The upcoming Netflix film “Uncorked” didn’t end up premiering at the South By Southwest Film Festival since the fest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but star Courtney B. Vance is thankful families will still have the opportunity to watch the movie from their living rooms when it hits the streaming service on March 27.
“Thank God we have the technology that allows us to be nimble,” the actor reveals to ET Canada. “In the past, we would’ve had to have just cancelled and move on.”
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Vance opens up about how the coronavirus outbreak has “everyone at home” and while in self-isolation and social distancing, “it affords families to be able to talk and spend time together.”
The 60-year-old adds, “Maybe we’ll get back to basics, maybe when all of this is said and done there will be some good that comes out of it.”
“Uncorked” stars Mamoudou Athie, who starred alongside Brie Larson in “Unicorn Store”, as Louis (Vance)’s son who aspires to become a Master Sommelier despite his father’s wish for him to take over his Memphis barbecue joint. Niecy Nash plays Athie’s mother and Vance’s wife, Sylvia, in the film.
On working with Nash, Vance says: “She’s my girl… She’s a lot of fun and she’s the centre of every set she’s on.”
Vance is hoping families can “get some wine and some ribs ready and sit down and watch our beat. I think it’s an appropriate beat for the times,” Vance tells ET Canada. “You know, it’s a family beat.”
“I love the fact that this story is about life and how things don’t always work out the way you think they will,” he continues. “You tell God your thoughts and your dreams and you know, you just have to keep going. This story’s about a family – the fabric stretches, but it doesn’t break.”
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Just like the family in the movie, Vance says, “We can ride out any storm and this a storm that we’re riding out. Just like Elijah and Louis, son and father had to figure out, had to ride it out and it wasn’t pretty.”
And while people have loads of content to watch while in self-isolation, virtually all TV and film productions in the United States are being shut down.
But the new SAG-AFTRA Foundation President, Vance, tells ET Canada about how the SAG-AFTRA leadership is working to help actors through this challenging time unleashed by COVID-19: “This is a catastrophic event in the history of our country. I think the last time we had something like this, where the whole country was focused on it, was Pearl Harbour where we had retool and gear up for the war overnight.”
He continues, “So this is what we’re involved in now, it’s a war. And we’re struggling to gear up… people are fearful. How are we going to help when we’re all out of work? Actors traditionally are one or two jobs away from their being out of work, or being evicted from their homes. So there’s not a lot of margin, so as a foundation our job is to help. And that’s what we’re doing now. We’re structuring things so that people know where to go for them to receive help. So, that’s where… we’re up late nights and early mornings… structuring things to be ready to roll out a plan for folks.”
