Detroit is once again the backdrop on
the big screen as white boy Rick hits
theaters nationwide today that's right
we know the story of Rick were she from
our own in-depth coverage right here on
local 4 but this movie doesn't solely
focus on the rise and fall of the young
drug dealer instead it moat it focuses
on the relationship between were she and
his father take a listen
know who my dad is right now know what
he saw where I like what Rick you got
some balls coming here like you did you
should cut - camera sometimes we're not
like this but like you rob the Kmart or
something you're good Rick you wanna
move wait you come to me my dad finds
this no kick my Alexi doesn't find it
then break it down the dawn rocks
get yourself a crew and offload it
before long people are hugging the Jew
you're gonna get in too deep there I can
[Applause]
will the suspense joining us now live in
the studio yen damange the director of
white boy Rick and movie reviewer Greg
Russell gentleman thank you both for
being here thank you absolutely exciting
we're both excited to see the film I'm
gonna see it this weekend she's
obviously very Detroit centric well what
made you want to make this movie it was
the relationship between the father and
son when I got when I started to peel
back the layers and get past the
informants story which is a great
article we'll get past this or third the
rise and fall of a drug dealer which is
both familiar narratives like Johnny
Depp and blowers yeah exactly we've seen
that right exactly they're familiar
narratives and they're enjoyable but I
mean perhaps over-familiar and I
couldn't make a personal connection to
it but once I got to understand the
father-and-son relationship once I was
exposed to that and how the family were
affected by the whole incident and got
to understand Detroit but at the time a
bit more nonsensically the context of it
I made more a personal connection to it
and that's why I decided to bean in come
here meet him in jail and meet people in
Detroit and people that were involved so
from a directing standpoint or just you
know setting this up and putting two
people on film next to each other an
Oscar winner in Matthew McConaughey and
an unknown in Richie merit I mean what
was that like as a challenge it was
scary and exciting an equal measure I
mean you know you've got my fuher at the
height of his powers arguably getting
better better as he goes along and then
you got I wait a counterpoint I need
something a real sense of authenticity
because lots of kids of young actors
read and they were even the fantastic
actors I didn't believe were 14 there
were all like early 20s or late teens
and the kids that were the right age and
could act they couldn't really give a
transformative performance and behave
like they who truly had grown up and
lived
an african-american community in and
we're from the hood so to speak so it
was great to take a sort of trained
actor and experience like to like
Matthew and putting me up against some a
kid that's just real and it was exciting
to see Matthew having to adjust his
performance and homing onto the kids
frequency it's like it's not the kid
wasn't couldn't behave like he's in the
Matthew McConaughey film you know
Matthew had to be in the Ricci mirror
film and that was really interesting to
watch just play out and film a dynamic
and then my question is you know if
somebody in Hollywood had just written
this script yet made it up you'd still
think my god what a fascinating story
yeah how bizarre but by this being real
was that's something that also attracted
you to the project you know I mean
really is what really saw was triggered
some massive emotional reaction that
this really happened to a young kid that
this kid and tragically happens to so
many kids across the country you know
and everywhere in the world who were
born into abject poverty they don't get
an opportunity to enjoy their childhood
they don't get to be kids for very long
you know in this one he became
responsible for his family such a young
age you know and his is tragic what was
it like for you now with Rick were she
and interacting with him what as you
made this film it was an emotional
journey I mean I didn't I'm not really
gonna be in the business of true stories
I just got hooked into this one if
anything that was too much story and too
many events for a movie it was like how
do i distill it you know there's enough
for 10 hour series but then it was it
was because of my connection with Rick
that I had to hang in there and you know
I thought how he had to tell the story
and I was affected by you know the
landscape how he described Detroit at
the time but just for the worse but for
the Curry's and for everybody it was
trying to survive the time and speaking
to him has been really important I mean
he just sent me a message this morning
I'm a regular contact he's he's ecstatic
that it's been it's been made his
girlfriend to cause me regularly you
know it looks like he's gonna have a
future or now on the outside and I'm so
pleased what did you think of Detroit as
a filming location and and what brings
you back here if anything I loved I
loved you know what it's one of the
things that the catch in the film is the
humor of Detroit I felt it was the same
one I did
a 71 it was about Belfast I feel like
places that go through extreme hardship
sometimes they can breed this kind of
particular humour and warmth and I just
everyone I met just had this crazy
banter like Rick Rick were she himself
is so funny it's one of the things that
hooked me in he's not like earnest he
doesn't play the victim card he doesn't
he doesn't say I was somebody's
characters I said none of that he's just
funny every time you have a phone call
with him you're half at some point and I
felt that when I was here and this what
warms me to the places to people well
thank you very much for coming thank you
so much thank you from Detroit in the
movie - yeah Detroit legends that's
right if you haven't had a chance to
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