Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Jeffrey Wright is one of the greatest actors of our time. His work in “American Fiction” got him an Oscar nomination for best actor and it’s absolutely Oscar-worthy because of its delicate complexity. Let me dig into this — sorry, Wright’s been on my mind a lot lately because he’s nominated for best actor, wow, and because I just went to L.A. to interview him for “Masters of the Game.” (It’ll be out soon.)
In “American Fiction,” Wright is essentially playing two characters at the same time. At first, he’s just Monk, a mild-mannered academic intellectual who’s authored many books that no one has read, and he feels like someone who’s authored many books that no one has read.
That speaks to the way every time I see him onscreen, I always believe Jeffrey Wright. Whether he’s playing Colin Powell as he did in “W” or Commissioner Gordon in “The Batman,” I always believe Wright is the character. This is a feat because I actually know him.
We met when we were in our 20s as young Black artistic New Yorkers, and we’ve both lived in the same Brooklyn neighborhood for the last couple of decades. I might run into him while I’m walking to brunch. But when I see him onscreen, I don’t think, oh, that’s my homie. Obviously, I know intellectually that I’m looking at someone I know and respect, but his talent is so immense that I’m quickly sucked into the character, and I don’t think about the real man.
Film
So, back to “American Fiction.” After a while, Wright is not just playing Monk. When his novel takes off, a second character is created. Monk, in the course of pretending to be someone else, becomes two people. He becomes Stagg R. Leigh, who’s everything Monk is not; he’s street, he’s tough, he’s unfamiliar with white…
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