‘American Fantasy’ Writer and Director Cord Jefferson Talks About the Making of the Film – The Hollywood Reporter

Cord Jefferson

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One of the most interesting titles of the year is Orion’s American fantasythe debut from the Emmy Award-winning director The guards Writer Cord Jefferson has received accolades on the festival circuit, including a People’s Choice Award from the Toronto Film Festival (a major forerunner for the Best Picture race).

Based on the novel by Percival Everett EraseThe film stars Jeffrey Wright as Friar Ellison, an underappreciated novelist who is frustrated by his career, the market’s ideas about the kinds of books black writers should publish, and the success of “black” fiction, which he believes thrives on stereotypes. After the sudden death of his sister (Tracee Ellis Ross), Monk returns home to care for his dementia-stricken mother (Leslie Uggams). While dealing with his out-of-control brother (Sterling K. Brown) and sparking an affair with his neighbor (Erika Alexander), Monk turns his frustrations into a novel under a pseudonym. My buffology, in which Monk pretends to be an ex-con. But what starts as a joke turns into a huge hit—the biggest of his career—and soon Monk must come to grips with his identity and place in the publishing world.

Jefferson spoke with THR About his personal connection to the story and responding to the limitations of black storytelling.

What about Percival Everett’s book spoke to you?

All the professional stuff — what people think is in the realm of possibility for black creatives is what I’ve been thinking about since I was working in journalism. But more than that, I have two older brothers, and we’ve had strange relationships over the years. We have a very overbearing father who looms large in our lives, and he always will, even after his death. My mother died of cancer, and there was a period when the responsibility for her care fell on the shoulders of a brother who lived in the same city; He took on this responsibility while my other brother and I were traveling the world and living our lives. There were all these crazy, weird coincidental references to my life (in the book). If it were just satire, I might have been excited enough. But there was so much overlap with my life that it felt weird. It really felt like someone sat down and said, “I’m writing a novel specifically for Cord Jefferson.”

In 2014, I wrote an article for Mediation Titled “The Blow of Racism,” it’s about having to cover the pain of black people as a journalist. How much did this experience influence this film?

Much. I thought, “This makes sense, this is journalism and we have to stick to reality, and a lot of the reality people see is black trauma and poverty and violence.” When I got into film and TV, I thought: “This is going to be great!” This is fiction, I can write about what I want.” And then the executives were saying, “What about a slave movie? What about a movie about a drug dealer or gang members?” I once received a letter from an executive to create the character Blacker. I said to my manager, “Give her a call and ask her to tell me what… It means ‘Blacker,’ and then I’ll think about it.” Of course, she wouldn’t do that, I knew she put her foot in her mouth and looked crazy. But I felt, even though in the world of imagination and imagination, we are still very limited in the minds of these people in what It’s about what we can achieve, what we care about, and what our lives look like.

As a satire, American fantasy Pays straight back on that thinking.

What the film shows is: This is how you want us to portray black lives. (Monk’s alter ego) is on the run, coming from extreme poverty, having been imprisoned, and having a dead father. This is the way you prefer to portray black lives. In parallel, you see what actual black life might look like. Not without tragedy. The point is not that everything should be joyful and comical. The monk goes through a lot of bad things. Why can’t his story just be about different problems? I’m not saying I only want to write about happy black people, because there’s no drama. But why does the story have to be about slaves, drug dealers, or an absent father?

The film is a social satire and family comedy-drama. How did you settle on the tone of the film?

I’m inspired by the work of people like Alexander Payne, Nicole Holofcener, and Noah Baumbach. They are trying to depict the reality of life – comedy and tragedy together on the same day. At my lowest, I experienced moments of true beauty, joy, and laughter. The idea that we need to be somber about serious topics does a disservice to who we actually are as humans. We are flexible. We find ways to laugh at illness.

The supporting cast justifies Jeffrey Wright’s performance. Although he is a misanthrope, we see that the women in his life in particular overlook his flaws.

I was living like a monk, very closed and isolated. The people who tolerated and loved me despite this behavior, and who worked to get it out of me, were always women. I didn’t expect how Jeffrey would play the character. I knew we needed to surround him with glamorous, vivacious women, actresses who could elicit smiles and laughs from him. Even Sterling K. Brown, a naturally charming and prosperous person, would serve as a good foil for Geoffrey and Monk’s angry behavior – such as (The odd couples) Oscar and Felix. But the women in my life have always saved me from myself, and it was important for me to put that in the film.

This story first appeared in the November 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.