blackfilm.com correspondent Ellen J. Wanjiru speaks with Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin about their roles as an estranged father and son working to heal their relationship in the upcoming Netflix film, ‘CONCRETE COWBOY.’ Written by Ricky Staub, Dan Walser, produced by Tucker Tooley, Lee Daniels, Idris Elba, Dan Walser, Jeff Waxman and Jennifer Madeloff. Premieres April 2. Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin Talk Father/Son Dynamic in ‘CONCRETE COWBOY’ press junket interview
Concrete Cowboy uses a father-son relationship to explore the bonds of family and community, and the power of forgiveness. Harp (Idris Elba) has to reestablish his role as a father to Cole (Caleb McLaughlin), after being absent for a long period, while he works to protect and preserve the community of urban riders he loves. Cole learns to respect and become a member of a vastly different community while working towards a relationship with the father he barely knew.
When fifteen year-old Cole (Caleb McLaughlin) is expelled from school in Detroit, he is sent to North Philadelphia to live with Harp (Idris Elba), his estranged father. Harp finds solace in rehabilitating horses for inner city cowboys at the Fletcher Street Stables, a real-life black urban horsemanship community that has provided a safe haven for the neighborhood residents for more than 100 years. Torn between his growing respect for his father’s community and his reemerging friendship with troubled cousin Smush (Jharrel Jerome), Cole begins to reprioritize his life as the stables themselves are threatened by encroaching gentrification.
Starring: IDRIS ELBA, CALEB MCLAUGHLIN, JHARREL JEROME, BYRON BOWERS WITH LORRAINE TOUSSAINT AND CLIFF “METHOD MAN” SMITH.
THE BLACK URBAN COWBOY
Black urban horse riders have been an integral aspect of North Philadelphia culture for more than 100 years. Horseman traditions were passed down from one generation to the next as part of the cowboy ethos, and then to show individual skill and prowess. Horse-driven carts were also used to transport materials and produce through the city’s narrow streets as late as the 1960s.
Cars and trucks began to replace horses as the major means of transportation for families and industries as the city modernized. As urban renewal reached its height, stables began to disappear and the practice of family-focused recreational equestrian activities began to fade but did not disappear completely. The custom and culture became centralized at the Fletcher Street Stables located in North Philadelphia.
The Fletcher Street Stables represents a symbol of Black urban horsemanship tradition and provides refuge; an opportunity to be part of a family structure; and a positive alternative to street life. The stables provide a respite and a connection to the traditions of the generations that came before them.
Official Key Art For ‘CONCRETE COWBOY’ Starring Idris Elba & Caleb McLaughlin
Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin Talk Father/Son Dynamic in ‘CONCRETE COWBOY’ Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin Talk Father/Son Dynamic in ‘CONCRETE COWBOY’
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