LOS ANGELES 鈥� The stars of 鈥淛udas and the Black Messiah鈥� found their own lives transformed as they immersed themselves in the story of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton.
Daniel Kaluuya said 鈥渁 different me showed up鈥� to the set when he was playing the magnetic Chicago-based activist, who was just 21 when he was killed by police in a 1969 raid. Dominique Fishback鈥檚 conversations with Hampton鈥檚 then-fiancee Akua Njeri taught her 鈥渨ho I wanted to be the most.鈥� And LaKeith Stanfield said he struggled through self-doubt and panic attacks while portraying an FBI informant who betrayed Hampton.
The film, co-written and directed by Shaka King and premiering in
The movie marks the first time the 31-year-old Kaluuya, star of 鈥淕et Out鈥� and 鈥淨ueen & Slim,鈥� has portrayed a real person on screen.
鈥淩eading the script and hearing his words stirred me, they moved me. ... It was almost like a call to action. I was like, yo, I鈥檓 here in the ring,鈥� Kaluuya said. 鈥淲hen I really understood the stakes, the cultural stakes ... I think a different me showed up.鈥�
Stanfield, who appeared alongside Kaluuya in 鈥淕et Out,鈥� delivers a twitchy performance as O鈥橬eal, who rose to be the Panthers鈥� head of security and took his own life in 1990. The informant had helped the FBI sketch a floor plan of Hampton鈥檚 apartment, including where Hampton slept, before agents raided it, killing Hampton and another man, Mark Clark.
鈥淭he whole time I was kind of in conflict, the whole shoot 鈥� wondering if I was doing the right thing and if I was playing this character the right way because I wanted to give humanity. But I also didn鈥檛 want to give him too much,鈥� the 29-year-old actor said. 鈥淚 was having panic attacks on set 鈥� hands going numb just because of the level of, I guess internal contention and struggle I was going through.鈥�
Fishback said she was 鈥渟o nervous鈥� about the responsibility of carrying on Hampton鈥檚 legacy but found a new role model in Njeri. 鈥淚 learned who I wanted to be the most,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 feel like I was on the threshold of some kind of womanhood and I didn鈥檛 know how to cross it.鈥�
Fishback leaned into journaling and writing poetry as hobbies during the project, and requested to write a poem her character reads to Hampton in a key scene. It begins: 鈥淟ike the masses, I was in awe when I first laid eyes on all the things you are.鈥�
Seeking historical accuracy, King consulted with Hampton鈥檚 son Fred Hampton Jr. and Njeri, portrayed by Fishback in the film.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine the errors and the pitfalls we would have made had they not been involved,鈥� the director said.
Stanfield said that despite his mixed emotions while playing the character, he鈥檚 glad the film can spotlight Hampton鈥檚 story.
鈥淏eing Black in America means that your history is, by and large, misrepresented or not represented at all,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o the only way that we鈥檙e able to pass down our stories oftentimes is through storytelling. I鈥檓 grateful for that.鈥�
Jamia Pugh, The Associated Press
