Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Did he tell you why he wanted to see you?
Had he seen you inSpider-Man?
He told me a bit about the character, but not really.
But I didnt read the script; he wouldnt release it.
I read that you and the cast met and talked toKathleen Cleaverat Spikes house.
Is that who the writers primarily based Patrice on?You would have to ask them.
I know what influences I drew from, which were Kathleen, and Angela Davis, obviously.
But also various people that I spoke to who were in the Black Student Union at Colorado College.
I watched a ton of interviews and documentaries, and Spike gave me a big reading list.
He really guided me into finding this character.
Did the Black Student Union really have a female president in the 70s?No, they didnt.
That was the writers creation.
You said Patrices big Afro, leather jackets, and aviator frames helped you find the character.
But I also think shes vulnerable and feminine, and really has feelings for Ron.
It was important for me to show her humanity, and not just be this figurehead of this movement.
Were there things you improvised or created for Patrice?Im sure there were some lines.
But the biggest thing was mySoul Traindance.
We had a choreographer, but only for the chorus [ofToo Late to Turn Back Now].
But it was really fun.
It was probably one of my favorite days on set.
Was there a real KKK plot to attack protesters?Yes there was, and Ron stopped it.
Heres really a hero, and he saved a lot of peoples lives.
We tried to figure out how to make their dynamic seem believable and real.
We had that conversation of how does she not know what he does for a living?
I think that she starts to get some red flags, of course.
But she also wants to believe in this person whom she really cares for.
Its obviously a huge betrayal when she finds out that hes not who he says he is.
The mood was intense because of the story he was telling, which I didnt know.
And the fact that they took those pictures to sell as souvenirs.
I dont know how you could do that.
It really lent weight to the message.
There was lots of Champagne at the end.
What was it like growing up there?Evanston is a really liberal and diverse place.
My high school was pretty much 50 percent black and 50 percent white.
I had friends of every color.
You dont shy away fromactivism on Instagram, advocating for trans rights, gun control, and gender equality.
Youve also said youve witnessed racial discrimination firsthand.
Can you talk about that?I think its just an unfortunate fact of being a person of color.
I dont think I know anyone whohasntexperienced some form of racism.
I dont have a big racist story.
Everyday racism is a reality in America, unfortunately.
I saw that David Duke called Ron Stallworth.
Did Ron say what the conversation was about?Yeah, he called the other day.
Ron talked about it in aninterview with Lester Holt.
He said that Duke wanted to know how he was going to be portrayed in the film.
He was concerned about looking bad.
Hes got a lot more to be concerned about [than that].
He keeps it in his wallet, and its signed by David Duke.
He told his story, and spoke for, I dont know, maybe half an hour.
This is all very real.
I dont want to tell anyone what to think because everyone will take away something different.
But I do hope it gets people talking.
Youve said youre drawn to films and scripts with female directors and writers.
I would love to portray people that I didnt really get to see growing up onscreen.
There werent many girls that looked like me [laughs] until very recently.
There wasnt a love interest in a big superhero movie who was black until it was literally me.
So just being able to, hopefully, be part of changing what movies look like.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
