Forest Whitaker is a distinguished artist and humanist. He is the founder of PeaceEarth Foundation, co-founder and chair of the International Institute for Peace, and the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation. A versatile talent, Forest is one of Hollywood’s most accomplished performers, receiving such prestigious honors as a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in The Last King of Scotland, as well as a Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for Bird.
Whitaker was the 2007 recipient of the Cinema for Peace Award, and he currently sits on the board of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. In addition, he serves as a Senior Research Scholar at Rutgers University, and as a Visiting Professor at Ringling College of Art and Design, too.
Besides the aforementioned films, Forest’s impressive resume’ includes The Great Debaters, The Crying Game, Panic Room, Platoon, Ghost Dog, Mr. Holland’s Opus and Good Morning Vietnam. Here, he talks about his latest outing as the title character in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, a decades-spanning sage chronicling the life and career of an African-American who served eight presidents in the White House.
Kam Williams: Hi Forest, I’m honored to have this opportunity.
Forest Whitaker: Oh, no, it’s a pleasure just to talk to you, Kam.
KW: What interested you in The Butler?
FW: It’s an amazing story. And the script was beautiful in the way it followed this man who served eight presidents and portrayed his love for his family, as well as the love between him and his son. So, I saw it as offering a great challenge and opportunity. And I thought that Lee [director Lee Daniels] would do a wonderful job with the script as a filmmaker, so that was an attraction as well. And I had wanted to work with Oprah, so all of that came together to afford me this tremendous opportunity.
KW: Did the film’s father-son relationship resonate with you when
you reflected upon your relationship with your own dad?
FW: Yes, it’s hard to always understand and appreciate your father when
you’re coming up, especially since my dad had three jobs when we moved to
L.A. So, he was always working. Plus, coming from the South, from Texas, he
had a certain way of disciplining that made it hard for me to appreciate, at
the time. You don’t fully appreciate the reasons why or the sacrifices that
were being made until a later age. In some ways it did parallel the journey
of ultimate appreciation that we see in the movie of me towards my son and
my son towards me.
KW: How did you prepare for the role of Cecil Gaines?
FW: I trained with a butler coach for quite some time. And I studied the
history and, of course, tried to make that a part of my own emotional
understanding of the time period and the presidency. In terms of the aging
process, I particularly had to work on movement and mannerisms. I also tried
to understand the dialect and speech patterns. And I worked on how I could
communicate my thoughts more clearly without words. I wanted to fill myself
up enough so that you would be able to feel my thoughts, even in scenes
where I would say nothing.
KW: That hard work paid off. I cried about a half-dozen times during
the film.
FW: It’s very moving because it deals with so many primal issues: loss,
degradation, even joy. Lee painted a picture that allows you to get in touch
with many different emotions.
KW: True. Attorney Bernadette Beekman asks: What was it like acting
opposite Oprah?
FW: Oprah just really committed completely to the movie. She was startling,
at times, in how deeply she was into the authenticity of the scenes. For
instance, there was a big emotional moment that wasn’t shown completely in
the film where she screamed and fell to the ground, letting out a piercing
wail that went through my bones. It had me trying to figure out how to
comfort her, because it’s hard to find the proper emotion to respond to pain
that overwhelms.
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier says: You are a great director, in
addition to of course being an excellent actor. Personally, I love biopics,
like where you played Charlie Parker in Bird. Is there a story about an icon
that you would like to direct and star in?
FW: Yes, there’s a film I’ve been developing about Louie Armstrong that I’d
like to direct and star in. I wrote the script and really believe in it. I
think it’s something I’ll probably do next year, although I haven’t made a
final decision about whether I should direct it or not. It’s a really
special story.
KW: Leah Fletcher asks: How did it feel, when you were just breaking into
the industry, to receive such a glowing acknowledgment from a seasoned and
respected actor such as Sean Connery for your work in The Crying Game?
FW: Leah, I didn’t even know ‘til now that Sean Connery had commented about
my work in The Crying Game. A lot of Brits believe that I was British for
quite some time after that film. So, I can see how Sean Connery might have
said something. That’s nice.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles says: You produced the extraordinary
Fruitvale
Station. Is this a new role you see for yourself?
FW: The truth is, I produce one or two movies every year, both independent
and studio films. I’ll continue to produce. In fact, I have a documentary
that just came out about the Rwandan National Cycling team called Rising
from Ashes.
KW: I loved it!
FW: Oh, you already saw it. Great!
KW: You can check out my review at
AALBC.com. Bernadette also says:
You are a true Renaissance Man. Besides acting, you write, direct, narrate
and produce. You’re like a latter-day Oscar Micheaux.
FW:
Oscar Micheaux reshaped the Black Film Movement. Those are some great
shoes to fill. I can only take that as a compliment. Thanks, Bernadette.
That gives me something to live towards, because it’s a lot.
KW: Director Rel Dowdell, who has made two low-budget films, including
Changing the Game last year, would like to know how he can pitch you about a
project.
FW: I have my company, Significant Productions, in Los Angeles. And I also
have a company called JuntoBox Films Select, a crowd-sourcing film site
which we produce movies out of. We just finished one with a first-time
filmmaker, called Sacrifice. And we’re about to do another one in a month or
so. Rel can reach out to either one of those companies.
KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?
FW: [Chuckles] I can’t think of one.
KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you?
FW: Two things: The success of my children, and the work for social justice
that I do with my foundation.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
FW: I see someone who is continuing to try to build his connection with the
rest of the world.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
FW: That everyone could recognize themselves in the face of the other people
that they see.
KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would
you be?
FW: Either a leopard or an eagle.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
FW: My dad teaching me to ride a bike at about 5 or 6.
KW: The Anthony Mackie question: Is there something that you promised to do
if you became famous, that you still haven’t done yet?
FW: No, and my goals have expanded.
KW: The Viola Davis question: What’s the difference between you are at home
as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?
FW: I’m the same person, just with different clothes on. I’m the same.
KW: The Anthony Anderson question: If you could have a superpower, which one
would you choose?
FW: I’d be a spreader of love.
KW: The Gabby Douglas question: If you had to choose another profession,
what would that be?
FW: I’d either be a natural healer or a teacher.
KW: The bookworm
Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
FW:
Solutions Focus.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all
successful people share?
FW: Passion!
KW: Harriet also asks: With so many classic films being redone, is there a
remake you'd like to star in?
FW: The Audrey Hepburn-Albert Finney film, Two for the Road.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your
footsteps?
FW: Always tell yourself that you want to continue to grow, and you’ll be
more connected to growth.
KW: The Jamie Foxx question: If you only had 24 hours to live, how would you
spend that time?
FW: With my family.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Forest, and best of luck with The Butler, and
I hope to talk to you about your upcoming independent project.
FW: Sure, Kam, and thanks again for supporting
Rising from Ashes.
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Related Links
Forest Whitaker The Last King of Scotland Interview (2013)
Forest Whitaker The “Repentance” Interview (2014)