Welcome to KnowThis Live I'm Zinhle Essamuah.
Joining me today is actor and singer Algee Smith.
You may know him from the critically acclaimed film,
The Hate U Give and show Euphoria.
He's now in the new film Judas and the Black Messiah.
It's about the Black Panther party and the dramatic betrayal of one of its
leaders Fred Hampton at the hands of an FBI informant. He plays Jake winters,
a young member of the Black Panthers. Thank you so much for being here today.
Of course. Thank you, Zinhle. I appreciate you for having me.
Of course. Thank you. And I just want to jump in,
obviously this film is filled with so much history that remains super relevant
today.
How much of this history and this story did you know before jumping into this
project?
Uh, yeah. Very good question. Very good question. Um,
it's funny because us as a cast, we talk about this all the time,
how it's very unfortunate and by design that,
that this wasn't in our history books growing up, you know, um,
I had to lean on my community and my parents to teach me about the Black
Panthers, uh, because if it was left up to the school system,
we just wouldn't know. And I think that's what we've seen.
So I feel like it's very important to have a history that has tried to try to be
wiped out, uh, represented.
And I'm just very blessed to be able to be a part of that history.
Yeah. And I know you've talked about how difficult it can be to depict the Black
struggle in America as an actor. Um,
I recall that after we saw the death of George Floyd,
you took to social media and said, you know,
you don't want to depict victims of police brutality anymore.
How do you go about choosing your roles?
Uh, yeah, I think that in that moment it was, uh,
my emotions were very heightened as well. Um,
there was a lot going on around us, um, just as a people. And so that was,
those were my immediate emotions and I kind of still stand by that only to the
point of, I don't want that to be the only thing that I play. You know,
I want to be able to edify Black people and people of color period.
I want to be able to edify us and play roles that we haven't seen each other in
it and show us in shining lights. Cause we can be doctors, we can be lawyers.
We don't always have to be the person who dies by the hands of the police
officer. Um, but I do think it's important to shed light on those stories,
which I'm blessed to be able to be in that position to shed a light on those
stories. Um, but I think going forward, I just want to, I want to edify us.
Yeah. And obviously we're not a monolith, right?
No community is when you do choose to portray, um,
you know, these more difficult stories of the Black struggle and uh,
police violence against Black bodies.
How do you go about preparing for such an emotionally difficult
role?
Yeah, great question. Um, I feel like there's, everyone has their own thing,
but me, myself, I try to just center myself, especially depending on the role,
so, inJudas and the Black Messiah play Jake Winters who's 19 years old.
And in this case I didn't have any information on Jake Winters.
There was nothing to be found.
I didn't have anything like source material to study.
So I had to just create and go with my instinct and, um,
kind of just put myself in the mindset of what I live every day,
being a young Black man in America. Uh,
as far as for like a film like Detroit or The Hate U Give,
it's different because I wasn't like for Detroit,
I've never been in those shoes. So I had to actually study and uh,
take notes from the actual guy, the real guy, Larry Reed.
So it's just different depending on the role.
And obviously the film dives into police and law enforcement surveillance of
Black activists. And this is not a myth, right?
We know what's happened with COINTELPRO.
We've heard about current activists being surveilled as Black identity
extremists. So given that, as you've said, right,
you didn't have anyone to speak to.
Did you get to talk to any activists about the struggles that they go through
today?
Yeah. So with Judas and the Black Messiah, I was very fortunate to talk to,
I think one of the main activists, uh, chairman Fred Hampton Jr.'s son,
I mean chairman Fred Hampton's son chairman, Fred Hampton, Jr.
I was able to talk to him and have him on set as well as his mother who was
right there on the front lines with chairman Fred Hampton. So I think those,
I would call it just extreme activists and still who have their feet on the
ground doing the work.
So to be able to have them there and selling us these real stories and in
planning these, uh,
these unforgettable ideas in our head about the man so that we carry on playing
these characters, it was very, very fortunate.
