By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) --Actress Chante Adams had just graduated from Carnegie Mellon University when she got a call from a casting agent who wanted her to audition to be the lead in the Roxanne Shante biopic "Roxanne, Roxanne." Adams had no feature credits to her name and a background in theater. But the agent saw something in her at CMU's senior showcase, where students perform in front of agents, managers and casting directors, and sought her out.
Soon enough, what began as "oh, cool, my first audition" became Adams' first film role in the anticipated pic about the life of hip-hop pioneer Roxanne Shante from director Michael Larnell. "Roxanne, Roxanne," which co-stars "Moonlight's" Marhershala Ali and Nia Long, premieres Sunday (1/22) at the Sundance Film Festival.
Q: How familiar were you with Roxanne Shante?
CHANTE ADAMS: Not very. I wasn't born until '94! Her era was definitely the '80s. I knew of her, I knew who she was. I had older siblings, and I kind of knew her through them and the hip-hop music they listened to. But I didn't know much about her, so after I got the first audition, I went straight into research mode. I saw the video for "Roxanne's Revenge" and was like "Oh my God, we kind of look alike!"
Q: You only had a week and a half from being cast to shooting. How did you prepare?
ADAMS: Hours and hours of research. I'm pretty sure I've watched very single video on the internet that exists of Roxanne Shante — every interview, every music performance, and just using that to get it down. I met her once before we started filming, and that was such an honor. I was so lucky to be able to do this biopic while she is still here so I can make sure I got it right.
Q: What did you talk about with Roxanne?
ADAMS: She was just telling me about her life. It was me, her, Nia Long and Michael. She was giving me pointers on the voice, and she was telling Nia about her mom. She told me she was going to be on set as much as possible, but there's some stuff that she won't be on set for because it's a little difficult to relive that. I understood that and understood that I had to take that into my own hands and do what I could with it. She was on set a few times a week, which I loved. Anytime I had a question or needed advice, it was awesome to have her right there. I could go straight to the source
Q: Was there a particular scene she helped you with?
ADAMS: There's a scene where she's stealing from a department store. I did the scene how I imagined you would steal from a department store, because I don't know. She was there and we were about to wrap and she told Michael "we need to do it again because she's not stealing right." She basically came over to me and taught me the correct way to steal clothes. She was like "No, you can't look at the clothes, you can't look at the bag, just grab it, keep your eyes up, you can't make it look suspicious." So she taught me the proper way to steal clothes from a department store.
Q: What's next for you?
ADAMS: Just to continue in the film world for right now. Ride the "Roxanne, Roxanne" wave and, you know, we'll see where it goes!
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More