“Empire” may be over, but one of the stars is working harder than ever, and no, it’s not you-know-who.
Tonight, Trai Byers tells us about bringing dark history to light and the future of Cookie.
General: “Jim Crow’s the law, respect it.”
“Empire” star Trai Byers leads “The 24th.”
The movie is based on the true story of the deadly 1917 Houston Race Riot, which happened after an all-black U.S. infantry clashed with Houston Police, leading to dozens of military court-martials and 19 executions.
Byers also co-wrote the film with “BlacKkKlansman” screenwriter Kevin Willmott and spoke about the timeliness of its release.
Trai Byers: “I think it’s a necessary point of reference and an origin story to what it is we’re dealing with. I think that… you know, I don’t like to call it, a lot of people will look at this and say ‘a cautionary tale,’ but it’s more than that: it’s history, and I believe if we don’t learn what happened in the past, we are doomed to repeat it. We are doomed to see the same, you know, thematical situations that happen in our lives.”
Trai hopes the movie can be a starting point for conversation.
Trai Byers: “We become curious about ourselves. We become curious about our history, and we let our history inform our identity, because it is, that’s where we come from as a people, as a nation and as a world, so I think that the opportunity to evolve is here, and hopefully we evolve together instead of dividing.”
The 37-year-old is setting his sights on the film world.
Trai Byers: “In terms of themes like identity and honor, you know, I’m looking forward to continuing to tell those stories on whatever platform, but I prefer film.”
And after “Empire’s” finale, he’s excited for co-star Taraji P. Henson’s upcoming spin-off.
Trai Byers: “I feel fortunate that where we left off, Taraji’s spin-off would pick up and take to, I’m sure so many different places. I’m super happy for her.”
Taraji P. Henson (as Cookie): “You gotta find Andre.”
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