Complete with gorgeous cinematography and stellar performances, King expertly crafts the film narrative in a way that is extremely relevant to contemporary conversation, while stressing the importance of humanization. In a roundtable discussion with college journalists, the main actors of “Judas” each shared their experiences working on the film and why they believe it’s important to view the film now.
Cast of ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ talks people power, Black love
Glen Wilson/Courtesy
“It’s about taking care of your own and loving yourself and decentralizing that liberation … No one can ever free you, you have to free yourself.”
This reflection on the road to freedom is one of many revolutionary philosophies Daniel Kaluuya internalizes from his work in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” a new film by Shaka King. Kaluuya plays Fred Hampton, chairman of the Illinois Black Panther party in 1969, in a modern-day retelling of his assassination and how it was aided by an FBI informant from within the Panther party named William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield).
Judas and the Black Messiah excavates recent history to find disturbing contemporary echoes lmtonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lmtonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
On Friday, Feb. 12, Shaka King’s
The Photograph and Donald Glover’s hit FX series
Atlanta, playing the man who snitched on Hampton to the FBI is rich in the creativity of Young Black Hollywood. One of the rising Black actors in this period piece is Algee Smith, star of HBO’s
Euphoria and Kathryn Bigelow’s
Detroit.
The 26-year-old plays Spurgeon “Jake” Winters, a member of the Illinois chapter Black Panther Party who, at 19, was shot and killed by the police. The Spurgeon Jake Winters Free People’s Medical Care Center, a free medical clinic for poor Black people living in Chicago, was run by the Black Panther Party, honoring what Winters meant to their movement. It’s a huge undertaking, even if Winters’ story isn’t that well-known, but with Smith wanting to work in a wide variety of films, he’s been honing his craft, waiting to sink his teeth into a role like this. “I want to do everything,” Smith shared. “I want to now play roles that edif