This Red Tails& Pride star has come a long way. Nate Parker, who turns 35 next month, is now a leading man in a romantic drama that we can't wait for you to see. The Virginia native chopped it up to TheYBF.com about his upcoming love story, Beyond The Lights, why Hollywood doesn't produce more Black-led romance movies and how his wife CRIED about his steamy love scenes. More inside...
In the highly anticipated love story, Beyond The Lights, Nate Parker (shown above at the film's premiere with director Gina Prince-Bythewood and co-star Gugu Mbatha-Raw) stars as a young police officer who falls in love with a suicidal Grammy-winning starlet, despite protests from both their parents.
And since the film is written, produced and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Disappearing Acts, Love & Basketball), we're totally here for it.
TheYBF.com's correspondent Shirley V. Williams had some real talk, one-on-one, with Nate about Hollywood’s fear of Black love stories (“It’s a journey to get them made, you know, it’s a stigma that exist in Hollywood that we fight everyday"), on HIS GORGEOUS co-star Gugu Mbatha-Raw ('Belle'), his crush on film legend Ruby Dee and why his love scenes brought his wife, Sarah, to tears!
On getting his start and moving to Hollywood:
I was a computer programmer. I was never in acting when I was young...I went to a modeling event with my then girlfriend. I met someone when I was there. He asked if I would like to be a part of the program, if I’d like to try and be an actor. I moved out and took his class and that was that. Within a week I moved to LA and had an agent in like 3 days, and then got my first job in 3 months and I never stopped working.
On his first gig:
My first job was actually a commercial, a Sprint commercial. It was back when minutes became free after 7 o clock remember that?! Honestly I remember not answering my phone until 7 o clock.
On his wife’s reaction to his intense love scenes in Beyond The Lights:
It’s funny because I was nervous. Anytime you’re doing love scenes…it’s just work, you’re a professional. But our job is to be convincing. Our job is to do so much work and do so much preparation that it becomes real life you know.
I talked to Gina and was like I want you to go and be comfortable…so you know I arranged a screening so my wife could see it alone. So she could have the experience of putting it the way she wanted.
I went home and cleaned the house very well and waited patiently for her arrival…I didn’t know what she was going to say. She came in and she was just in tears. She said she loved it and it was weird; but, what she said is….I get to have him every day.
On Hollywood’s resistance to Black love stories:
I think it’s the same reason why there aren’t more black intelligent films. It’s a journey to get them made, you know, it’s a stigma that exist in Hollywood that we fight every day. But the interesting thing is we don’t give our audience enough credit. The reality is people want to see experience that involves the human condition. In Toronto the crowd gave a standing ovation. I was overwhelmed, the standing ovation it speaks to the heart of the film, love doesn’t have a color. You know neither does identity. The reality is, as human beings we go through stuff and I think when you make a film and you make it well, people will connect with as human beings.
On Hollywood’s pursuit of money over art:
If it’s a question to make money, the idea is always, how can we make the most money? Well, if we make Beyond The Lights about a white figure, because they are more majority, black people make up 4%, we’ll make more money because it's…you know what I mean……
On co-star Gugu Mbatha-Raw's (above) greatest talents:
She’s the most talented actress I’ve ever worked with. She is well prepared, well read, elegant, just everything about her screams longevity. I have a feeling about these things. She’s incredible, she’s an incredible person and she’s an incredible talent.
On producers Reggie & Gina Prince-Bythewood
They’re a walking example of this film. They’re in desperate love. You can see it in the way they deal with their children. And they bring that love to their work. I’ve never heard Gina raise her voice. For the record, to never raise your voice as a director means you can motivate people simply by being yourself. She never has to go to extreme measures with people. And people work so hard for her you know. And Reggie, he is always there for her. Never tried to dominate, he never tried to push her to do things she doesn’t want to do, he was just there. When she needed help or when she needed someone to talk to or when she just wanted to hang out with the kids, he’d bring the kids. It was great. It was wonderful watching a healthy relationship.
On comparing Gina’s film 'Love & Basketball' to 'Beyond The Lights':
I think there are alike traits in all of her films. If you look at 'Love and Basketball' and now 'Beyond The Lights', she has captured the essence of love. I think she just has a genius that a lot of people don’t have. She’s a writer, she’s a director, she’s a producer, she’s a renaissance woman and I think everything she does will be successful and I count myself to be apart.
On if he has “crushes” on other women:
Absolutely not. Well, maybe Ruby Dee. Man, I love Ruby Dee. When she passed away it hit me on an emotional level. She was so beautiful. A lot of people never looked up pictures of her when she was young. Oh my goodness she was gorgeous. She was drop dead gorgeous. I have a picture with her. I met her at a play and that was my crush. And I’m still in love with her.
On his next projects:
I’m about to direct a film that starts in December…my directing feature film debut.
We’ll keep you posted about Nate’s directorial debut, and check out Beyond The Lights (starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, Colson “MGK” Baker and Danny Glover) in theaters November 14th.
Photos via Getty; Interview: YBF Correspondent: Shirley V. Williams
