Three television networks passed on “Godfather of Harlem” before Markuann Smith got the greenlight to tell a story which took 18 years to make. In fact, he was told by one executive, after he received a deal with ABC that “as an actor, and an Executive Producer he’d be better off getting struck by lightning, twice” – not once, but two times before his vision would see the light of day.
However, Markuann only had a Plan A, and a promise which he made to his Godmother Margaret, the grand-daughter of Harlem’s most legendary gangster, Ellsworth Raymond “Bumpy” Johnson.
It was the magic in her intimate and colorful stories of her grandfather, which she shared with Markuann at her Lenox Terrace apartment on Sunday visits. These stories would grow into the new EPIX series launching this Sunday, September 29th, starring Forest Whitaker.
At a time when the loom of gentrification is seeping into every nook and cranny of what was once the creative capital of the world – a time when history is repeating under a corrupt Presidency. A time when real estate agents want to erase the history of thriving black, affluent neighborhoods, like Harlem to Brownstone Brooklyn, and the African American community is trying to reclaim their neighborhoods, comes a story that is not only timely, but a reflection of where we are in society.
“I show a parallel to what’s happening in 2019 America.” Says Markuann, and continues, “Adam Clayton Powell, Bumpy Johnson–their Harlem Riots was our Ferguson. Their Cassius Clay is our Kaepernick; the LGBTQ movement and the Me Too movement, Black Lives Matter movement all started in the 60s.”
The historical backdrop tells the tale of Harlem at the height of crime and civil rights. With appearances by Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch) and a young Cassius Clay (Deric Augustine); the film topic is relevant, and now $60 million dollars later, The Godfather or Harlem makes its debut–the prequel to American Gangster—because, before there was a Frank Lucas. There was Bumpy, and Harlem was his.
Markuann Smith takes Blackfilm.com on his journey of making a film he dreamed of, his way.
So now that you’ve got Godfather of Harlem done after 18 years, what has been your greatest learning experience during this process?
Markuann Smith: People often ask me that question–it took me 18 years to get this off the ground and I guess what I’ve learned more about myself is about perseverance and just believing in myself because I never had a plan B. I always believed in a Plan A, and that’s for me. A lot of people, they have plan A-B-C-D- and E, but this was like a passion project of mines and I have always felt that even if it didn’t get made in 2019 that it would get made somehow, and I would do that until my eyes close to try to get this project done.
So what does perseverance look like to you as it relates to fulfilling a vision versus a microwave hustle?
Markuann Smith: Well to me…I came up in generation Hustle. Everybody wants success; and they talk about being successful. I want your audience or whoever’s reading this to understand that. Don’t look at my breakthrough, look at what I’ve been through. Success means a lot of different things to different people and to me, success is…You want success? Are you ready to eat ramen noodles and tuna fish? You want success, but are you ready to get a buddy pass and hopefully you’ll get on the plane because you’re on standby, but you have a meeting with Netflix on Monday morning at 8:00, but you can’t afford a flight…
Yeah, I can’t afford a hotel tonight, so I might have to sleep on someone’s floor or somebody’s couch…these are the things that I’ve done and I’ve lived, you know? Success to me means–you know, I can’t pay the rent, so I might have to max out my credit cards to pay the rent this month, you know? So, I say it like this: Forest Whitaker is always tells me: “If you knocked on opportunity’s door and it doesn’t open up the door for you; go out there and build your own door.”
So I went to Home Depot and grabbed a lot of lumber and build my own door. And um, I will say even as an actor, I got 1,000 no’s before I got one “yes. Success comes with a lot of different things and you also have to look at it like this: You know, I thank God, I get on my knees and pray every morning. I have a successful project.
One of the things I find remarkable about you is that over these years you always remain the same and you always kept it low. So what kind of advice can you give to those about being humble on the journey, but also playing your cards close, in a world where so many people feel the need to announce every single move they’re making?
Markuann Smith: What I’ve learned on my process is turn your circle squares. Once you turn your circles into squares then you zone out, you know, everything is not needed to be spoken about because you may talk good news to someone, and that bears bad news. Everybody’s not happy for you.
