[jwplayer ijtYtYuq]Spike Lee has been one of the most notorious filmmakers since as long as we could remember. Always sticking up for the culture and emphasizing the importance of social justice, his new movie is no different. Adding to his list of infamous projects is BlacKkKlansman, where the story revolves around veteran, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), who was a black police officer who infiltrated the KKK and fooled their leader, David Duke (Topher Grace), into believing he was one of them.
The film takes place back in the ’70s. Washington owns his role as an undercover cop at Colorado Springs. During a student union event, Kwame Ture (Corey Hawkins) gives an exceptional Black Panther speech and it was during this moment that he met a beautiful activist, Patrice (Laura Harrier). She’s not your typical gal, she’s hardcore and dislikes any form of authority so with that being known, Stallworth hid his profession under wraps with hopes of pursuing her.
Harrier told VIBE why the character was so important to her, bringing up the fact that Patrice was influenced by a real life Black Panther activist, Kathleen Cleaver.
“What I really took away was how young she was when this was happening. Reading and seeing her at the height of the Panthers. They seem like these mythical heroes – she was 21, 22 at the time. she was this person that stood up for what she believed, and started to stand up for what she thought was right.”
Lee gave an additional comment when it came to Denzel Washington’s son, John David and his performance. He noted that an audition wasn’t even needed.
“I knew he could do it. I had 100 percent confidence in him. I did not ask him to audition or read for me. I said, ‘Here, let’s do it.’ And he delivered.”