‘We can all be heroes of our own lives’: Ava DuVernay on telling Colin Kaepernick’s story
Ava DuVernay has some advice for teenagers.
The filmmaker, who made history when she became the first black female director to make a movie nominated for the best picture Oscar with the historical drama Selma, has recently spent plenty of time with young people on sets.
In the last few years, DuVernay has made the big-budget Disney adaptation Wrinkle In Time, as well as When They See Us – a Netflix show based on the real Central Park jogger case which saw a group of young, black men falsely convicted of raping a white woman in New York.
Sports star and activist Colin Kaepernick’s story is being told in Colin In Black And White. All pics: Netflix
Now, she’s turned her attention to the formative years of sports star and activist Colin Kaepernick, who inspired a movement when he refused to stand for the national anthem at an American Football game in 2016 – instead choosing to take the knee, in protest against police brutality and racial injustice.
DuVernay says that making Colin In Black And White has given her a fresh perspective on her own youth.
San Francisco 49ers Colin Kaepernick (right) and Eric Reid (left) take the knee during the US National Anthem at an NFL football game in 2016
“Making [the show] got me thinking about my own teenage years and how the things that I went through really shaped who I am now,” she told Sky News’ Backstage podcast. “You just wish you could tell kids, what you’re going through right now matters, it’s important, pay attention, don’t let go.
“So often they’re told that they’re not important, but those moments when you’re a teenager are the most important, they are so important. They are building who you become and how you respond to challenges and triumphs later in life.”
Director and co-creator Ava DuVernay and Jaden Michael (also below), who plays the young Kaepernick in the series. Pic: Arturo Holmes/ Netflix
DuVernay admits she didn’t set out to make a show about Kaepernick’s younger years; it was in fact the former NFL player who brought the idea to her.
“So for me it was an opportunity to say, okay, we can do this if we can use it as a springboard to talk about much more. And so that’s why in the piece you’ll see I’ve directed him in kind of the gallery of his mind, where we go out, we see memories, we see bits of history, we see bits of cultural context on all of these stories of his childhood, so it’s this beautiful pastiche of forms within the show, which was really exciting as a filmmaker.”
The show is not easy to define, as the dramatised version of Kaepernick’s life story is mixed in with him as a narrator in vision making astute points about race and culture.
DuVernay says it’s far more than the tale of one child.
“It allowed us to take the childhood and expand it and to make sure that it had more context and contrast than this just telling a story of a kid – it’s the kid on his way to being the hero, right? And it basically says that we can all be the heroes of our own lives as long as we really pay attention to each step, because every step matters.”
In order to tell Kaepernick’s story, DuVernay set her sights on casting the perfect people to play his adoptive white parents.
Mary-Louise Parker and Nick Offerman play Kaepernick’s adoptive parents Teresa and Rick
She hired Parks And Recreation actor Nick Offerman and Weeds star Mary-Louise Parker, an actress who could relate to Kaepernick’s mother on a personal level as she too has an adopted black child.
“They were the exact people that I wanted, I’ve been such a huge fan of both of them,” DuVernay said. “Nick Offerman, I think, is just a brilliant thinker, and it was really interesting because in the United States he has a very particular audience of people who feel connected to him, but don’t necessarily know his politics – he’s a very liberal man, he’s very radical in his view of equity and justice, and so I wanted to really speak to folks who are fans of his that need to hear something new.
“And then Mary-Louise is just really close to the subject matter… There was a beautiful connection there for her personally – the mother in the story handles things very differently than Mary-Louise did, but I think it was illuminating for her, and it was beautiful to have an actor who was that close to the subject matter.”
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While DuVernay directed the show, she says it really is Kaepernick’s baby – and that he was involved throughout every step.
“Colin was a part of the whole process, really kind of over my shoulder for most of it and [was] able to say, ‘Oh, that wasn’t quite like that and I would have done this this way’, which we welcomed all the way up to the end.
“So this is truly a collaboration – his story told in a way that is pleasing to me as an artist to be able to put my name on it, but really tells a story that he wanted to tell.”
Colin In Black And White is out on Netflix now. Hear our review in the latest episode of Backstage, the film and TV podcast from Sky News
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Paul Gallagher, older brother of Oasis stars Noel and Liam, is charged with offences including rape
Gregg Wallace has spoken about his sacking from MasterChef after inappropriate behaviour while working for the BBC – but insisted he is “not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher”.