So a lot of times like, you know, I’m a Creator and I’m kind of like, not an introvert. So I think I’m in between an introvert and extrovert. So I stay humble. I always network and I stay to myself, but I’m also trying to stay on the pulse of what everybody else is doing and just making myself aware of the creatives and trying to tell the narrative that would help other people grow. So you know, I haven’t changed. I think I’m very aware of my surroundings, I observe everything and…you can never forget where you came from.
Absolutely. So what has it been like for you navigating a new perspective with this new success? Finally walking in the dream; a dream that you worked hard for…how has it been looking out but also being inside what you’ve envisioned for yourself?
Markuann Smith: I mean right now, it’s still surreal. I don’t think it’s really hit me yet. When it airs on September 29th. I think that’s when I’ll be like, ‘WOW!’, but you know, when you’re on set and you have Teamsters come up to you and say; thank you for sticking this one out because with you achieving this, I’m able to feed my family for the next six months.
When I look at things like that– that puts a smile on my face because even people from the grips to the key Pas, to the 2nd AD’s, to the 1st AD’s, the directors, I’m able to provide an opportunity for them because we all came to America to achieve a dream. We are all immigrants. Native Americans…this is their land, so the narrative of the “Trumpian” White House about immigration and immigrants and all that other stuff, it really like bothers me. So, you know, I’ve always said to myself–and myself and Forest talk about that all the time…We are dreamers. We came here for the American dream and people came to do what they have to do for their family, ,by any means necessary whether it be criminality, whether it be athleticism or whether it be music…politics, everybody’s trying to find a better way, a better hope to provide.
So what I’ve learned on my journey through this… I’ve looked through the spectrum of other people’s cultures ‘cause this story is basically the tale of three cities. It’s about the Italians in East Harlem. It’s about Spanish Latin Americans in Spanish Harlem and African-Americans in West and Central Harlem.
So I’ve learned to look through the cultures of different prisms of people who migrated to this country all looking for the American dream.
That is just fantastic. So at the end of the day, who is Markuann?
Markuann Smith: Man, I’m just a kid from Far Rockaway Queens, grew up in Harlem, raised in Far Rockaway that just wanted to achieve something and do something different.
I color outside the lines. If this was a coloring book, I’ll color outside the lines. I don’t believe in monotony. I don’t believe that, you know, you’re just put in this world just to exist. You know, I’ve always wanted to be creative. I said to myself that when I was growing up what kept me out of trouble was, I locked myself in dark rooms and just watch movies [and] watching movies., I learned about producers and directors such as Sergio Leone, Scorsese, Coppola, Guy Ritchie. And the list goes on.
I was watching Raging Bull, On the Waterfront, Mean Streets, Rebel Without a Cause…that escape shielded the reality of bullets flying outside or you know, peers not making it back to school in September because they died in the summertime from violence or anything. You know…
My older brother was a rapper by the name of Father MC. I give him the props for allowing me to travel with him and experience the world.
That’s who Markuann is–just somebody with a dream, just wanting to do better.
So, you came up during the time in New York that I always wanted to live in this city.
Markuann Smith: Yeah, I came up in a magical era, the late 80. I remember “Father” got his deal late ’88, ‘89 and just seeing his video “Treat ‘em Like The Wanna Be Treated” on Ralph McDaniel’s platform Video Music Box and it was a whole different spectrum, you know, just watching my brother work man.
He worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken. They used to call him the chicken man. He had flour all over him, and he told people “watch, I’ma be a rapper!” and people laughed at him and he became one of the hottest rappers of that era, you know of the 90s, so watching his perseverance and his ambition and tenacity just help me with where I wanted to go in life. He saved my life, so I have to give him his props, because he didn’t have to do that.
He found a way for me to go on the road and open up the budget, where I can be able to travel. I was a roadie. I was doing the worst tasks but I was doing something positive. I wasn’t in the neighborhood, I wasn’t selling drugs, and I was a bad kid at the time, so he opened my eyes to a different prism.
