SHADOW & ACT started their coverage on DJANGO UNCHAINED with a very tough, negative tone. I appreciate that they have been more opened minded as the story has unfolded. This could have been a really mean piece, but it was quite lovely and I really appreciate it.
by Masha Dowell
February 14, 2013
"Hudlin is a modern-day Gordon Parks, a true monster in the game that totally re-did the blueprint: what some people used to call a renaissance man. I dig him because he made me think outside of the box. Hudlin writes and directs movies, pens a comic book, and he was running BET. That’s multi-tasking for your ass."
– Cultural critic Jimi Izrael
The resume of the Oscar-nominated producer, Reginald Hudlin, reads like a who’s who list of Hollywood. He has worked with the best in black Hollywood, and the best in mainstream Hollywood. He is one of the major visionaries of the modern black film movement. He began his career creating movies like HOUSEPARTY, BEBE’S KIDS, and BOOMERANG.
He produced Quentin Tarantino’s latest film DJANGO UNCHAINED, starring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson and Don Johnson. The film has won two Golden Globe awards, has been nominated for five Oscars, and it is on track to be the top grossing Western of all time.
On Monday night, Shadow and Act caught up with Mr. Hudlin right before he gave the keynote address at the 2013 Pan African Arts and Film Festival. He spoke very briefly to us about the highlight of his Oscar season journey, his partnership with RZA, whether he’ll direct again, his thoughts on the state of black Hollywood, and a little more.
Shadow and Act: Congrats on your Oscar nomination! Can you tell us about one highlight from your Oscar journey so far? It’s all so exciting.
Reginald Hudlin: Thank you. It’s been surreal. I was at the annual Oscar nomination luncheon the other day and there is a moment during the program where everyone nominated is called to stand up in front of everyone. When my name was called, I realized that Robert De Niro was standing behind me, Helen Hunt was on my other side, and Steven Spielberg was right beside her. It felt amazing to be among a group of people of that caliber.
Shadow and Act: What more can you tell us about your new partnership with RZA in terms of what brought you two together, as well as what else we can expect from the partnership in terms of projects you’re working on, or considering, and if there’s a timeline for when you want to start pushing films out?
Reggie Hudlin: RZA and I have been friends for a long time. We both have the wonderful experience of working with Quentin Tarentino. RZA is a guy that is very encouraging and giving to other filmmakers. He’s just that kind of spirit. And that’s nothing that you see with everybody. We always love the same things, Kung Fu movies, and a Black Nationalist side to us. We always wanted to kind of work together, and we asked ourselves aren’t we doing that? There’s one project and were putting together the cast, and were working on some other projects in development.
Shadow and Act: Will you direct again?
Reggie Hudlin: Absolutely! There are no projects that I can talk about yet.
Shadow and Act: – Talk about the positive and not-so positive changes you’ve witnessed in Black cinema over the years, since you and your brother came on the scene with the successful House Party movies, through today, 20 years later.
Reginald Hudlin: There was a period that black film had no chance of making it in Hollywood. So, people just made the made the statements that they wanted to make. Whether it was a science fiction film or whatever, b/c they were just making movie for themselves. Then there was a period where people were creating projects as their Hollywood audition ‘pieces’. I feel that today we are moving back to the era where we all have our own voices.
Shadow and Act: Are there any young filmmakers that you have your eye on?
Reginald Hudlin: Hadjii made a splash at Sundance a few years ago with the film, “Somebodies.” We actually gave him a scripted TV series at BET and it had incredible reviews. I believe that he is one of the many talented filmmakers to watch. Peter Ramsey was the storyboard artist on ‘Boomerang.’ He’s another one to watch.
Shadow and Act: There’s been some talk about the current young generation of filmmakers not being aware of the work of their predecessors, and even not honoring and respecting them. As one of those who’s been around for a bit, coming up during that late 1980s, early 1990s black cinema boom, a who made some iconic black films, any thoughts on that?
Reginald Hudlin: Young filmmakers are supposed to be the young turks that advance the current state of filmmaking ideas. At the same time, if you don’t know your film history or knowledge, then you are not in the game.
Shadow & Act: Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects?
Reginald Hudlin: I just produced the 2013 NAACP Image Awards, which garnered really high ratings. I have several projects in development for TV and film.
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Two Film/TV/Comic book guys in the same place. That is all.
Thanks to Wilson Morales for the picture.
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By Gil Robertson IV for Ebony.com
As a newly minted Academy Award nominee (as one of nine producers on Django Unchained), Reginald Hudlin has once again demonstrated his strength as a creative force in Hollywood. Beginning his career as the director of the classic hip-hop comedy House Party, Hudlin has gone on to showcase his considerable talents by directing other hit films like Boomerang and The Great White Hype, and as a writer and producer for several successful TV shows. A former president of entertainment for BET, the Harvard University graduate has been a consistent power player, widely respected throughout the industry for his commitment to his craft.
