When you were auditioning for this, were you familiar with this story prior?No.
And I had met Spike before I think I was, what, 5 years old or something?
He told me to call him Uncle Spike.
Credit: David Lee/Focus Features
So hes been Uncle ever since to me.
I read it, I call him back like, I was blown away.
I couldnt believe it.
And he said, All right, see you this summer.
So you could say the audition process was the most relaxed Ive ever been.
Youre in three films this fall, withBlackKkKlansman,Monsters and Men, andThe Old Man & the Gun.
They feel like such a shift fromBallers.A shift that I had been praying for.
An opportunity to open up the books a little bit.
It was almost like going to school.
You hear the term stay woke.
Well that applies on that side of the law as well with African-Americans specifically, Latinos specifically.
Like, we dont often get to hear their side and what theyre going through.
I mean, its a thankless job unfortunately.
But there is hope in the form of these police officers that I got to play in these films.
That was a hard day.
It felt so authentic.
All those hoods and the chanting and the ceremony andTheBirth of a Nationshowing.
People really feel this way.
People are still practice these rituals.
Any kind of feedback like that?Oh, if they try Spike, Spike is waiting on that.
I dont know if they want that with Spike Lee.
Its still funny to me now.]
They made something that was innovative, that was different and it shook up the industry.
And they should be proud of it.
This is totally different.
For one, its American history.
Two, Ron didnt use a white voice: He used his real voice.
But that just goes to show you how much in it he was.
He had to act like he was a white dude, but he didnt use a white voice.
As he said in the film, I can speak Kings English and Jive.
Me personally, John David, I attended private school.
I also went to a black college, Morehouse College, a historically black college.
I spent time with my mother and my grandmother, in Mount Vernon, New York.
So, like, what am I supposed to sound like, you know?
I just have all different experiences that are woven into the way I speak.
And how I think and live.
Put God in everything I do.
Put God in everything I do.
And know that this is a privilege what we get to do.
The ability to tell stories and its a luxury.
And you should treat it as such.
So leave your ego and leave your attitude at the door.
Dont bring that with you when it comes to this cause itll pollute the product.
And its a divisive when on set.
I mean, Spike Lees set was an environment of inclusion, family, and familiarity.
You gotta pray.
I answer to God.
And when I get my orders, usually it works out.
Like last year worked out that way.
Im so happy it happened the way it did, but it comes from a higher power.
Im so thankful, grateful that He put me in that position to work with these people.
Did you have a lot of discussion with your costars about what this film meant to you?
I love how he says that.
And the impact, he said this film should be now.
This films right now.
But I didnt know till I saw the finished product.
And those are such serious phone calls, the ones you had with Topher.
What occurred within them was so serious.
Theres a romance going on in the film as well.
Did you feel a responsibility to balance a tone?Yeah.
The tone was an interesting.
The nature of some of these scenarios was so ridiculous that you would think somebody made this up.
But it wasnt made up.
Which gave us license to for lack of a better term keep it real.
To be as honest as possible.
To not play up any jokes or anecdotes, dont hit the joke.
Did you ever feel like, in your career in football, you were acting a part?
That kind of got lost in the role, cause, I mean, I kept having success.
Alright, I guess Ill take this free ride to Morehouse then.
Alright, then Ill just dominate at Morehouse.
Ill be the best I can be and retire.
Wait a minute, the St. Louis Rams, theyre gonna draft me.
Oh, bring you in.
So I probably wont make camp.
Ill probably get cut at camp.
No, actually we want you to be on the practice squad.
Youre gonna be here for two years, Sir…
I mean, stuff kept happening and I kept getting opportunities.
I am for the player cause I was one.
And most of us in the NFL started playing since we were 5 years old.
So were sort of conditioned.
Were soldiers in a lot of ways.
Were obedient in a lot of ways.
Because thats what the sport demands.
So I commend the ballplayers, the athletes for sort of for taking a knee, a peaceful protest.
I support them in how they handle things.
Yeah, its a very dangerous sport and looking at it now, I cant believe I played it.
I was like…I never…yeah, I cant…I dont know why I did that.
I would encourage football players out there to have a contingency plan.
This should almost be a side hustle and really prepare for what happens after football.
Cause NFL stands for Not For Long.
