- Yo, Caleb.
- Wassup?
- Did you know how to ride a horse
before shooting the project or is that
something you just lie on your resume?
- Oh yeah, I lie about everything on my resume.
No, I didn't know how to ride a horse
before I came on this project. The last time I rode a horse
before the project was, like, my sister's sixth birthday.
It was, like, a pony at her birthday party.
Do you know how to ride horses, Jharrel?
- I've never, I've never rode a horse in my life.
- Oh, yeah. You haven't even rode in the film,
bruh, I got to take you horseback riding.
- Actually, no you don't because I'm scared.
I've always been scared. I don't want to do that.
- [Caleb] Jharrel, what made you want
to be a part of 'Concrete Cowboy?'
- Ricky [Staub], really.
I think the man is such a talent that the world
hasn't gotten to see yet. And I think it's exciting to
work with somebody that isn't known, but you know that they,
that they have the potential to be known
internationally one day, you know?
I trusted that whatever he was going to do
with this project, it was going to be from his heart,
you know, because, for me, I got to be a part of this project,
but I didn't get to view it through
the lens you viewed it at or the lens Ricky viewed it at,
which is, like, being in Philly,
you guys were immersed in that culture
with the horse riders and with everybody there.
I was kind of in and out, you know? So -
- That's true, yeah.
- [Jharrel] I knew that, being a part of this project,
I wouldn't be as embedded in it as you guys were,
but I knew that I can trust everyone in the project
that it would make sense for me to be a part of this.
And it felt like, being Smush in it was, like,
being the other part of the whole story.
- [Caleb] Yeah.
- You know? And I just trusted that he'd take
both sides of the coin and mesh them into one.
And he did, you know?
- Yeah, definitely, like, filming with you
and filming in Fletcher Street was like,
two storylines in its own.
- Crazy, yeah.
- You know, so, but like, and then, once you saw it together,
it was just like, "Oh, this is Fletcher Street."
It's not just about horses. It's about the community
and our relationship that we had in the, in the film.
- Yeah, how we both are definitions of two different sides
of the story and two different sides of, like, you know,
it's this way or that way. But, somehow, Ricky's able
to make it into one beautiful story.
- Exactly.
- [Jharrel] The Fletcher Street boys,
them not being so known, those men and women over there.
Them not being so known to the world,
why is this so important to you
and why are you excited to bring this story to life?
- I think it's very important for a lot of people to know
about history because this is not just,
like, a story that Ricky and the people that, you know,
created this film just decided like,
"Oh, I'm just going to make this a story
undefined
I didn't realize how big it was.
I think everyone's story is important,
but, like, being in Philly, seeing the people,
the community, and their love for the horses is so important.
This has been a part of history for hundreds of years
and this is bigger than us right now, honestly,
like, this story is bigger than us.
It's a story that hasn't been told.
A lot of people don't realize that Black men
and Black women were the original cowboys,
so it's a really strong history that people don't really
know about and it touches on a lot about it in the film.
- Working with real-life riders
and people who were actually a part of that community,
were there any stories that you heard
from any of them that stuck out or that you remember?
- A story that really stuck out to me -
it was actually in the film.
The scene that me and you filmed, where you,
where you got jumped and we were trying
to run away from the cops.
Andrew, he was one of the ADs on set and he was -
He told us this happened to him exactly.
This is, like, two guys was trying to kill him
and he fought for his life and he got away.
He said, exactly how this moment happened,
this is what happened to him in real life.
So, in my head, I'm like, "No, this is just a movie,"
but no, this, everything that we're doing in the film,
you see the stables, the characters, these are real people.
We're just playing characters, but the stories that you see
in this film, it's just other stories
that are pulled together and put into one thing.
So, that was the one that stuck out a lot.
- There's even that beautiful scene by the campfire where
you have pretty much almost half the ensemble speaking
about the stables, the origins and how they're
falling apart, and gentrification is taking that all away.
That's real. That pretty much was not a script,
you know, that was, that was real life conversation.
And half the people in that scene were
the real-life riders.
So, they got the chance to vent and talk
about the actual fears that they're going through
in real life, but Ricky got to capture it
in these beautiful shots and we put it into the movie.
So, even though it's on screen, it's all real life.