What is the best advice that he’s giving you from his experience, for your journey?
The best advice my brother ever gave me was never give up on your dreams. Never give up on hope. You go out there and you get it by any means necessary because you have one Life to Live bro.
Yes. Well, I love the way that you’ve integrated social media into your campaign because it feels like very old school, classic New York, it’s very authentic; yet juxtaposed against a generation that is planning their little photo shoots #forthegram and for a follower. Yet, you have less than 3000 followers and created a TV series on EPIX. What do you have to say to those who think that followers matter versus hard work and straight tenacity?
Markuann Smith: Let me tell you something. I believe everything is organic, and it should be organic. Don’t believe everything you see on social media, like people having two million, three million, four million followers. A lot of this stuff is bought. A lot of this stuff is for people to believe. I’m not modeling, coming to you or anything like that. I’m just I’m just organically trying to build my followers and my media base… I don’t even have a verifiable blue check or anything like that.
What role do you play in Godfather of Harlem?
Markuann Smith: I play a character by the name of JUNIE BYRD. Junie Byrd is actually a real character named Jamison who was Bumpy’s right hand guy. He was younger. He looked up to Bumpy in the 60s, the fifties when he came home. The role was really a challenging role because I did a lot of research into Jamison through his OG’s and taking a piece of everybody that I interviewed to put into my character. I learned a lot playing in the sandbox with Forest, with Giancarlo (Adam Clayton Powell) with Vincent (Chin Gigante). You know, these guys are masters at what they do and even as an actor, like I said, whoever is reading and listening, I still had to audition for my role.
Wow, really?
Markuann Smith: Yes, I still had to audition for my role. Nothing was given to me where I can say; ‘Hey, this was given to me. You’re an EP, you can have a part.’ No. Understand my journey had a lot of potholes. I had to keep proving, improving and constantly proving myself, so I don’t get marginalized and they could know that I’m very serious about everything that I’m doing and putting forth to the audience.
Did you ever have to relinquish any control? Was it a deal breaker if you weren’t cast being that you’re a creator?
Markuann Smith: It wouldn’t have been a deal-breaker for me because, like I said–I made a promise to a young lady by the name of Margaret Johnson who’s Bumpy Johnson’s granddaughter. Margaret is no longer here with us. I used to go up to the Lenox Terrace and she’d tell me these magical stories about walking down the street and hearing Sam Cooke’s music come out of the transistor radio. Seeing Nat King Cole getting a haircut in Sugar Ray Robinson’s Barbershop; walking past the Apollo and seeing James Brown’s name on top of the Marquee.
You know, she used to tell me these magical stories every Sunday. I used to visit and sit down and talk to her and I made her a promise that I would let the world know who her grandfather really was— he wasn’t just a gangster–he was also a thinker. He was also a philosopher. He read Shakespeare. He read Nietzsche.
He actually went to school to become an attorney and the bursars office turned him down and said, we don’t give financial aid to colored folks and he said; “I’m gonna make you guys remember me. This is going to be the worst decision you guys ever made.” So to answer your question, I would have been disappointed, as an actor all these years, you know, I put in the work and the effort but I wouldn’t have turned it down for selfish reasons because I made a promise to make it happen for Margaret.
That’s beautiful. Was Forest your first choice for the film?
Markuann Smith: To be honest with you, Forest, that’s like my big brother [but] we had to really do our homework and make sure that the script was flushed out, and the narratives were told the right way before we even consider going to Forest.
I wanted Forest from the beginning and I was hoping that he would definitely say, you know what I agree to it. But, you know, in all professionalism, we wanted to make sure everything was done the right way before he gave his green light because he was always attached to produce it [but] he wasn’t sure if he wanted to play the character until he saw the writing and that’s how it works as an actor.
So once he read the script and agreed and saw it and he loved it, he was like—“I’m ready to go. Let’s make it happen.”
Godfather of Harlem is Produced by This is Significant with Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi, Paul Eckstein, Chris Brancato, Directors include John Ridley, Ernest Dickerson, Tanya Hamilton. Series also stars Paul Sorvino and more!
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