Yeah. And given right, the history that we've seen, um,
with police violence against Black, Black and Brown bodies,
what do you hope to see in terms of change when it comes to that?
Yeah. Great question. I think what you just said is what we hope to see,
but I think it's tangible change though.
Something that we can actually see and hold onto. Because we,
we look at how chairman Fred Hampton was murdered, uh,
in his house assassinated in his house while he was sleeping.
And then we look at that was 52 years ago. We look at last year,
we just seen Breonna Taylor murdered the same way.
And so I feel like we have a long way to go, but I think, um,
I think I just want tangible change and open up the uncomfortable conversation
with everyone around us, you know, with our white counterparts,
with every other color and just see how, you know, this conversation,
this is a conversation that needs to be had.
And it's sad that it has to be keep being had over and over again.
But as long as it remains and I feel like we know we still have to be talking
about it.
And it's clear that films like this are keeping the conversation going.
I know you referenced Fred Hampton's son.
I know that he was a consultant on the film. Um,
and he did say he wished the final product was a little more political.
Do you agree with that?
Um, I can, I understand where he's coming from. I can just say that. I think,
um, in my eyes, I think the final product is definitely a, uh, well,
a well-developed tool that could be used for history,
but looking at where he's coming from,
I can see why he says that because he's a very political person.
I understand that.
Yeah. And we see all of the measures that Black Americans go through to survive,
um, including becoming an informant of the FBI.
If you were in the shoes of William, as we see in the film and as happened,
do you think you would have made the choice that he did?
Uh, that's a very interesting question.
I don't think I would've made the choice that he did,
but you can never speak for someone unless you're in those shoes,
like you're saying. Um, but just me personally, I don't think so. I think that,
uh, that, that that's, uh, that's kind of a coward move on, you know,
it's to take. Uh, but however, like I said,
you can't judge anyone in their position,
but when you see something as for the greater good of the people for all of the
people, not just Black people, but oppressed people,
and then you kind of go against that, it's kinda, you know, it kinda,
it's kinda weird to me.
And there is a scene in the film where your costar LaKeith,
who plays William O'Neill,
the FBI informant mentions that it's safer to pretend to be a cop
than to be Black. What do you think that meant?
Uh, yeah, that's, that's deep. That statement is deep because in that time,
you know, a lot of things were heightened, um,
as far as its brutality and the aggression against Black people out in public
just in plain sight. Um,
so I can only imagine his sentiment and what he was saying with that.
And I understand it to a certain degree. Um, just because, you know,
he may have felt like an outsider. We don't know how he truly feels in his head.
So I understand it.
Ultimately, when people watch this film, what do you hope they take away?
Yeah. Uh, I hope they take away. There's a couple of things.
So I hope the young generation takes away that you're never too young to make a
change. We see chairman Fred was only 21 years old. Uh, his,
his right-hand man, Bobby Rush was 23 years old.
So they were essentially kids and they were being hunted by the biggest
government agency in the world. And they had no fear. Um,
and so I feel like when, to just to speak to this generation,
you're never too young to make a change and never see you understand up.
There is power, wherever there's people.
People with the same like-minded idea can make a change. Don't ever forget that.
They can make a change. And I think that's,
that's the main thing that we see from chairman Fred.
That's an important point.
And I think notable considering how young you are and how much you've
accomplished. I know we've seen you in a whole lot of roles.
What can we expect from you in the coming year and years?
Oh man. Just a lot, a lot of more seeing me. Seeing me on your TV,
hear me on your radio. I do music as well.
So I'll be putting out a lot of music that'd be resonating with the people, um,
and just like expanding my gift. I want to keep having fun.
I want to keep doing roles that challenge me and roles that are important for
the culture as well.
Well, any a release date for an album, we should be expecting?
You're trying to get it out of me, I gotta wait.
I gotta wait but soon. Soon.
Awesome. Well,
thank you so much Algee for your time and thanks to everybody so much for
watching.
Thank you Zinhle, appreciate you.
Of course, this has been KnowThis Live. I'm Zinhle Essamuah.