- Literally, it was an hour conversation that Ricky shot
and told everyone to keep talking. The riders
that were from Philly just tell us about the history.
And we were just asking questions, and about the Lone Ranger,
and all that stuff. All that stuff was, like,
an hour conversation of just real facts,
like real information. So, yeah.
I'm glad that you brought that up, Jharrel.
- Yeah, yeah.
- What stood out to you about Cole's and Smush's relationship?
Tell me. Tell me.
- [Jharrel] Well, what made it so real was that
they were kind of two lost boys hanging onto each other.
Two different upbringings, two different backgrounds,
but completely similar stories to where
they feel like they have no option but to do the wrong thing
in order to make it happen for themselves, you know?
So, there's something endearing about
a relationship like that.
It's like, Smush trying to be the man for Cole,
but Smush is just as much of a boy as Cole is, you know,
Smush is just as lost. He has no idea what he's doing except
"I know I gotta trap. I know I've gotta sell these drugs
"to make my money." So, there's this sadness
in the relationship where you want them both to succeed,
but how can they both make it if they're both,
kind of, entangled in this kind of lost immaturity
that they're both in, you know?
- Yeah.
- It really brought us so much closer together in real life,
you know, we could have done any project together.
We could have been friends in another project or
or just passed each other by on another project,
but for this one, we really got to play two characters
who really leaned on each other.
And this is your movie, man. The exciting part
about how I played it is that I was with you the whole time.
Like, every scene was pretty much just me and you.
- Yeah, that's true. Yeah.
- If you think about it, even if I got to do that one scene
with Idris and the one scene with Meth,
it was just with you. That's in my heart, bro.
That's really in my heart.
- I, you know, I think, sitting down with Jharrel and talking
to him about the script and just about our lives in general,
I've just learned a lot from him, you know?
I look up to him a lot in his work.
I think he's one of my favorite actors out right now,
I told him. But when you work with Jharrel,
like he's a really nice dude and everything, right?
But like, when we're on set, Rel is ready to work.
Like, he gets into character for real.
So, I took that on as something that I needed to do, like,
you know, for future projects, you know, I definitely,
he definitely brought me to the next level, in that aspect.
But, you know, sitting with Jharrel and talking to him,
I've realized, like, we've grown a relationship
past just acting and actors that meet at an award show.
Like, you know, he's like, he's like my brother.
[Laughs]
- [Jharrel] Caleb, you know, finding success
at such a young age with 'Stranger Things'
and me, as well, doing 'Moonlight,' what was it like for you?
And how did you cope with it?
This is kind of the basis
of a lot of our conversations when we were on set.
- Exactly, yeah. Man.
I mean, I think going into it in the beginning,
I didn't really know what it was like.
'Cause a lot of people always are like, "You're so young.
"How do you feel? Like, is it a lot of pressure?"
And I'm just like, "No, I'm having fun."
But, I think, growing up, you see what people are talking
about and you see that, like, it could
become a lot of pressure.
People are watching you as you're going through your adolescence.
This is, like, a time where I'm growing up
and I'm still trying to figure out who I am.
And if you don't have the right guidance,
you can be thrown off track and you can, you know,
like, you may not go in the right direction.
And I'm glad I had people around me to help me do that.
But, it definitely could be challenging.
Just people watching you all the time
and just trying to figure out who you are as a person.
But I think, you know, if I have the people around me
to help me stay grounded and do what I love
and find things that I want to do, personally, I think
I'll be fine. But, yeah, that definitely is a topic
that Jharrel and I talk about a lot and just trying
to find ourselves outside of the characters that we play
and how people see us, you know,
in our characters and just really finding ourselves.
- Yeah, for sure. I think the ultimate answer
was the support system, too.
And, like, I think, Caleb, a big reason why you are so dope
up here to this day is because you have such a
great support system.
You know, your family stays close to you.
And on my end, the same thing, I'm very family oriented.
So, I think we're the type to enjoy the fruits
of the success, but also stay away from it enough
and stay real and stay true to who we are
because of who we are around.
- Growing up with the 'Stranger Things' guys on the set,
I mean, we kind of had fame at the same time and,
you know, once the show dropped, we all were in this together.
And we go to each other a lot just
about our experiences and we've traveled
around the world together, we go to the same award shows,
and just talking to them, it's heartwarming because
you grew up with them and you may not have many kids
that you can do that with.
