- Hi this is Marya Gullo from The Hollywood Reporter
and I'm in studio today with Callum Worthy.
Hey, how's it going?
- I'm fantastic. How are you?
- Good.
We're here to talk about your new movie Bodied.
- Yes.
- And the first thing I want to know is
what does bodied mean?
- Okay, so bodied it's like when someone
destroys another rapper in a round
because it's like they did so well in the battle
that they killed 'em and they're going to need a body bag.
- Oh, nice. Okay. Got it. Got it.
Yeah, this project is produced by Eminem.
So how much did you know about that coming in
and what was your interaction with him?
- I mean Eminem has been always one of my favorite rappers.
I grew up listening to him.
8 Mile is one of my favorite movies.
So being able to do a project with him was amazing
and I mean he really raised the bar for battle rap movies
and he's one of the best battle rappers in the world.
So the fact that we get his stamp of approval means a lot.
- Yeah.
What's the differences between the battle raps
in Bodied and in 8 Mile?
Like, what should people expect?
- Well the culture's changed a lot.
There's no beat now in battle rap.
So now it's more like beat poetry.
So there's no music behind it.
It's just two people talking.
What that allows for is a lot more crowd interaction
so you can play off of what other people
are doing in the audience.
The other thing that's changed is the world as well.
Social media has changed,
cultural appropriation has changed a little bit,
freedom of speech versus where is the limit
is a discussion that's really common right now
and those are the two things that we tackle
which I would also argue are two of the most
controversial topics in 2018.
- Right, which is really interesting
'cause when Eminem came up the hip hop world was
dealing with the same things.
Very controversial lyrics, lots of insults to people
of everything from body shaming and slut shaming
and I mean, Eminem went into it pretty hardcore
and today we have like a different culture
and a different environment but it's still kind of
the same ideas that are being circulated.
Like, how nasty can you get with freedom of speech?
- Exactly.
Yeah, I mean in most of the world it's so hard to
for good reason say certain things.
You get ridiculed and censored if you say certain things.
Battle rap is a world where you don't necessarily.
Like, two people can be battling each other
and they can do say these incredible insults
about each other and then grab a drink afterwards.
And it's a really interesting place to be right now
because there isn't many worlds
where you're able to say those kinds of things
which is the reason why it's not just a battle rap movie.
It's really a movie about freedom of speech
and raising a lot of questions.
We don't make any statements.
We just want the audience to come away
and talk about what they got from the movie.
- It's kind of like being in a mosh pit.
- Yeah.
- 'Cause everybody's punching and throwing punches.
But then at the end of the day if you fall down
they pick you back up.
They're like hey, good job.
- Exactly.
- We did it together.
- Yeah and that was the amazing thing
is so many of these battlers are friends in real life.
Some of them aren't.
Some of them don't get along. The beef is real.
But some of them they actually are true friends
even though they battle each other.
- And what was your rap game like before the movie?
- I don't think I could've been a worse rapper
before I started filming this movie.
I don't know if there's a worse rapper in the world
than I was before filming this.
That was the amazing thing is that Joseph Kahn,
the director of this film was,
he was able to trust me with that
and he wanted me for the role but he told me, he was like,
"You're the worst rapper to read for this project.
I need you to learn how to rap."
And I can't take any credit for
the actual raps going well.
It's all because the battle rap community.
They really embraced me and they sent countless hours
working with me.
- Oh wow.
- And breaking down every single rap that we have to do
and it's really because of them that I was able to
learn how to rap.
- Who were some of the people that helped you along the way?
- Disaster, who's, I mean all these guys are some
of the best battle rappers in the world.
It's like Disaster, Hollowed, Loaded Lux,
Kid Twist, Rome, Dumbfounded.
They were all really influential.
- So when you received your dialogue
were you intimidated by all the rap battles
that you had to do?
- I was intimidated and I was also, I was nervous.
I was really nervous taking on this project.
I was just coming off of a Disney Channel show
and there's that period of time after doing
a kid's program where you really have to be careful
about what projects you take.
I was worried the subject matter is very controversial.
The themes are very controversial
and I knew I risked alienating a part of my audience
but I knew that I had to take risks
in order to expand as an actor
and playing it safe wasn't the best route
and it wasn't necessarily trying to be edgy
or break out of some mold that I thought I was in.
It was just around working with storytellers
that I really trust and working with scripts that
I thought were smart and were things
that I haven't seen before.
- Yeah and this is happening during
a really interesting cultural moment.
This movie kind of goes along with Blindspotting
and Dear White People.
What would you call this genre
that we're kind of coming into?
Like this idea where we're playing with
the politically incorrect and what kids are facing today.
- Kids are facing a real eye-opening time.
I think that there's so much exposure to so many cultures
and people have the ability
probably because of social media
to speak up about what they believe in
and also say when they don't think things are right.
This movie asks a lot of those questions.
Even though it's in a way that's very in your face
and can be aggressive at times.
It's no different than, the battles are no different than
two people arguing about different
political beliefs on Twitter.
It's the same kind of thing except it's
just dialogue in a movie.
