Regina King discusses the possibility of making history with her new movie “One Night in Miami” in an interview with British Vogue.
King directs the upcoming film, which has been tipped for the Best Picture category at the Oscars, meaning King could become the first Black woman to be nominated for Best Director and only the sixth woman ever.
A synopsis reads, “On the night of Feb. 25, 1964, in Miami, Cassius Clay joins Jim Brown, Sam Cooke, and Malcolm X, and they discuss the responsibility of being successful Black men during the Civil Rights movement.”
The much-talked-about film will be released on Amazon Prime on King’s 50th birthday — January 15. King, however, doesn’t mind hitting the landmark age.
“I think Helen Mirren is everyone’s hero. She’s the person who’s made it her career and the stories that she’s involved with and that she’s been a part of telling – I look at her and I feel things are just going to continue to get better.
“I feel like I’m so much more interesting now, as a soon-to-be 50-year-old woman, than I was at 25. I can bring so much more to the table. I think that’s the same for all people. You may not have the stamina that you had at 25, but what you know now? So much better.”
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King says when she was sent the screenplay for “One Night in Miami” she thought, Oh my God, this is exactly what I’m looking for.
She adds that she felt it was a story that hadn’t been told in film before: “Am I part of, or have I witnessed, these conversations? Absolutely. But they’ve always been private – it felt like an opportunity to tell a true sentiment that has existed within the Black community in America forever but through the eyes of these giants. It spoke to me in a very powerful way.”
Back in September, “One Night in Miami” became the first film directed by an African-American woman to be selected for the Venice Film Festival, which King says is “crazy,” adding it all comes with “a lot of pressure.”
“How this film performs will open doors or maybe close doors for more Black female directors… that’s how things seem to work.”
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Speaking about the Oscar buzz surrounding the film, King says, referencing Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” being another favourite: “With the numbers being so off for so long, to be part of a conversation that’s saying you could possibly, finally, see an Academy ceremony with more than one Best Picture or Best Director nomination for a woman is fantastic.
“Being talked about in the same conversations as Zhao is… wow. It’s gratifying.”
She adds of the new set of guidelines from the Academy to increase visibility of under-represented groups on screen and diversity among crews: “I hope that it will encourage people to broaden their perspective and make for richer storytelling.
“The Oscars, at the end of the day, were designed for promotion, and obviously I’m not taking away that it’s also to honour filmmakers and artists, but it was the intent with these awards shows to boost ticket sales.”
See the full feature in the February issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands Friday, January 8.
