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| Director Ryan Coogler |
“He was a different person with different people,” Coogler says. “He was a people pleaser. He was always trying to be the version of himself people wanted and if that meant being around friends then he had to be the leader. He wanted to be the best boyfriend he could be and sometimes that meant lying to his girlfriend.”
Documenting the complexity of Grant’s character took research. Grant’s arrest records and the circumstances surrounding his death revealed who Grant was as a person, but it wasn’t until Coogler spoke with Grant’s mother Wanda, played by Octavia Spencer of The Help, and Grant’s girlfriend Sophina, played by Melonie Diaz, did he find out where Grant was in his life. Coogler says the theme of second chances and change was prevalent in the stories he heard.
“A lot of it I got from Sophina, and it was really the day for him,” Coogler explains. “It being New Year’s Eve, it was his mom’s birthday and the last NYE he was incarcerated. The most important relationship in his life was with his daughter and he was incarcerated when she was just four, so he was trying to make up for lost time."
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| Nicholas Gowen, Charmaine Ward, Ryan Coogler, Cherie Greene, and Kevin Hooch |
Coogler says it takes a community to tell a great story and he needed a cast with range. Casting actors
who could handle such an emotionally charged script was important for Coogler and when he met Jordan the young filmmaker says he instinctively knew he wanted him as the lead. Everything seemed to align, Coogler received support from Hollywood heavyweights like Forest Whitaker who produced the film through his company Significant Productions. He also privileged to Octavia Spencer join the cast, but Coogler admits he was shocked at her decision.
“I never thought Octavia Spencer would do it after winning an Academy Award. She didn’t need it in my opinion, but she came on board was passionate and real into it.”
Working with industry vets like Whitaker opened doors for Coogler who otherwise may not have had the resources needed to make Fruitvale Station a successful film. He gained leverage through grants from The San Francisco Film Society and his work at the Sundance Institute Screenwriter’s Lab where he perfected the script. The Weinstein Brothers threw their hat in the ring after the film was made, and Coogler says working with so many different people was a learning experience. As a result, Fruitvale Station, which had a limited opening in San Francisco, was the winner of both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
Watch the trailer for Ryan Coogler's new film sinners opening in theaters on April 18
“I learned a lot about filmmaking while making this movie and I learned it's like football,” Coogler says. “Making a film is like a team sport and I played football for a long time, so I have an idea of what teamwork is.” It’s the same mentality Coogler takes with when he works at Juvenile Hall in San Francisco. Though recent events force him to be honest about the harsh realities the Trayvon Martin case brought to the forefront. As a counselor he talks to many boys whose name could easily be replaced with that of Oscar Grant or Trayvon Martin. He tries to teach the kids the same lessons Grant may have learned too late in his short life.
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| Director Ryan Coogler and Charmaine Ward |
“I’m as confused as everybody else,” Coogler says. “I tell them every day their lives have value. Every day I tell them to make the right decisions that will bring you back home to your loved ones, but even then you can make the right decisions and still not come back.”