- Right.
And getting back to the rap battles,
did you have a lot of one take deals
or were there a lot of takes?
- There was a lot of takes.
I mean the movie is very cinematic and...
But I will say when we were filming though
we did it more like a play.
So any of the battles you saw
we did it in real time.
And the final battles goes for about 20, 25 minutes
and we actually ran a lot of those all the way through
which is very unusual for film.
I remember reading the script and seeing my name,
like the character name and then seeing dialogue
and I'd keep flipping the pages and seeing no action lines
or no description.
It was just words.
And I thought wow, this is going to be really interesting
but it really was like doing a monologue
and then letting the other person do a monologue
and then you do a monologue and then another monologue.
It was really an interesting process.
It felt like doing Shakespeare.
- And when you were doing your rap battles
even the other actors you were figuring out kind of
your personalities, your moves.
It was all about the dialogue and then you had to figure out
how you were going to present it physically?
- Exactly and there was a lot of rehearsal leading up to it.
We had about three months between the table read
and the first day of production
and I worked with battle rappers almost every single day
on the raps. So by the time we actually got to set
we were so well rehearsed that we were able to just be
in the moment and Joseph was really sweet to us
because he created this safe space
because working with actors that aren't rappers
and rappers that aren't actors.
But he made us all feel very comfortable
because he treated it like a real battle.
So I wouldn't necessarily talk to the other person
that I was battling before.
There'd be a few hours of setting up and getting ready
and I would be in my own space getting ready
as if I were actually doing a real battle
and a lot of the people that were the background
in the scenes were unbelievable
and I have to do a huge shout out to them
because if it wasn't for the background performers
in this movie, I wouldn't be able to have delivered
a good performance.
- Oh, they were cheering you on.
- They were amazing for really long days.
I mean some of those final battle sequences took
almost a week to shoot and they were there the entire time
and it was their energy that really kept me going.
- You probably have the most, the hardest job
as far as being controversial or saying controversial things
like everybody had to say something that was offensive
but you actually, your character's thesis
was on the use of the N word in hip hop culture.
So...
- Yeah.
- Was that uncomfortable at all?
- Absolutely.
I mean...
I think that that word is one of the most
violent words in the English language
and I had never said it before this film.
It was really tough.
It was really tough to say those words
because you don't want to put that out there.
At the same time though I knew that there was
a bigger point and message to this film
that I really wanted to convey.
So in order to do that if I did have to say it
I would but I can go on the record by saying
I have never said it apart from the takes.
Even at rehearsal I wouldn't say it
'cause it's very uncomfortable for me to say that
and since then I will never say it
unless it's for a really good project
and I think that's a testament to the script as well
and also Joseph as a storyteller.
Because as a white actor to say those kinds of things
it's tough and you're risking a lot.
So it's really, you have to do it with a story
that you trust and with a filmmaker that you feel safe with.
- Okay so as a young person
do you actually struggle with these issues
or is this something that's kind of a
like more of a political subject matter
or do you and your friends actually talk about these things?
Like what's politically correct?
What people should be doing, what they shouldn't be doing.
- I think that's all I talk about now.
It seems like it's a moment.
Maybe it's because I'm young
and I don't recognize other moments in history
where we've had those kinds of moments of awakening
but it really feels like my eyes are opening up everyday
to the struggles of other people in America
and around the world and just trying to find a way
that we can respect and talk to each other
in a way that actually is with love and not with hate
and there's so many things that I grew up with
when I was younger that I thought were appropriate
that I now realize were quite insensitive
and I'm so grateful for this time
because I think it's a time that we really can discuss it
and hopefully the next generation
they'll have never experienced any of that.
They won't have a childhood of
seeing things on TV that weren't
necessarily politically correct.
Hopefully they'll be in a world
where everyone's respected equally.
- Nice.
And yes, if you watch this movie
eventually you will be offended.
Is there a character that you identify in particular
in this movie 'cause you have a lot of different
interesting kind of stereotypes
of different types of people.
- Right, yeah I mean the character goes to Berkeley
and he's around a very privileged group of friends
and they have their own judgements on the battle rap world
but at the same time they aren't necessarily
authentically participating and understanding that.
So by placing judgment on it,
they actually are being quite insensitive
because they're not authentically participating
and understanding that there are some rules that
don't apply in that world but other rules that do
that don't necessarily apply in the world at Berkeley.
So, those lines are very interesting
and I feel like that, I've seen conversation with my friends
go like that where they're trying to be
overly politically correct and not realizing
they're actually being a little bit insensitive.
- Right.
- So I think it's a time, it's a really good time to just
approach every conversation with an open heart
and open eyes and be as careful as possible
but also ask questions.
If you're not sure of something
I think it's important to find out.
- Right and at the end of the day
the most important thing is your actions not your words.
- Yeah. Exactly.
Exactly.
- So I have a couple of questions for you.
What was the first job that made you think I've made it?
- I could tell you the first job.
I was an extra in Air Bud three when I was seven
and I walked on that set and I was like,
I think I got this.
I think I'm a movie star now.
