| One on One with the talented actor: Stephan James |
|
| Written by Kam Williams |
| Sunday, 21 February 2016 20:34 |
|
Stephan James, a Canadian actor with Jamaican origins, was named a Rising Star at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival on the strength of his impressive performance in the TV mini-series The Book of Negroes as well as his portrayal of John Lewis in the civil rights saga, Selma. Mr. Lewis, the son of sharecroppers and an activist with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), later became a U.S. Congressman. Here, James talks about his latest outing in Race as another African-American icon, namely, Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics staged in Berlin. [Mega Diversities is the first Canadian media to post this interview]. Stephan James: Of course, Kam [Williams]. Thank you. SJ: Really? Wow! I'm glad that you learned so much and that it touched you. That's what we'd hope to accomplish with this. KW: How did you prepare to play Jesse? Did you have to adopt an exercise regimen and do a lot of research to play a real-life character? SJ: Of course. It's a big story about an iconic figure, so I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me. There were only but so many Youtube videos I could find of Jesse running and being interviewed, but I got a sense of how he carried himself and of some of his mannerisms. Besides that, having his daughters around really helped me understand the kind of man he was. They were able to teach me the father he was, the husband he was, and the humanitarian he was. There were so many things I learned about him which intrigued me that I really wanted to bring to the role so I could impart what type of person he is, even more so than the type of athlete he is. KW: You've played a number of real-life characters like John Lewis in Selma, T.K. Kelly in When the Game Stands Tall, and Gabby Douglas' brother, John. Do you feel more pressure to get the role down correctly in those situations than when you're playing a fictional character, like in The Book of Negroes or Lost after Dark. SJ: Of course, not that you pay less attention to detail with a fictional character. But there is certainly a different degree of responsibility when you realize this is a real person, a person who was looked up to and was so highly regarded in the world. Jesse was a legend who had been adored. So, I knew I really had to do my homework to make certain I was being accurate in my depiction to ensure that people would believe my portrayal of such a beloved figure.
SJ: It was great, Kam [Williams]. Great! There's nothing like working with performers of that caliber. I feel almost spoiled to go from Selma, where I was working with David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson and Oprah, into Race with Academy Award-winners and Jason [Sudeikis], who's accomplished so much in his own right. So, I've been blessed to be able to work with so many A-list performers with a high level of dedication to their craft. And I've been able to take something from each one of this performers and bring it to the next project. SJ: I think the conversation being had is so important. Looking at it in the light of the picture Race, Jesse Owens was colorblind. He didn't see color. He saw his love of running. He went over to Berlin and became best friends with a German longjumper [Luz Long], someone whom he remained friends with for the rest of his life. That shows me why we should focus more on what brings us together than on what separates us. That's the message we're trying to send with this film and, hopefully, people will watch Race and take that away from it. SJ: [Chuckles] No, I didn't die first. That's something the writer/director [Ian Kessner] did intentionally. It's a cool, little homage to Eighties slasher films that's worth checking out. But, to answer your question, I actually survive quite a long time. SJ: I recently finished reading the Hobbit. KW: The music maven Heather Covington question: What was the last song you listened to? SJ: Probably something by Justin Bieber. He's pretty high up in my musical selections right now. SJ: Curried chicken and rice. I grew up on Caribbean cuisine, since my parents are from Jamaica . So, I'm big on West Indian food. SJ: Playing basketball on the court right in front of my building. I used to play there all the time and I can remember my mom embarrassing me and my brother in front of our friends by yelling at us from the balcony when it was time to come home. [Laughs] SJ: My immediate family. It's always been like that. SJ: We certainly went to church growing up. SJ: To never forget the core foundation of what makes you who you are. I try to continue to be myself every day and not let anything around me change that. SJ: I'm pretty much the same kind, to be honest. I don't try to be different for the cameras. SJ: A commercial I did for Sick Kids hospital in Toronto. Yes, that was my first gig. SJ: I see me. I see Stephan James. SJ: To have lunch in front of me right now. SJ: That one right there. [Laughs out loud] SJ: Nothing too crazy. A bunch of cards and a little bit of cash. SJ: I appreciate it, Kam [Williams]. Thank you.
Filmography: Unveiled (an upcoming movie) 2016 Race 2016 Across the Line 2015 Lost After Dark 2015 The Book of Negroes 2015 Selma 2014 When the Game Stands Tall 2014 Pride of Lions 2014 Apple Mortgage Cake 2014 Perfect Sisters 2014 The Gabby Douglas Story 2014 Cracked 2013 The Railpath Hero 2013 The L.A. Complex 2012 Home Again 2012 The Listener 2012 Degrassi: The Next Generation 2010-2012 12 Dates of Christmas 2011 Clue 2011 How to Be Indie 2010-2011 My Babysitter's a Vampire 2010-2011 Other interesting links: http://www.megadiversities.com/entrevues/227-one-on-one-with-the-talented-actor-chad-boseman.html ------------------------------------------------------- About the author of this interview: Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada, and the Caribbean. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee, and Rotten Tomatoes. He is a contributor to TheLoop21.com, eurweb.com and so on. He is also a columnist for our webmag www.megadiversities.com. One of his interviews made the cover of Heart and Soul magazine last fall. One of Kam Williams' interviews with Spike Lee is included in the 2002 book entitled Spike Lee: Interviews (Conversations with filmmakers). This book collects the best interviews of Lee. Some of Kam Williams' articles are translated into Chinese and Spanish. In 2008, he was Voted Most Outstanding Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review. In addition, he has been honored at the U.N. (for BMORENEWS GLOBAL FORUM ON WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT) on June 15th 2012 by the Foundation for the Support of the United Nations (FSUN). Williams is an erudite Attorney who holds a BA in Black Studies from Cornell University, an MA in English from Brown University, an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, and a J.D. from Boston University. Recently, he was featured on this website: http://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2015. Kam Williams is a member of the Bar in NJ, NY, CT, PA, MA & US Supreme Court bars. He lives in Princeton, (New Jersey) with his wife and son. Kam Williams can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . |
