Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe award winner Jeffrey Wright is an accomplished actor who has an ever-expanding list of diverse credits under his belt. While currently starring in the HBO series Westworld, Wright is well-known for his scene-stealing performances on Broadway and on the small and big screen. He has starred in Angels in America, playing Jean-Michel Basquiat in Basquiat, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Boycott, Peoples in Shaft, Muddy Waters in Cadillac Records, Felix Leiter in the James Bond films Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, Valentin Narcisse in Boardwalk Empire, and Beetee in The Hunger Games films. In his latest role, the HBO film O.G, Wright gives another thrilling performance that further solidifies his reputation as one of the most prominent actors on the scene.
Jeffrey Wright stars as Louis, a man in the final weeks of a 24-year sentence in a maximum-security prison, who attempts to take a new arrival (played by Theothus Carter) under his wing. Directed by Madeleine Sackler, a noted documentarian who’s directing a drama for the first time, written by Stephen Belber, and executive produced by Kareem “Biggs” Burke, O.G. was filmed on location at Indiana’s Pendleton Correctional Facility. The film was shot with a small crew over five weeks inside the active maximum-security prison with a cast primarily featuring the staff and men incarcerated at Pendleton, including Carter, who won the role opposite Wright from an open casting call inside the prison. The film takes a very intimate look at a man at the precipice of freedom, and it raises a conversation about incarceration, rehabilitation, and restorative justice.
Wright’s portrayal of Louis embodies the extremely difficult path that millions of women and men face who find themselves tangled in the web of the criminal justice system. Along with Wright’s incredible performance as the lead, the real-life inmates and correctional officers give the film a surreal authenticity. O.G. gives an intense account of the complexities of incarceration and freedom as former inmates return to a society that largely ignores their existence.
Jeffrey Wright gives another stellar performance as he personifies the kind of man who has gained wisdom and experience by witnessing the evils of the prison industrial complex that can only come from serving a 24-year sentence. O.G. provides an up-close and personal perspective of the nuanced survival tactics and life lessons that are learned behind bars.
Check out the trailer below
