Exclusive: SXSW Award Winner Andre Royo Talks Hunter GathererPosted by Wilson Morales
March 16, 2016
Over the last few days at SXSW, folks got a chance to see a new film from filmmaker Josh Locy with his feature debut, Hunter Gatherer. The film stars Andre Royo, George Sample III, Kellee Stewart, & Ashley Wilkerson.
Ashley Douglas thinks everything should fall into place when he’s released after three years in prison. When that doesn’t happen, he restarts his life with next to nothing: no friends, no lovers, no connections. All he has is a bedroom in his mom’s house, a box of treasures buried in his backyard, and a deeply ingrained need to be with Linda — his one, true love — who has moved on without him.
Ashley sees an opportunity in the form of Jeremy, an eccentric loner. They start a two-man business of dumping unwanted refrigerators for cash, which Ashley hopes will get Linda back and Jeremy hopes will help his ailing grandfather. As their partnership takes hold, a friendship flourishes — though their fates are very much still up in the air.
For Royo, who is best known as Bubbles on the acclaimed HBO series The Wire and can be seen currently as Thirsty Rawlings on the the hottest show on TV, Empire, playing Ashley has rewarded him with his best performance to date in a feature. For his performance, Royo was given an award at the festival for “Special jury recognition for best actor.”
In speaking with Blackfilm.com days before his film was shown, Royo gave a breakdown to his character and the fun times he’s having on Empire.
How would you describe Ashley?
Andre Royo: I would say that Ashley is a hopeless romantic with selfish intentions.
What kind of back story did you give for Ashley as you read the script?
AR: Ashley is one of those dudes that loves attention and wants to be a superhero to everybody. Sometimes that gets in his way because he wants the accolades for doing something. He’s nobody’s hero. He does everything for a purpose and surrounded by him getting the accolades for it. It got him into trouble with his friends. He fell for a pyramid scheme and took the neighborhood’s money and lost it. Instead of admitting his fault, he tried other scams to get the money back and one of his friends didn’t take it lightly and whooped his ass. He got into a fight and was sent to jail for three years for assault. He’s back home and trying to get back into his life with his friends and his girl. It comes to the realization where one never knows how they are perceived by other people. We assume that by the way we present ourselves that people like us normally.
It’s always funny when you go to your high school reunion and you hear, “I never liked you! You was a dick!” We never get those assessments and I think Ashley is gettinga rude awakening back home. His friends and his love life is not the same as he thought it would be. He doesn’t know how to cope with that became I think Ashley was raised by a single mom. His father had left. His mom didn’t care much for him because she resented her relationship with his father, so he went unloved. He went in and out of juvenile and detention homes for being outspoken. He lost his way and we learn by doing through our friends and through our relationships. I think a lot of people of color who grew up fatherless and with a certain group of friends that really don’t push or challenge you, you start to fall backwards in your education. I think that’s what happened to Ashley and he became social interactive that when he comes back from doing three years, the things that he normally did, doesn’t work anymore. He now has a hard time adjusting to that. Sooner or later we all have to grow up, one way or another. Ashley has to recognize who he is and if he likes it, it’s fine. He has to find a way to change but doesn’t know how.
One could say that the some of Ashley’s traits are similar to Bubbles. What led you to take on this role?
AR: That’s always going to be a blessing and a curse for my whole career. That’s the business. Anytime someone sees me on screen, on TV or in films, Bubbles is the first thing they will say. Sam Jackson once told me not to complain about playing that character. He said that my job was to stay talented and stay focused and put what I did for Bubbles into all of my work as far as the process and homework. I sat down with the director and we didn’t want this to be a Bubbles feature film, but the one thing that people say that made Bubbles stand out was his humanity. In every character I play, that’s the one thing I look for. What trait of humanity does this character have? For me, as an actor, I think we’re looking for a connection to the character I play. We tried to connect ourselves to some sort of purpose or someone to relevant. I like the way the director was going about this from the standpoint of me being a black character and not falling into the common stereotypes connected with drugs and violence. Ashley is just a human being in the middle of nowhere. It could be anywhere. The director was trying to avoid any stereotypes and just do a simple storytelling.
Can you talk about working with the cast?
AR: I’m from New York and my whole career started in the guerilla filmmaking, doing independent films. The one thing I love about doing independent films, more so than my manager or agent, is the heart of the business. With indie films, everyone is on the same page and creating art. No one is getting paid. Everyone is helping one another and we’re all eating from same pie of pizza for a few days. The most important thing is telling a story and everyone executing their job in the right way. Director Josh Locy had a story that he wanted to tell for his personal reasons and everyone had an emotional connection to the character they each played. This movie is not about doing well at the box office. It’s about the art. I try to do 2 to 3 independent films every year. Sam Jackson is my mentor and he once said, “You do what you have to do to do what you want to do.”
How much fun are you having on Empire?
AR: Coming from the experience that I had with The Wire where we knew we were doing something good and 10 years later, people come up to me and tell how me how they loved the show, I usually don’t thing about it. In this business, they are peaks and valleys, and right now, I’m at a peak. I don’t look for the valley on the other side. I’m just enjoying the moment. I’m enjoying that people are rooting for me to continue my journey as an artist.. These are the moments when I feel that I made the right choices.
