KL: Right. That’s where it starts. Even for me, there were some times when the fear and anxiety would creep in, but we really created a family on this set. Barry got some really generous, amazing artists together. I could really feel this genuine support and connection to other artists. And it starts with Barry and the commitment to the work.
This word can be interpreted however you want, but what was the most challenging element of this production for you?
SJ: For me, in a general sense, it was being truthful to Baldwin. Baldwin is somebody who so many people have a personal relationship and connection to. It’s not something to play around with. We all accepted that. But, specifically, within the scenes, for me, the hardest stuff was the prison stuff. Even though we shot that in like a week’s time, that’s the stuff that my character lives in the most. Most of my performance is in that prison. For me, it was balancing having the consciousness of everything that was going on in that prison. Everything that was going on in those walls to break Fonny down. And having to take that and sit in front of my wife and unborn child and display strength through this glass. Let her know she’s not alone in this fight. I’m fighting to stay strong. I’m going to be on the other side of that glass. Having to balance my own thoughts with the emotions of what was happening, but also to not project too much onto Tish.
KL: For me, I think having to communicate so much without having too much dialogue. Tish doesn’t really speak that much, but she has so much to say and so much that has to be communicated. That was a really tough part of getting to the truth of this film. We all want to do right by these characters. They’re fictional, but they’re representative of real people. There are people today going through these things. I think that was the overall toughest thing. The tough scene for me is after our confrontation with Officer Bell. It’s the first time you see Tish and Fonny not really on the same page. The question is asked “Are we gonna make it?” It’s the first time it’s really questioned. I remember that. That was a tough one. You need to feel what could happen if it breaks.
How much back story do you do? How many of the gaps do you fill in about Fonny’s time in jail, for example?
SJ: SO much. Absolutely. Specifically for this, my biggest inspiration was a man named Kalief Browder. In 2010, he was wrongfully arrested for the theft of a backpack—petty crime—and he pleads non-guilty to maintain his innocence, and he had to spend three years on Rikers Island, two-and-a-half in solitary confinement. Looking at this young man’s story, it broke me. What was the worst part was that it was just one story. It struck me as an opportunity to tell Kalief’s story through Fonny. So many people going through the same thing. So I wanted to look into Kalief’s eyes as hard as I could. It meant so much then and means so much now.
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