And we're all around the same age.
So, I'm glad that I have people to go to
to talk about these things with and they'll understand
and they won't be like, "Oh, elaborate on that more."
I can just tell them one thing
that someone won't understand, they'll be like,
undefined
When you talk to someone that you care for
and that you grew up with it, it just takes
a lot of stress off your mind and, you know,
that someone else is there that you can go and talk to.
I definitely found that with Jharrel,
especially 'cause this project was different
from 'Stranger Things.' This time, on this film, growing up,
and then seeing Jharrel, me and him around the same age
and just really talking about life and acting
and our situations was on a different level of conversation.
There's levels to my life and I feel like
this was the next level, this relationship
that I had with Jharrel was different from anything I've,
you know, I've ever had, so.
Yeah, I'm not trying to - This sounds mad emotional, this is not that deep.
[Laughs]
- You're making me emotional, that's why.
- It was different. No, but it just was different, you know?
It, like, literally, the moments that we had, like, you know,
talking is - I haven't experienced those. This is different.
- [Jharrel] So, this was, this is such
a life-changing project for you, bro.
- Yeah, yeah.
- It is elevating you as an artist, as a person, as a human
and you're tapping into a whole different side.
You were tapping into a whole different side of emotions,
on screen, than you ever had. - Yeah.
- And that takes a toll on somebody, you know, so it's cool.
I got to see Caleb pretty much grow six years
within, like, two months. It felt like he was older than me
by the end of the whole project, pretty much.
[Laughs] Like no, I'm straight up, bro,
that's why we fought at the end.
[Laughs]
That's why we fought, I was getting jealous of Caleb.
- That, yo, that day was so funny. That, you know, fight -
Yeah, we're not going to elaborate,
but that just helps us grow as people,
you know, that's how you know we're really brothers.
You know what I'm saying?
- It does, it does.
[Jharrel] I'm a huge fan of 'Stranger Things.'
I'm all caught up. I'm waiting for the next season.
I met Caleb when he had finished his first season
with the rest of the cast and I was gassed.
I was gassed. And he can actually tell you a funny story.
Apparently, when I was on a plane, I saw him
and I acted like a little girl. I don't remember that.
I remember coming up to him like, "Yo, what's good.
"I'm a big fan of you. That's what's up. Tight. You do good work.
undefined
But, apparently, I wanted a picture and I was all excited.
- No, you didn't want a picture. You were just like,
it was like this. He was like this.
This is how Jharrel, he was like,
undefined
[Laughs]
He was like, "Yo, you're Caleb, right? Yo, that's crazy."
He's like, "You're on 'Stranger Things?' Oh, that's crazy,
undefined
And then, he was just looking and he was like,
undefined
[Laughs]
He was just smiling the whole time.
And then, he went back to his seat and then
after, like, every 30 minutes, he would ask another question.
And I was like, "Yo, this is hilarious."
- Oh, every 30 minutes?
- It stopped at one point.
- 'When They See Us,' hadn't come out yet,
so he was looking me all different.
- Nah, 'cause no, I knew you were in 'Moonlight.' So it was just,
nah, I was just laughing because he was just, like, excited
and I just felt your energy. It was pure, bro.
- Sorry, I'm a big fan.
When, what's up with the next season?
And, like, you're so much older now,
you and the rest of the cast,
so is it gonna be very different? Is it going
to feel different? What are we expecting?
- I mean, yeah, we're filming right now.
We're filming 'Stranger Things' season four, but I think
you know, a lot of people see us growing up
and they think, like, how are we going to play younger kids,
but our characters are growing up with us.
It's not like our characters are staying the same.
So, it's nothing too different.
I know people love seeing us as, like, you know,
the 13-year-old, like, little, chunky, round-faced kids
like, "No, Demogorgons!" and, you know,
the high-pitched voices, but we're growing up,
we're growing up, we're in high school now. And, you know,
we're just getting older.
I mean, like, our characters are growing up, but
I can't really talk about it too much, but yeah.
Yeah. It's not like we're staying in the same age, but yeah,
hopefully you guys will get that sometime.
- "Demogorgons!"
[Laughs]
- That's how we used to sound!
We sounded like little babies.