Stephan James is winning in the film Race

  Stephan James at a media roundtable in Atlanta 

Known for his stellar performances in  historical dramas such as Selma and The Book of Negroes, Stephan James continues to inspire audiences in the film Race hitting theaters February 19. The biographical film follows the journey of Olympian James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens who competed in 1936 Nazi Germany and won four gold medals in track and field. The story comes to life through the cinematic vision of Director Stephen Hopkins who unearths the spirit of pre-WWII Germany as the dominant back drop against Owen’s determination. At the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta Georgia, James sits in a room and describes the experience of playing the famous track and field athlete who challenged Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy.

"Race is the hardest story I’ve ever filmed. It was mentally and physically demanding. You’re put in the space where you’re only being another person, you’re not yourself. You work 16 hours a day go home and sleep and work 16 hours a day again. You give so much of yourself to that person. I cut my hair like him and every time I looked at myself in the mirror I saw him," James explains. "There’s the acting component and period component. So I’m in a different time and then there’s the physical aspect. So you have those three things and literally there’s no more of yourself. To me it was the roughest three months."

James trained daily to achieve the look of the long jumper who also specialized in sprints. Speaking with his Owen's family gave James the perspective he needed successfully convey the tracks star's vulnerability. Owens was put into the complex position to compete and win in a host country that embraced white superiority on the world stage and whose political actions were anything but moral. James says for Owens it was unique because the experience was more positive than what he expected. In fact, Germans have a long tradition of patronizing Black Americans, and many Black people who lived there became partial to the country, also known as the Fatherland.                                    

Stephan James as Jesse Owens in the film Race

"I obviously had to read books on that time especially from Jesse’s point of view. Our director Stephen Hopkins was very good at painting a picture of that whole era," James recalls. "When you have a director like that who was able to fill in the blanks and help you get into a certain space and mindset its beneficial." 

What James found most surprising is that there were many Germans who loved Owens. It wasn’t all hate he says. In fact, there were a lot of friendships Owens built with Germans and James says that’s the most beautiful part of the narrative. But facing the adversity of the story proved most challenging. James honed in on his non-verbal skills to communicate the gravity of situation as a Black man in Nazi Germany competing in the most important race of his life. There was a lot to take into consideration, especially the aspect of competition and the mental toll the it took on Owens. There were times when scenes became overwhelming and required focus to recreate the high intensity moments.

"You’ll see in the film there’s these great shots of Jesse walking into a stadium with 150,000 people, but obviously we did not have a 150,000 people," James continues. "For me it was like how do I make it look like I’m in stadium of 150,000 Nazi Germans? It must have been very intimidating. I’m like how do I make it look like that with 20 people?"

Telling the story was important to James, because it makes Black excellence accessible to all audiences. For James accepting roles in historical dramas are resume boosters. He chooses each role carefully and answering hard questions about race and injustice during interviews is a simple part of the job.

"I think it’s so important to tell the stories of our ancestors so people know why we do what we do today. There were certain sacrifices and barriers that those before us had to go through for us to be here today," James says. "It also inspires us to continue and know there are people who fought before us."

 Stephan James with artist/activist Fahamu Pecou  

The actor isn’t afraid to comment on the current climate of Hollywood and the conversation surrounding the lack of Black talent in certain rooms. He admits there are truths that need to be confronted, but James, like Owens, doesn't let obstacles stand in the way of his ultimate goal.

"We see, that visually, minorities are not equally represented in certain instances. For me it’s always been a journey of working hard and focusing and not using that kind of thing as a crutch or as an excuse for anything," James says.  "I just always work harder and try to do my best in everything I do."