FRUITVALE STATION Takes Emotional Toll on Cast: Octavia Spencer & Michael B. Jordan Interview
- Details
- Category: Interviews
- Created: Friday, 12 July 2013 08:41
- Published: Friday, 12 July 2013 08:41
- Written by Lupe Haas
Before the George Zimmerman case polarized the country over the death of a young black man, the story of Oscar Grant caused a stir in the nation regarding race in 2009. FRUITVALE STATION captures the story of Oscar Grant’s last day in 2008. Octavia Spencer, Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz and the film’s director Ryan Coogler discuss the emotions they went through in making FRUITVALE STATION.
In 2008, Oakland resident Oscar Grant celebrated New Year’s Eve with his girlfriend and friends in San Francisco. On their return to Oakland via the subway, a fight broke out and BART police officers took Grant and his friends off the train. While face down on the pavement, one of the police officers shoots the 22-year-old in the back and later claimed he thought he was discharging his Taser. The incident caused nationwide protests and many vilified Grant.
First-time director Ryan Coogler, an Oakland Bay resident and the same age as Oscar Grant, says the incident affected him at a “gut level” at a time when things were looking up for race relations. Barack Obama had won the presidential race and taking office as 44th president of the United States.
“To see that happen after a political high note… that event killed the moment.”At that time, the Oakland area was experiencing a “racial utopia” with the urban community becoming more progressive, according to the University of California graduate in Cinematic Arts. The tragedy caused a setback to those advancements with the media driving the vilification of the minority victim.
“In the media, if you look a certain way, people don’t think about that when you die.”As in the Trayvon/Zimmerman case, Grant was called a thug or deserved his demise. For those reasons, Coogler aspired to make a feature film to humanize the man, father, and son and what he meant to those left behind.
“Nobody is talking about this human being who didn’t make it home. It’s about relationships. . . who you mean the world too.”Coogler decided to tell the story of Grant’s last day before the shooting on New Year’s Eve without editorializing the incident, but focusing on who this imperfect man was. Grant had been in and out of jail for drug charges and struggling to become a responsible adult.
Octavia Spencer, who plays Grant’s mother Wanda in FRUITVALE STATION, puts it beautifully as to the focus of the film.
“Her son was denied a chance at redemption.”Spencer, an Academy Award winner for Best Supporting actress in The Help, once again delivers an exceptional performance on the same level, but it didn’t come easy. Octavia states she had to “grow up emotionally” to play Wanda, the real-life mother who she describes as one of the “warmest, quietest, poised woman - all the things I am not,” she jokes. In meeting Wanda, she discovered that Grant’s mom had reached a point of healing and forgiveness. Spencer felt like she and others had to follow her example. Although Spencer jokes she’s overdramatic at times, she couldn’t bring that energy to this role.
When asked about her feelings about the real incident, she prefers to follow in Wanda’s footsteps.
“This project is controversial in many ways. I think that my personal views don’t lend themselves to the conversation that needs to be had about this incident.”
Michael B. Jordan, on the other hand, became obsessed with the incident when it first happened, and continually watched the footage on the internet. The FRUITVALE STATION star had not outlet to do something about it. When he was offered the role of Oscar Grant, he says he “jumped at the opportunity” as his way to give back. That’s not to say he wasn’t worried about how to play this person so he doesn’t come off as a martyr. FRUITVALE STATION producer Forest Whitaker offered the young actor advice. Whitaker told Johnson not to imitate, but be a “representation” of the person. He changed his approach and put his mind at ease about playing the real-life person.
The filming of FRUITVALE STATION took its toll on Melonie Diaz and Michael B. Jordan. Melonie drive across country with her boyfriend to decompress after shooting, while Michael took to cooking as a way of relaxing after the emotional journey.
Like the actors, the viewer takes quite a punch emotionally when watching FRUITVALE STATION. Make sure to bring plenty of tissues when FRUITVALE STATION opens in select theaters July 12 and expanding into theaters July 19.
Movie theaters playing FRUITVALE STATION