Wallace, 60, has apologised after a report, commissioned by the cooking show’s production company Banijay UK, found 45 out of 83 allegations were substantiated.
In an interview with The Sun, he said: “I know I have said things that offended people… I understand that now – and to anyone I have hurt, I am so sorry.
“I don’t expect anyone to have any sympathy with me but I don’t think I am a wrong ‘un.”
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BBC reputation damaged by ‘serious errors’
MasterChef co-host John Torode also had an allegation that he used an “extremely offensive racist term” upheld, as part of the same investigation.
Torode, who insisted he had “absolutely no recollection” of the alleged incident, has not had his contract for the show renewed.
Wallace has now defended Torode, saying: “I’ve known John for 30 years and he is not a racist.
“There is no way that man is a racist. No way. And my sympathies go out to John because I don’t want anybody to go through what I’ve been through.”
Gregg Wallace has defended his former MasterChef co-host John Torode (left). File pic: PA
At one point, Wallace became tearful during the interview when describing the impact of the investigation on his family.
“I have seen myself written about in the same sentence as Jimmy Savile and Huw Edwards, paedophiles and sex offenders. That is just so, so horrific.”
In respect to the specific allegation of unwanted touching, Wallace denied groping a woman and said that, while he was attempting to flirt with her, he did believe the contact it was consensual.
“She gave me her phone number. I considered that to be intimacy. It was 15 years ago. Me, drunk, at a party, with my hand on a girl’s bum,” he said.
He also accepted he had briefly appeared with a sock on his private parts in front of four colleagues in MasterChef studio. But he said his is not a flasher, and people were either “amused or bemused” but not distressed.
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On the broader allegations about using inappropriate language, Wallace accepted the criticism and suggested that some of his conduct could be explained by his autism and his background.
“I know I am odd. I know I struggle to read people. I know people find me weird. Autism is a… registered disability. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not real.”
He also blamed his former career: “I’m a greengrocer from Peckham. I thrived in Covent Garden’s fruit and veg market. In that environment that is jovial and crude. It is learned behaviour.”
Wallace told the newspaper he is now scared to appear in public: “I go out now in a disguise – a baseball cap and sunglasses, I don’t want people to see me. I’m scared.”
On Wednesday, the BBC confirmed a series of MasterChef filmed last year, before allegations against presenters Gregg Wallace and John Torode were upheld, will still be broadcast.
Entertainment
Company at heart of Coldplay viral video releases tongue-in-cheek clip – with a big twist
The company at the centre of a viral video at a Coldplay concert has released a tongue-in-cheek clip on social media – featuring Gwyneth Paltrow as a “temporary spokesperson”.
Astronomer was thrust into the spotlight after two of the tech firm’s senior executives were filmed embracing on a kiss cam during a gig in Boston.
Andy Byron subsequently resigned as chief executive officer – while the woman in the video, Kristin Cabot, stepped down as chief people officer a few days later.
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Tech boss resigns after viral Coldplay concert video
Paltrow, who used to be married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, is seen sitting at a desk in the new video uploaded to X – and begins by thanking the public for their interest in Astronomer.
She adds: “I’ve been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300-plus employees at Astronomer.
“Astronomer has gotten a lot of questions over the last few days – and they wanted me to answer the most common ones.”
A question is then typed out on the screen that reads: “OMG, what the actual…”
Before the final word appears, the video cuts back to Paltrow, who goes on to promote some of the services Astronomer offers.
In a subtle nod to the countless column inches the company has attracted, Paltrow adds: “We’ve been thrilled so many people have a newfound interest in data workflow automation.”
Another question then pops up on screen, which begins to type out: “How is your social media team holding up?”
But before the sentence fully appears, Paltrow abruptly interrupts by declaring that Astronomer has spaces at an upcoming conference in September.
“We’ll now be returning to what we do best: delivering game-changing results for our customers,” she adds at the end of the video.
The marketing stunt is a sign that Astronomer is trying to put a positive spin on the scandal, which sparked feverish speculation online.
After Mr Byron resigned, the company had said in a statement: “Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding.
“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.”
Pete DeJoy, who has taken over as interim CEO, admitted on Monday that the company has faced an “unusual and surreal” amount of attention in recent days.
On LinkedIn, he wrote: “While I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name.”
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