![]() ![]() It was great to see these actors who we've seen in many other things have a chance to sort of inhabit this world that we don't often see played out in this way. Outside of just being within Fred Hampton's inner circle. I will say, one of the things that I sometimes found a little bit confusing was I felt like some of the side characters you mention, like the ones played by Ashton Sanders and Algee Smith especially - they play two Black Panther members who, eventually, we kind of see their fates play out, but at first, it was a little confusing because I feel like they weren't established fully. YOUNG: But just thinking more and more about everyone around them and hearing more about them - I wish they had unpacked those stories a little bit more. YOUNG: I felt myself sitting here wondering if I could hear more stories from this world, even though, I mean, I know we live in this world, and obviously, I know what the stories are. A - Well, you mean that would, like, focus on another Black Panther instead? Because, obviously, we know how it ends, unfortunately. I was sucked right in, captivated by the whole thing. There was something about watching not just the struggle and them trying to fight the man, but watching the joy that they had in camaraderie in fighting together and being together and all of them working toward this goal. It was as much an ensemble performance watching even the big actors and the smaller Black Panthers that were around him in Ashton Sanders, Algee Smith, Dominique Thorne, Darrell Britt-Gibson - all of them coming together. There's not much told about Fred Hampton, so it draws you in with the story and the legend of this man who's drawing all these groups together in order to fight the man and fight the oppressor, which is good, but just the performances themselves - watching Daniel Kaluuya's performance from the minute he's on screen is just captivating.īut it wasn't just him. But as I sat there, I was really captivated by the story. ![]() What were your initial thoughts on this film? And I'm curious to hear what you all think about it. It focuses on a very small slice of Fred Hampton's life. ![]() He previously directed the 2013 indie stoner comedy "Newlyweeds," along with some short films and TV episodes. Now, this is King's biggest project to date. Eventually, this project landed with director Shaka King, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Will Berson, a comedy writer. The screenplay for "Judas And The Black Messiah" is a result of several years of attempts by various parties to get a Fred Hampton movie made, at first with very little interest from studios. He also meets and falls in love with Deborah Johnson, a poet and activist played by Dominique Fishback, who you may remember as Darlene in the HBO series "The Deuce." The cast also includes Martin Sheen hamming it up in many layers of makeup as J. Is mobilizing his party members and attempting to forge alliances with other activist organizations so that they can provide food, education and health services to the city's poor. Now, while William and Roy are working together, Fred Hampton - played by Daniel Kaluuya - donning a very thick Chicago drawl. If he infiltrates the local Black Panther Party and provides intel, the charges will be dropped. Roy Mitchell, an actual FBI agent, played by Jesse Plemons, offers him a deal. O'Neal begins working with the agency after being arrested for committing a crime while impersonating an FBI agent. HARRIS: Well, "Judas And The Black Messiah" is told primarily from the point of view of an FBI informant, William O'Neal, played by LaKeith Stanfield. Ronald is an associate producer of the new VPM and Witness Docs podcast "Seizing Freedom." Hey, Ronald. HARRIS: And also joining us from his home in Alexandria, Va., is Ronald Young Jr. Howard, a producer of NPR's TED Radio Hour and How I Built This. Here with me and Stephen, from his home in Washington, D.C., we have J.C. And today we're talking about "Judas And The Black Messiah" on POP CULTURE HAPPY HOUR from NPR. The Judas in this story is the FBI informant who played a crucial role in Hampton's death - William O'Neal, portrayed deftly by LaKeith Stanfield. The new film, directed by Shaka King, focuses on Hampton's activism and how it made him the target of the federal government. In "Judas And The Black Messiah," he's given the cinematic treatment via a stirring performance by Daniel Kaluuya. Fred Hampton, the charismatic chairman of the Black Panther Party's Illinois chapter, was just 21 years old when he was killed during a police raid in 1969. ![]()
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