(laughing)
And then since then, I increasingly think I haven't made it.
I think it's because I keep working on projects
with filmmakers that I look up to
and actors that I look up to that
I feel like I'm never going to make it.
I'm just hoping that I just continue to work with people
that inspire me and that help me grow as an artist
and I hope I never grow to the point of making it.
I hope I'm continuing to learn every year.
- Well, I can tell you I've talked to actors
who are in their 70s who said I've never had that feeling.
So, I think the bar just moves forward as you get older.
- And I hope it does. I hope it does.
I hope I get to continue to be challenged
and never feel complacent.
- Best day on the set of Bodied?
- The best day, everyday was amazing.
It really was.
Like, everyday it was like my artistic soul
was so fulfilled.
The final battle that people will see in this movie
was a really special moment because
the scenes were so long, everyone had to stay in character.
You wouldn't be able to do those scenes
unless you were approaching it in a method way
and the battlers were as well.
And it was an amazing time 'cause we were working
with real battle rappers and in scenes with them
and we were learning more about how to perform a battle rap
and the battle rap culture
and they were learning more about acting.
And what we realized is that we're very similar.
We have the exact same job.
We're storytellers.
We're just telling a story,
even if they're telling it in a different way than we are
they're telling stories.
That's what rap has always been about.
That's what hip hop has always been about.
That's where hip hop comes from is through storytelling
and in battle raps they're telling their own story
and their own perspectives
or they're trying to tell someone else's story
to get at them and that's what we're doing
as artists as well.
So, those days where we had these massive battles
with all these battle rappers together were so special
because I just have so much tremendous respect
for that community and for all the battlers
that I worked with and the battlers I didn't get a chance
to work with too.
I've seen hundreds of battles online.
I've become obsessed with this culture
and they really are the, they're modern day poets.
- Do you have any desire to throw your hat into the ring?
- I would love to. I really would.
I don't have the skills.
Like, I realized that people might watch this and think
oh but you could rap in that.
But that took a lot of work.
These guys are, they're just so talented.
I mean not only are they able to battle in real time,
they don't get a take two.
Like, these battles, they're live.
It's like a boxing match with words
and if you slip up you lose.
So they really, they're professional actors
who perform monologues for a living.
- Yeah.
(laughing)
The last movie that made you cry?
- I saw A Star is Born last night
and I'm still tearing up about it.
It was one of those movies where you watch it and think,
maybe I should quit.
Like, it's so good.
It's so well done and the performances were so amazing
I thought, I'm in awe.
- Worst piece of career advice you've gotten?
- Worst piece? - Yeah.
- The worst piece of career advice
probably be careful what you work on.
A lot of people in this industry encourage
actors to be extremely picky
which I think is a valuable thing.
You want to be consistent as much as you can
in terms of telling stories that mean something
and projects that are at a certain bar.
But at the same time,
your job is to act and you want to have
as many experiences as possible
and I worry that some young actors approach
picking projects too carefully too soon
and they don't get the exposure to other projects.
Like I think it's really important to do
a wide array of styles and genres
so that you can really hone your skillset.
- Test the waters.
- Yeah, I mean honestly I wouldn't have been able
to do Bodied had I not done a Disney Channel show.
(laughing)
- So I wanted to talk to you about a couple
of other projects that you have.
One is some charity work that you do
with the ONE Campaign.
- Yeah.
- What's the ONE Campaign?
- The ONE Campaign it's Bono's organization and
I'm working with them in terms of
helping to get girls educated in developing countries.
It's an incredible organization.
I encourage everyone to check it out.
There's a lot that people need to realize
in terms of girls being educated in developing countries
and it really by supporting girls
in East Africa and around the world,
you're supporting your own country as well.
And the more that we can encourage our politicians to
put money towards girls' education,
the better our world will be all around.
- Yeah, absolutely.
- I mean there's 130 million girls
that weren't able to go to school today
and I hope that the next generation
and my kids eventually, my future kids,
won't have that as a reality
and I want every girl to be educated
and able to go to school.
- Yeah, education is the key to
getting people out of poverty.
- It's the key to getting people out of poverty.
It's one of the keys to a lot of
the world's biggest problems.
And we need more women as leaders.
In politics, in finance.
We need it in all aspects.
We need more women to be in charge.
- Absolutely.
And you're also working on a project with Hulu right now.
You're filming? - I am.
Yeah, yeah it's called The Act.
I haven't started yet.
I start in three weeks.
They started production in Georgia about a month ago
and it's a really special project.
These storytellers that I'm working with are amazing.
It's a true crime show and I feel like
we've seen a lot of that but you've never seen
anything like this.
This is told in a completely different way.
A woman named Dede and her daughter Gypsy
and their relationship is something
that you've never seen on TV before.
- Interesting and it's Patricia Arquette?
- Patricia Arquette and Joey King as well.
- Excellent. Excellent.
We'll be looking out for that.
Callum, thank you so much for dropping by.
- Oh, thank you so much. - And the movie is Bodied.
Go check it out.
- Appreciate it. Thank you.
- Bye.