If you love family-friendly animated films like “Finding Nemo” — this is not the movie for you. It’s “The Hate U Give,” and the title says it all. Deco’s Chris Van Vliet, who’s never a hater, is here with more.
While “The Hate U Give” isn’t based on any one particular incident, it’s a story that feels ripped straight from the headlines. We flew to Toronto to meet up with the cast.
Amandla Stenberg (as Starr): “Go back where he told you. Khalil, I’m not playing!”
*Gunshot*
Amandla Stenberg (as Starr): “What did you do?!”
Real-life drama plays out in “The Hate U Give,” the big screen version of the best-selling novel.
Russell Hornsby (as Maverick ‘Mav’ Carter): “We live in a complicated world.”
Amandla Stenberg (as Starr): “It doesn’t seem that complicated to me.”
Amandla Stenberg is Starr, a high schooler who sees her childhood friend, played by Algee Smith, fatally shot by a police officer. It was a tough scene to film, though Amandla was able to be lighthearted about it when talking to us.
Amandla Stenberg: “I really put myself in the mindset that night!”
Algee Smith: “Yeah, you were in there.”
Amandla Stenberg: “It was scary! That was a little scary.”
Algee Smith: “It was dark but we had a sense of purpose. We knew why we were doing it, so we were completely immersed into it.”
Amandla Stenberg (as Starr): “I need to speak for him.”
Starr has to decide whether to speak up about the shooting, knowing that it’ll divide the community. Part of her hesitation is because Anthony Mackie, who plays a drug lord, wants her to keep her mouth shut.
Regina Hall (as Lisa Carter): “He’s threatening her.”
Anthony is definitely an antagonist in the movie, though he clearly doesn’t see it that way!
Anthony Mackie: “I’m the Bill Gates of the hood! I’m a job creator, I’m a provider! If you don’t see a brother in a whipped out beemer, you don’t know that beemer out there to be whipped out! You see what I’m saying?”
Uh, I guess so?
Anyway, it’s nice to know that given the weight and importance of the story the cast was still able to have fun between takes.
They says it’s because of two things.
Russell Hornsby: “When you do that kind of preparation, when you do that kind of homework, you can come to set ready to have some fun.”
Anthony Mackie: “There’s a hell of a lot of experience up here.”
Regina Hall: “Well I’m young, I wouldn’t say, ‘Hell of a lot’. I mean, maybe these two.”
Anthony Mackie: “Yeah, you’re only like eight years in the game.”
“The Hate U Give” hits theaters on Friday.
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