EBONY.com recently caught up with Hudlin to discuss his success on Django Unchained and his incredible career.
As a newly minted Academy Award nominee (as one of nine producers on Django Unchained), Reginald Hudlin has once again demonstrated his strength as a creative force in Hollywood. Beginning his career as the director of the classic hip-hop comedy House Party, Hudlin has gone on to showcase his considerable talents by directing other hit films like Boomerang and The Great White Hype, and as a writer and producer for several successful TV shows. A former president of entertainment for BET, the Harvard University graduate has been a consistent power player, widely respected throughout the industry for his commitment to his craft.
EBONY.com recently caught up with Hudlin to discuss his success on Django Unchained and his incredible career.
EBONY: How does it feel to make history as only the fourth African-American to be nominated for an Oscar in the Best Picture category?
Reginald Hudlin: It’s an incredible honor! Hopefully some time soon, there will be so many Black folks nominated in this category that we’ll stop counting.
EBONY: What are your thoughts regarding the various controversies with Django Unchained?
RH: This movie is not only QT’s biggest film, but it is on track to be the most successful Western in movie history. That’s right: a Black Western starring Jamie Foxx. A huge part of that box office success has been Black viewers. They were almost half the audience on opening day, and Black viewers have consistently remained around 30 percent of the box office thus far. So the people are clearly voting with their dollars. To quote Jay-Z, “Men lie, women lie, but numbers don’t lie.”
Our success is clearly more than just people going to see the film. All types of educators, critics, intellectuals, social activists and parents have contacted me in one form or another for helping to make the film happen. Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s mother, has seen it four times. Dick Gregory has seen it 12 times. We never expected to please everybody, but once you remove the distortion effect of the media, it’s pretty clear that we are pleasing most people.
EBONY: How did you get involved with the film?
RH: Quentin and I have been friends for over 15 years. It’s a natural and easy friendship because we are pretty obsessive with our love of pop culture, whether it be film, music or comic books. We also don’t see any division between high and low art. Sometimes the most relevant expressions of pop culture are in mediums or genres that are dismissed by the mainstream, but they end up having a bigger long-term cultural impact.
Over a decade ago, Quentin and I were talking about movies about slavery and I brought up my frustration with most of them. I had no interest in seeing yet another movie about noble suffering. I wanted to see foot to ass. There were all kinds of Black people who stood up and fought back, including members of my own family. I wanted to see stories about them. It was one of many conversations we had about movies, so I didn’t think much of it until April of 2011, when he handed me the script and reminded me of that conversation and how that had been the seed for Django Unchained. There are not a lot of people in Hollywood who would acknowledge that, or bring you on as a producer to help ensure the spirit of the project. But Quentin is a rare individual.
EBONY: Do you have any comments regarding Quentin’s Best Director nomination omission among Oscar voters?
RH: I think everyone on the film did superlative work. I think Quentin is a masterful director as well as a brilliant writer. I think Sharen Davis is an incredible costume designer. I think the original music by John Legend and Jamie Foxx is incredible. I think Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson gave performances that will be remembered in film history. I can go on and on because I feel so proud of my colleagues and so protective of them. But you can’t complain about what you don’t have. I’m very proud of Quentin and Christoph winning Golden Globes, and I hope that’s the start of a trend.
EBONY: What would you say is the takeaway for moviegoers seeing Django?
RH: The film has spurred a national conversation about slavery, which is America’s original sin. It’s a conversation that is long overdue if we as a nation are going to make the most of the 21st century.
The film also tells us that a love story between a Black man and a Black women can have tremendous success at the box office, and that people of all races and ages will support it.
Lastly, the film gives us a kickass Black hero in the spirit of Stagolee and other mythic characters. Django stands in for true-life heroes whose stories may never be told, like my great-great-grandfather, who was a conductor on the Underground Railroad.
Gil Robertson IV is a noted A&E and Black lifestyle journalist, author and producer. President and co-founder of the African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), he resides in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Follow the AAFCA on Twitter @theaafca.
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Here’s a little photo essay about our Golden Globes experience.
The traffic is incredible. This is a street I zip up and down four times a day, right near my house. Today it’s the only route to the Golden Globes and it takes a half hour to go five blocks.
Fortunately my wife looks beautiful. But I can’t tell her because I woke up with no voice that morning. I didn’t really speak to anyone until I hit the red carpet.
Me and my fellow producers Pilar Savone and Stacey Sher inside the room. This is my forth award show this week so even though it’s an incredible array of stars, you’ve partying with them every day so it’s like senior week in high school before graduation.
Me and Christoph Waltz at the afterparty later. He insisted I pose with his Golden Globe. Who am I to refuse?
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