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Finally,
he’s already signed to make a trio of films in
2008: Factor X, a crime saga about the recently-cracked
case of the BTK killer; Iron Man, a screen adaptation
of the Marvel Comics Series; and Luke Cage, another
superhero fantasy, this about a wrongfully-convicted
man who develops special powers, escapes, and turns
into an avenging mercenary.
Here,
Howard talks about his current offering, Pride, where
he plays Jim Ellis, a real-life role model who founded
a swim team in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Philadelphia
back in 1971.
KW:
What did you enjoy about making this movie?
TH:
Being able to play a man who has been so instrumental
in creating strong young men, black and white, and in
fusing a community with a sense of pride and determination
and the resilience that we needed to have. Also, learning
how to swim… getting to kiss Kimberly Elise…
playing with Bernie Mac… and then, ultimately,
meeting young Evan Ross, who is probably just one of
the most gifted young actors that I’ve seen in
a long, long time.
KW:
Tell me a little about your character, Jim Ellis.
TH:
He cleans up the pool for himself to swim in, but when
the center with the basketball courts gets closed down,
he invites the kids, because that was their only refuge,
basically. And he raises one of them who thinks he’s
a good swimmer. As a result, the others are inspired
to learn how to swim, and then life takes its natural
progression.
KW:
How did your co-stars take to the water in training
to swim for this film?
TH:
Because they had not been exposed to it, the kids’
natural reaction was like when somebody put sushi in
front of me for the first time. I looked at them like
they were offending me. And the kids, looking at this
water, saw it as something you played in, not something
you grew in and that you trained in. But to see someone
conquer the water, the way that Jim taught me to swim,
that captured their imagination about what they could
accomplish. And they came along, and they’re really
great swimmers now.
KW:
How were you affected, emotionally, during the shoot
by the relationship your character had with the members
of the swim team?
TH:
Jim refers to them as his children, as his kids. And
there were so many scenes where I was trying not to
tear up or trying not to cry in, but I couldn’t
help but cross that boundary between professionalism
and my personal life because I could see in these kids’
eyes the reflection of my own children, and wanting
them so badly to accomplish everything that they wanted
to accomplish.
KW:
Sounds like you had some meaningful exchanges
on the set.
TH:
They all stood with me at times that I really thought
that I would be standing by myself. And we championed
each other’s causes, and were encouraging to each
other. They inspired me to bring that childlike exuberance
back into my work, while I shared with them the experience
that I’ve learned over 20 years in the business.
And Bernie played the role of mentor, and Kimberly brought
the role of heart to all of this. So, it’s been
really beautiful.
KW:
So, how well did you swim prior to training for this
role?
TH:
Before the movie, my experience swimming was,
I could get across the pool. I had swum two miles off
the coast of the Cayman Islands and back. But I now
realize I could have done it with greater ease, had
I known the proper technique. It’s like learning
how to lace up your shoes before running a marathon.
You could actually get a lot further. I had been swimming
my whole life with unlaced shoes, and I finally learned
how to properly tie my shoes.
KW:
How was it working with Bernie Mac?
TH:
With Bernie, you want to laugh, but there are so many
hidden truths in his words, that you try to listen attentively
to him. He’s big on encouragement. You always
see him in these comical circumstances as an actor.
But he does very little comedy here. He takes his role
as a chieftain in the community and tribe very seriously,
and forces us to take it seriously. So, I think the
audience will see something very new from Bernie.
KW:
How about Kimberly Elise?
TH:
She’s the one actress that’s made me nervous
in the last ten years, because she is so present. And
she has such an assortment of gifts to bring. She can
do it this way, that way, backwards, upside-down, or
flipside-over. And do it with grace and ease. That’s
hard to find. It’s hard to keep eye contact with
her, because you kind of get lost in her beauty and
her power.
KW:
What’d you think of your young co-star, Evan Ross?
TH:
Evan is Diana Ross’ son. I’ve said that
I was looking for a protégé. And I’ve
seen in him abilities and talents greater than I’ve
ever seen in myself or in almost any other young actor.
He’s naturally equipped with all of his mother’s
gifts. I would like to see him win an Academy Award
one day because he is truly gifted.
KW:
How did you like the choice of a South African
director to tell this tale?
TH:
Sunu [Gonera] really was the perfect director for this
film coming from Apartheid, and the circumstances which
he grew up in. He’s telling the story from an
African state of being, an earthly place, where it’s
completely relevant to everybody in the entire world.
So, I trust him. I trust his integrity.
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