Some YBF actresses and actors are being recognized in the newest issue of W Magazine, nabbing spots on their 2015 Best Performance List. In other news, celebrity agent Charles King has left talent agency WME to launch his own media firm MARCO. Get the deets inside….
2014 brought some fab YBF fresh faces to some blockbuster screen films. And now, some of those young, black Hollywood stars are getting their shine.
Dear White People starlet Tessa Thompson nabbed a spot on W Magazine’s Best Performance 2015 list in their “Movie Issue” for her role as Sam White in the comedy drama. Each actor on the list posed in the carnival themed spread, in which Tessa donned a Hilfiger Collection swimsuit and scarf, Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane jacket and shoes, a turban by L. Erickson USA and rings from David Yurman & Lagos for her editorial.
For her upcoming role in SELMA (Jan. 9th), Tessa plays founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Diana Nash, who ends up in jail while four months pregnant.
In the issue, she talks playing pregnancy roles and reveals what role she would like to play next. She said,
“I’ve played pregnant women so many times, it sometimes feels that if there’s a story about the female experience, the female must be pregnant. I’d actually love to play a vampire. That would be liberating.”
Another SELMA star on the list....
British actor David Oyelowo is being recognized for his upcoming role as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil rights film. He was just awarded the Best Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival gala over the weekend.
David, rocking a Christopher Kane shirt, talks about the honor of to playing such a significant American role even though he’s not an American citizen. He said,
“Being British, I was able to play Martin Luther King Jr. as a human being rather than as an icon, a historical figure, a holiday. He wasn’t part of my life the way he is for African-Americans. They grew up with photographs of Jesus, JFK, and Dr. King in their homes.”
YBF actress Carmen Ejogo was also featured on the best performance list for her upcoming role in SELMA as Dr. King’s wife Coretta Scott King. She dished on her performance saying,
“Coretta Scott King was all about her pearls. At one point, I’m wearing pearl earrings the size of golf balls. They’re enormous! She was bold—she knew that she was the Jackie Kennedy of her community.”
And last but not least, Chadwick Boseman was recognized for his role as James Brown in his biopic, Get On Up. The dapper actor donned a Bottega Veneta jacket, Prada vest and shirt, Umit Benan pants and Church’s shoes for his pictorial. In the issue he talked about how he prepared for his role as the Godfather of Funk saying,
“To play James Brown, I would rehearse with a tight suit on. That’s the easiest way to get into character: the dress pants, the leather shoes, the button-down shirt, sometimes even a tie. To really understand the nuances of Brown’s dance style, you had to be properly dressed like him at all times. When he danced, he wanted you to see the crease in his trousers, the line of his sleeve, and, of course, his pinkie ring. So you had to have that on to show it off.”
Congrats to these YBF folks!
In other news...
Black celebrity agent Charles King is making a big move is his career. He’s considered as one of Hollywood’s most powerful agents, with former clients including Oprah and Tyler Perry.
After years of working for famed talent agency William Morris Endeavor, the entrepreneur has decided to leave the company and launch his own media firm MACRO, aimed at producing content for multicultural audiences.
The Hollywood Reporter reveals:
With an unspecified "eight figures" in funding, Los Angeles-based MACRO initially will focus on developing and distributing feature films, TV series and digital content targeting African-American, Latino and multicultural markets.
King, 45, tells The Hollywood Reporter that MACRO's goal is to focus on audiences that have long been underserved by the traditional entertainment industry. "I've been sitting in these rooms for the last 15 years. The studios aren't focused on it; the packagers aren't focused on it," he says. "There's a huge void and a huge opportunity."
He points to the lack of capital available to minority-focused filmmakers and says he's looking to change that with MACRO, which will leverage crowdfunding platforms and co-financing to target films that range from "artistically inclined independents" in the $1 million to $3 million budget range up to $20 million projects. He points to films such as Barbershop, The Butler and Ride Along as examples of the types of projects he hopes to produce. "The one underlying theme is 'premium,' " he says. "I'm looking for artistic integrity."
Charles has already linked up with filmmakers Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) and Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) for upcoming projects under his new production company. We’re anxious to see what he has in store!
Photos: Tim Walker/W Magazine/MACRO via THR