- I kept running back in my mind how you might respond
to me asking you for a drink.
- So that was you asking me?
- In my mind it wasn't that forward,
you what I mean? It was more smoother than that.
(Mae laughing)
(smooth trumpet music)
- LaKeith Stanfield, I have a question.
What do you feel that 'The Photograph' achieves
for Black love on screen?
- I think Black love itself achieves something
that is a connection that allows us
to be able to talk about it and have a discussion about it.
And it brings people like Stella Meghie
in the position to be able to write screenplays about it,
and then we bring it back to the people.
Black love has already been there
for years and years and years.
And now we just get to enjoy it once again on screen
and hopefully, and I know that we will, see more of it.
- I'm wondering if it's not too early
in the night to kiss you?
- [Luria] The chemistry between you
and Issa Rae was just so natural.
Was that hard for you two to develop?
- No, no, no, no. I mean, it's-once you meet Issa you'll see.
She's just one of those people that you just, I mean,
you're just in awe of her pure ambition and her willingness
to jump into whatever situation with you.
- It wasn't too early.
- What do you feel that 'The Photograph'
is trying to communicate to it's audience
about love and time?
- Perhaps that love is a constant and that no matter
where you go back in time it's kind of the same.
And it's a connection between two people
It's just another nice sort of picture of it,
a moving picture of something that we've been doing
since the beginning of time.
- I wanna try to be together.
- It's not practical.
- I'm not tryna to be practical.
I wanna be with you.
- What was the point that you decided that
the acting professionally was for you?
- The most professional part about it to me is this,
doing press and talking to these,
talking to you guys and the audiences.
What I do on set is just like I do it my own way.
I got my own method to the madness.
So, I never really follow a rubric I just kind of just did
what felt natural to me.
Yeah, just going through a lot of traumatic experiences
when I was young and being in front of a lot of different
situations that weren't really easy.
I mean
Luckily, some of those things I also can put into characters
and then flip it back around and turn a negative into a positive.
Sort of emotional alchemy type thing.
- It's interesting that you say that because you have played
a really wide variety of characters.
In addition to being an actor, you're also a musician.
I'm wondering how do you decide what's worthy of your time?
Like, what do you put yourself into?
How do you make those decisions?
- Well, I first of all don't value my time that much,
which may sound crazy, but I just kind of like,
you know, I'm just naturally a creative person
so I just create stuff.
So I'm just glad that there's an avenue for me
to be able to create and also make a living out of it,
because one of the reasons why I went after this job
so aggressively is because it's the only thing
I kind of can do.
- I didn't know you were coming.
- You were supposed to invite me.
- (laughing) I'm sorry. Next time.
- It's kind of been my experience that
as Black people we're not always afforded the privilege
of just existing.
You know, if we want to do something then we have
to do it exceptionally because I represent everyone.
You know what I mean?
I'm wondering how you've navigated the burden
that is often attached to Black excellence?
- I don't necessarily feel it as a burden.
I think it's kind of, it kind of just comes
with the territory of being Black,
being tough, going through things,
and having to live through
those things.
And so I think like that within itself lends it,
you know, to the solider aspect.
So I don't look at it as an obligation or a chore.
I look at it as something that I ain't got no choice,
but to be Black, and that's who I am.
And so, by virtue of that, everything I do is Black.
- Why should people go see this movie?
- Yeah I think it's an opportunity to engage
in the age old art form of love and connection.
And you could do that in many ways.
You could bring your mom,a, or your daddy, your baby,
your sister, your brother.
Yeah, have a moment of time to appreciate the people
while they're here.
I love you.
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.
And I love you.
- It wasn't too early.
- (laughing) I see.
(Mae laughing)