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♪ >> STEPHEN: WE'RE BACK WITH STAR
OF "THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7," YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN, II.
THE NEW NETFLIX FILM "THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7", WHICH I
REALLY ENJOYED THIS FILM, AN INCREDIBLE STORY PEOPLE HAVE
FORGOTTEN ABOUT TO A LARGE EXTENT.
YOU PLAYED BOBBY SEALE, WHO IS THE LEADER OF THE BLACK
PANTHERS.
HOW MUCH DID YOU KNOW ABOUT SEALE BEFORE YOU PLAYED THE
PART?
>> I KNEW SOME ABOUT HIM.
I GREW UP IN OAKLAND AND BOBBY SEALE ALSO WAS A LARGE FIGURE IN
OAKLAND.
I WENT TO THE PARK WHICH IS ONE OF THE SITES OF A LOT OF THE
BLACK PANTHER PROGRAMS THERE.
BOBBY SEALE WAS A VERY CHARISMATIC CHARACTER IN OAKLAND
IN MY COMMUNITY BUT I DID NOT KNOW THE SPECIFIC HISTORY OF HIS
PARTICIPATION IN THIS TRIAL.
I REMEMBER OPENING UP THE SCRIPT AND READING THROUGH IT.
FIRST I SAID, I HAVE TO DO IT BECAUSE OF THE LANGUAGE, YOU
KNOW, AND ONCE I READ THAT FIRST SCENE WITH BOBBY SEALE, I SAID,
OH, YEAH, THIS IS SOMETHING I REALLY WANT TO TEAR INTO.
BUT THEN AFTER LEARNING ABOUT THE HISTORY AND HIS TREATMENT IN
THE TRIAL, HE BECAME A FIGURE WHOM I REALLY KNEW WHO HAD AN
OPPORTUNITY TO STAND UP FOR AND BE AN ADVOCATE FOR HIS STORY.
HE WAS SUCH AN HONORABLE PERSON WHO CARRIED HIMSELF WITH SUCH
DIGNITY AND CLASS AND HE WAS DEFENDING HIS MANHOOD AND RIGHT
AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN, AS A BLACK CITIZEN, AND, YOU KNOW,
THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I WANTED TO TELL THAT STORY.
>> AN EXTRAORDINARY THING ABOUT BOBBY SEALE IS THAT THIS MOVIE
IS WRITTEN BY AARON SORKIN WHO HAS HIS OWN WAY OF GIVING LIFE
TO CHARACTERS AND GIVING THEM THE WORDS YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE
IN THAT MOMENT.
BUT BOBBY SEALE IS THE CHARACTER IN THE MOVIE THAT HE IS MOST
CLOSELY USING THE ACTUAL WORDS THAT BOBBY SEALE SAID.
>> RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT, EXACTLY, YEAH.
SO THE TRANSCRIPTS FROM THE TRIAL OR THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK
IN THE FILM COME DIRECTLY FROM THE TRIAL.
YOU KNOW, AARON WAS ABLE TO PULL DIRECTLY FROM THE TRANSCRIPTS OF
THE TRIAL, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS SO FITTING THAT IT FITTED
DIRECTLY INTO BOBBY SEALE'S -- INTO AARON'S WORDS BECAUSE
BOBBIE IS A WORD SMITH, HE LOVES TO SPEAK.
WHEN I STUDIED HIM, I SAW HE WAS EXTREMELY CHARISMATIC.
LOVED TO HEAR HIS VOICE, EXTREMELY PASSIONATE AND SPEAKS
AT A QUICK PACE SOMETIMES SO IT FELT LIKE A REALLY GOOD PART,
AND SO, SO, SO EXCITED THAT, YOU KNOW, I WAS THE ONE CHOSEN, YOU
KNOW, TO BE IN THOSE SHOES.
>> Stephen: IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> STEPHEN: "THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7" IS STREAMING ON
NETFLIX NOW.
YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN THE SECOND EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.