Entertainment: Isaiah Washington Digs Deep to Portray DC Sniper in Blue Caprice
Isaiah Washington in "Blue Caprice"
Isaiah Washington Digs Deep to Portray DC Sniper in Blue Caprice
by DuEwa Frazier
Former “Greys Anatomy”
star Isaiah Washington transformed as an actor to play the role of D.C. sniper
John Muhammad in the film “Blue Caprice.”
Washington who has been relatively out of the spotlight since his
departure from “Greys Anatomy” says of the time right before the “Blue Caprice”
role was offered, “I had been traveling abroad, extensively working on my
interests in West Africa in this wonderful nation that I believe in, Sierra
Leone. I was in a place where if
something came in I was fully in control of what I wanted to do as an artist.”
Washington prepared for
the role by reading two sources given to him by the film’s director Alexandre
Moors - Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Notes from
the Underground and the memoir of John Muhammad’s ex-wife, Scared Silent. The readings helped put him in the pain
filled mental state he needed to be in order to play Muhammad. Washington says
of his preparation,“I read Scared Silence
in like two days…I said ‘I get it you want me to really be in that place, but
if I go any further…I’ll be like the roach in Kafka’s Metamorphosis.’”
The film depicts the
psychological and emotional disturbance of John Muhammad the man who
manipulated a young teenager from Antigua, Lee Boyd Malvo, to kill and injure
dozens of people across the Beltway area.
Washington was initially on the fence about taking the role saying, “I
pick up the phone and call producer Isen Robbins, he gives me the whole
spiel. I’m feeling it. Then he says we’re doing this story on the D.C.
sniper. I say ‘You got the wrong
guy’.” But after more talks with the
film’s producer and director Alexandre Moors, Washington found that the project
would give him the opportunity to connect with his need to “make art” and tell
a story. Washington talks of what sold
him about the role, “I read this wonderful missive that he [Moors] wrote to
me. It reminded me of the artist that I
always wanted to be when I was working with Spike. Reminded me of the days of “Clockers” and
“Get on the Bus” and “Girl 6”.”
The role was not about
making a Hollywood comeback for Isaiah, but rather who he could become as an
artist through the project. Washington
says of his transformation, “I was emancipated on many levels because of this film. I was emancipated
as an artist. I was emancipated as a
human being. This is probably the most
challenging, the most difficult endeavor I have ever embarked upon.”
Director Alexander
Moors discusses why he made the film. “It is not a biopic. I felt I needed to
do something to bump my head against this thing that troubles me…how people
choose to embrace violence in such an easy way.
I needed to understand why we choose violence as a means to an end.”
Isaiah Washington hopes
that people will support the film, but “not for me.” “This isn’t a black movie, or just about
black people…this is a human story,” says Washington. He believes the film will
serve to make people think critically and embrace in depth depictions of human
experiences in film. Washington says of
his journey as an actor, “I’ve been fortunate to have some extraordinary opportunities.”
“Blue Caprice” opened on
September 13th and will extend through October. Visit https://www.facebook.com/bluecapricefilm
and www.bluecapricefilm.com for a
complete listing of screenings.
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