched my back a little bit and I did
an underbite and I just kept laughing and doing this weird laugh. And I’m like,
let’s kept the truth of who the character is but let’s put in all of these
condiments and seasoning on this food and hopefully it cooked well.”
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| Topher Grace (played David Duke) |
Topher
Grace: (played David Duke).
Q. You played Duke to the bone. Did that role haunt you afterwards?
Did it stick with you?
A. “I’m not a
method actor so I normally don’t bring it home with me. But this one, it was
something about it. He was a terrible man, but it was a really great role. But
it was the month of research before hand and really learning to get into his
headspace that was just overwhelming and depressing.”
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| Spike Lee (Director/Writer/Producer |
Spike
Lee:
Director/Writer/Producer).
Q. Are
the studios safe with you now that they can allow you to do your thing and if
the bomb blows up they can say that’s Spike, not us?
A. No. That’s never been a problem. Malcolm X and Do The Right
Thing, they supported me. I’ve been very fortunate to make the films I want to
make.”
The After Party
Chateau Marmont on the Sunset Strip Hollywood
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| L-R: Produer Jordan Peele, Patsy & Ron Stallworth (the real life one) and their daughters |
Ron
Stallworth: (The real one).
Q. What motivated you to write the book?
A. I wrote the book
because I felt the story was unique. Let’s face it, a Black man going
undercover in the Klan? I felt it needed to be told and I finally told it. Did
I ever think it would be up on the screen? Never crossed my mind. When I found
out that Spike was going to direct it, I broke out into the biggest smile.”
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| Ron Stallworth's actual Klan membership card |
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| BET's Robi Reed (left) and guest |
©
2018 Rych McCain Media/Syndication TM
(You
DID Hear It From Me!)
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