Currently playing on Netflix is to All Day And A Night, written and directed by Black Panther co-writer Joe Robert Cole and starring Ashton Sanders, Jeffrey Wright, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Regina Taylor, Kelly Jenrette, Isaiah John, Shakira Ja-nai Paye and Christopher Meyer.
As soft-spoken Jahkor Abraham Lincoln (Ashton Sanders, Moonlight) struggles to keep his dream of rapping alive amidst a gang war in Oakland, his ill-fated life and real-world responsibilities drive him further and further across the line of right and wrong with tragic consequences. Landing in prison beside his father, J.D. (Jeffrey Wright, Westworld) whom he never wanted to be like, Jahkor embarks on an unlikely journey of self-discovery, exploring the events that unite them, in hopes of helping his newborn son break a cycle that feels unavoidable.
Blackfilm.com had the opportunity to speak with Sanders and Wright, who play the son and father respectively in the film, about their roles and how they connect with the film.
What was the attraction to doing this project?
Ashton Sanders: This type of character was something that I haven’t had done yet and so I was attracted to it. Also being an LA native of California, I thought it would really cool to do a film that’s taking place in Oakland. Those are my first two draws to this project. After reading the script and seeing how deep it was, I definitely was interested in diving into the character. There’s a bunch of strong themes in this movie that I felt relate to a lot of people. All of that collectively is what drew me to the project.
Jeffrey Wright: What really intensified my interest was the experience of working on the film “O.G.,” which we filmed in working maximum security facility in Indiana, and in which my co stars for the most part, were incarcerated men. That was spending a good deal of time inside that facility with them over the course of the year or so, leading up to the film and then during the process of filming it. That was 13 hours a day in six weeks on the inside working there, and having the opportunity to speak with many men. There were 100 dudes at any time when we were doing wreck scenes on set all like unfortunate master consultants, expert in the storytelling, an expert in their own stories.
They would describe to me their personal histories and their personal journeys, that in their estimation, led them to a life of incarceration. They talked about dysfunctional families, parental neglect, parental drug abuse, parental abuse, and the ways in which their fathers specifically had influenced them in some ways toward the mistakes they made. Not that the father was the entire cause, but was a significant influence, often negatively on them was fascinating to me. When Joe approached me with this script, I saw it as an opportunity to explore the stories of incarceration and and, you know, criminality from a from a different angle. It made this performance and this film sort of a companion piece to “O.G.”
Is there anything within the characteristics of these roles that you can relate with?
Ashton Sanders: I feel like this character is a representation of the people that I grew around in my neighborhood. I grew up in the hood in Carson, so these these type of narratives weren’t far for me. I kind of grew up around them and I have family members that are trapped in like the same life, that have gone to prison for the same type of stuff. I feel this isn’t a representation of that, but I was able to put on this character and find him through these types of relationships in my life.
Jeffrey, we’ve seen you play a gangster in “Shaft” and “O.G.” as you mentioned, but what part of these characters are you?
Jeffrey Wright: He’s a father trying to do his best, making mistakes, but trying to fulfill the responsibilities of fatherhood. As a father, I do the same mistakes as well, but that’s a direct connection to JD’s story. Like Ashton described, I’d be challenged to find a black family in this country that doesn’t have the story of incarceration somewhere inside its circle. This is a personal story for Joe Cole. In writing it, I think there are elements of it that are personal, obviously for all of us who are part of it.
How working with Joe as a director and is there anything you can pick up from his directing skills that you can take on to your next project?
Ashton Sanders: I think what Joe was really good at was just allowing us to live in these characters. Although we would have conversations about the script and what we were creating and what we wanted to get across, I feel it’s good having freedom and exploring what you’re doing. It’s one thing to rehearse something and talk about it, but it’s another thing to be on that set, in that environment and filling things out yourself. With that, it feels collaborative in a sense. Having that freedom as an artist is super important.
Jeffrey Wright: Lately, I’ve had the good fortune of working with a lot of strong collaborators. As Ashton described, people who create an environment of mutual respect and openness and Joe is one of those. Because this was such a personal story for him, he had a passion about this piece that engendered a lot of trust. He had a very comprehensive vision of what he was trying to create and how each character lent itself in that larger portrait that he was painting. He was very specific, thorough, fully engaged and clear, and passionate. When I get those ingredients, let’s cook it up. I’m ready to go.
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