Exclusive: Director F. Gary Gray Talks “Straight Outta Compton“Posted by Wilson Morales
August 10, 2015
Coming out this week is the highly anticipated film, “Straight Outta Compton,” which tells the astonishing story of how five young men known as N.W.A. revolutionized music and pop culture forever the moment they told the world the truth about life in the hood and ignited a cultural war.
Directed by F. Gary Gray, the film stars O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Ice Cube, Jason Mitchell as Easy-E, Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Neil Brown Jr. as DJ Yella and Aldis Hodge as MC Ren.
For F. Gary Gray, who started his film career with Ice Cube on 1995’s Friday after helming music videos, it’s a reunion after 20 years. If there was anyone best suited to direct this film, it has to be someone who knew the music, knew the members and knew the time period when the events took place. In the eyes of the producers, that was Gray.
Last seen directing Jamie Foxx in Law Abiding Citizen, Gray’s previous films have been Set It Off, The Negotiator, The Italian Job and Be Cool.
In speaking exclusively with Blackfilm.com, Gray talks about getting on board with the film, working with N.W.A, members and the cast of newcomers and the challenges of getting the film right for audiences.
How did the project come to you?
F. Gary Gray: I got the script from Cube and the producer and read it. I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant to read it because I didn’t know how it was possible to tell the story in such a short. You only have a couple of hours to tell a story and there are so many characters. It takes place over the course of 10 years. For me, I didn’t see how it was possible to tell that story which so much drama, so much controversy, so many good times, so many bad times and fit it all into one movie. But when I read it, I was pleasantly surprised. It needed work and I saw a way into it.
Having all the members of N.W.A. and Easy-E.’ s widow involved as producers was a good thing. Did that make it easier for you to go to them for additional details or anything else?
F. Gary Gray: Absolutely. I spent years with Dre extracting details like what happened in the studio when he recorded “Boyz-N-The-Hood,” or what happened when he was in the hospital with Easy-E? All of these details are stuff you can’t google or go into wikipedia and found out what Cube was thinking before and after “No Vaseline.” These are things that when you hear it from members of N.W.A., it makes this movie special. It’s not just your general run of the mill music biopic.
Was capturing 10 years more comfortable than doing a beginning to now story?
F. Gary Gray: It’s one of the biggest challenges of my career, figuring out what belongs and what stays and goes. Like I said before, there is so much there, you can make three movies of out of the N.W.A. story. I learn a lot creatively, professionally, and personally after having gone through this process. It was worth it, but it was hard. There are so many ways to get it wrong too, especially with this particular story. This is not an easy lay-up. You are not going to please everyone but I’m very happy with what we have.
What’s great about the film is that film is starred by a cast of unknowns. Audiences can watch the film and see the characters and not the actors. Having worked with them during pre-production, when did you know you had a special cast here?
F. Gary Gray: I was really inspired when we did the chemistry test. That was something that was necessary for me to get the green light from Universal. They wanted to know that these kids can show up and perform and carry an entire movie. When we went to boot camp, we molded them into N.W.A.. They started to show signs in the chemistry test and that was encouraging when we went through that process.
As with all films, challenges are inevitable. What were some of the biggest as production was ongoing?
F. Gary Gray: There were plenty of challenges. One was making sure that these guys can perform. When I cast them, my priority was performance, performance, performance. Then, do I believe you on stage? Are you coordinated? Can you give me N.W.A.? Do I believe you are from Compton? Street credibility is big for me as well. Likeness was distant but the others factors were a priority. The other thing was making the film so it doesn’t look like a parody. You have guys wearing Jheri curl wigs and things like that and it can come off as humorous, but you have a serious story to tell. I didn’t want that distraction. Casting was huge. Casting a celebrity for the sake of potential box returns was the opposite of what I thought was the best way to approach this film. You can distracted because there’s a celebrity mimicking or impersonating another celebrity. I felt that would be the wrong approach so Donna Langley over at Universal really embraced our vision of how to make this movie and that’s the reason it turned out the way it did. She had a lot of balls to take on this film because we made it with an independent spirit.
You are one of the most talented directors out there and at times your names is often mentioned with high profiled films before another name is officially attached to them. What are your thoughts on that?
F. Gary Gray: I love my body of work and as artist you have to go through the highs and lows with what comes with being an artist. In retrospect, you get to a point where you evolve enough where things happen for a reason and this is arguably my most important film and the best film that I have directed to date. Some of the films that I have been up for and that may have deserved to get would have probably blocked me from this. This is the most satisfying and gratifying creatively than any other film I have directed to date. I don’t spend time complaining about the business. I’m more of a solution based person. I don’t feed into the racial aspects of it too much because at the end of the day, it doesn’t really serve me. I’m really happy that my career has come full circle in this way. “Straight Outta Compton” is such a great journey. Not only story wise for the group but for me as an artist. Had I delivered any of those films that I may have been up for or not, I would be in a different place.
What sort of films do you want to do?
F. Gary Gray: Well, I love the Marvin Gaye story. Not necessary the next film but that would be a great story to make at some point; and sci-fi. I wouldn’t mind dwelving into what it looks like to connect the black experience to outer space. For me, it’s about what’s new. If it doesn’t challenge me, it’s not that interesting to me. This job is way too hard for me to just jump in and do it. There’s no amount of money that can get you through this process. It’s all about what’s in your heart and what you’re passionate about.
