The stars and creators of Hulu’s White Men Can’t Jump gathered together today for a press junket to discuss the making of the upcoming film, including the authenticity of Los Angeles lifestyle, references to the original film and more.
The White Men Can’t Jump press junket included producer and director Calmatic as well as stars Jack Harlow, Sinqua Walls, Teyana Taylor and Laura Harrier.
One of the biggest accomplishments of this film is how is captures authentic Los Angeles culture and Calmatic was very proud of that aspect fo the film.
“I’m born and raised in LA. You know what I’m saying? I love LA more than a lot of stuff,” Calmatic said. “In film, Hollywood, you see LA represented in so many different ways but being someone who lives here, I’m like, there’s a whole LA that the world hasn’t seen yet. It’s the LA I grew up in, it’s also a very influential LA that hasn’t been. Just the way we walk, the way we talk, the way we play basketball.”
The original film of course focused a lot on that Los Angeles culture as well, but Calmatic wanted to make a different film while still paying homage to the 1992 classic.
“You know they say things that are classic are things that are new that feel familiar,” the director said. “We got a bunch of new elements, new characters, new storyline, but we have to have some of those elements, some of those locations that are familiar that everyone, you know, kind of associates with the original film.”
As for the stars of the new film, Harlow stepped right into his very first film role and shared a little bit about what that experience was like.
“It was cool, man. A learning experience,” Harlow said. “I’m thankful that I joined a group of people that was so humble and, you know, willing to let me learn and be patient with me and be willing to teach. You know, I feel like I arrived in an egoless environment and I was the least experienced person and everyone just kind of let me shine and let me try things and gave me the room to give my opinion.”
Harlow is of course a very successful musician and he explained that he welcomed the change of pace as he went to work on this film.
“I had just dropped an album, I was in the whirlwind of the music industry and the way the schedule was set up, as soon as the album came out, I was to come out here and shoot this so it was such a beautiful escape from kind of the place I was in and I think I needed it mentally and emotionally, just to get out of the monotony of music and it was phenomenal,” Harlow said. “Every day I looked forward to showing up. Obviously I loved the movie we were making and I loved my craft, but I loved seeing so many people. I mean literally everyone on that set, by the end I had a little vibe with.”
Walls, who was a Division I basketball player in college, talked a bit about how important the authenticity of the basketball in this film was.
“I think that was the most important part, was to make sure that this was authentic with basketball and I think that’s something that [Calmatic] really cared about and he was really critical about every time,” Walls said. “I always talk about how a lot of the movie moved in a space where we had to do single takes and those movements don’t work unless someone can authentically play basketball to a level that makes the most sense. So that’s why the basketball in it is so good.”
Walls’ character also connects a great deal with a theme of mental health and he took a moment to speak to the importance of that topic.
“It’s current to today. We’re seeing so many different things that people are afflicted with and they’re struggling with and they’re trying to overcome,” Walls said. “And I think what the ‘92 film did was really be elemental of what was going on in the culture and I think now our culture has progressed to a place where mental health is so important and people are wanting to have that conversation. They’re wanting to have a conversation of ‘how can I get help’ or ‘how can I help?’”
Both Walls and Harlow obviously stepped into a couple of very big roles, but Harrier also faced the task of filling the role made famous by Rosie Perez in the original film, and she explained what that experience was like.
“It was definitely very big shoes to walk into. Rosie Perez is an actress I always looked up to and I think her in the original film is such an iconic role and character so I wanted to not try and reference any of that because I didn’t want ot try and do a recreation of what she was doing,” Harrier said. “I wanted to give Tatiana her own character and her own person and my own interpretation of who she was.”
The film also tells a story of multiple characters who are simply chasing their dreams and Harrier discussed her experience with that as well.
“I always feel like I’m living in a dream. I get to do this, I get to be here with these people,” Harrier said. “And that’s something I loved about my character Tatiana, she has big dreams and big aspirations and I love that this movie also focuses on the women’s stories and how they also have their own lives and their own separate hopes and goals.”
Taylor’s character had a similar experience in the movie and she discussed how she connected with Imani as she was making the film.
“My husband being in the league, we see the ups and downs of that and through the ups and downs, its your job to be there and support in any way that you can when you’re someone’s other half,” Taylor said. “It was easy for me to tap into Imani because, besides doing hair in the living room, I’ve been there before, having to support when it’s up and also having to ride when it’s down.”
Another star of the film is Lance Reddick, who tragically passed away in March. When asked about working with Reddick, Harlow said he was “taken by his presence.” Calmatic shared what his experience as a director was like as well.
“When he came to set he was like, super locked in. And it was one of those things where, as a director, when I’m watching the actors perform, I’m always thinking about ‘how can we do that different,’ but after every take, I would go in there and I would just be like ‘that was perfect, like, you did it,’” Calmatic said. “I quickly realized he was one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with and it’s such a shame that he’s not here with us, but I think we all, just his presence alone, left an imprint, a great impression on us.”
White Men Can’t Jump will premiere on Hulu on May 19th.