Don Cheadle: Miles Davis Biopic Needed White Co-Star to Get Funding

Director Don Cheadle the 'Miles Ahead' press conference during the 66th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at Grand Hyatt Hotel on February 18, 2016 in Berlin, Germany.
Director Don Cheadle the ‘Miles Ahead’ press conference during the 66th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at Grand Hyatt Hotel on February 18, 2016 in Berlin, Germany.

*Don Cheadle said his passion project about Miles Davis wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without crowdfunding and a white co-star.

The 51-year-old actor produced, co-wrote and starred in “Miles Ahead,” a film depicting a defining period in the jazz musician’s life.

Getting financing had been a major hurdle he only cleared when he raised about $360,000 on website Indiegogo, which allows artists to collect donations for projects, and hired Scottish star Ewan McGregor.

He said it was “one of the realities of the business that we are in” that films with all-black casts are thought to have little chance of distribution outside the United States and thus don’t attract investment.

“There is a lot of apocryphal, not proven evidence that black films don’t sell overseas,” he told reporters at the Berlin film festival. “Having a white actor in this film turned out to actually be a financial imperative.”

Director Don Cheadle and actress Emayatzy Corinealdi attend the 'Miles Ahead' press conference during the 66th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at Grand Hyatt Hotel on February 18, 2016 in Berlin, Germany.
Director Don Cheadle and actress Emayatzy Corinealdi attend the ‘Miles Ahead’ press conference during the 66th Berlinale International Film Festival Berlin at Grand Hyatt Hotel on February 18, 2016 in Berlin, Germany.

Cheadle said it forced him to rework the script, which focuses on a period in the late 1970s in which Davis fell into a creative slump, to bring in a shady Rolling Stone reporter as a foil for the trumpet player.

“I think it works great, and particularly the fact that Ewan McGregor is the actor who is in it, I think he is fantastic in the movie. But that was a component of… allowing us to even have a budget to get the film made.”

Sony Pictures Classics will release “Miles Ahead” in the United States on April 1.

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

Johnny Devenanzio and Taylor Hale
Whoopi Goldberg and Serena Williams
Raising Kanan Fourth Season
Serena Williams - via screenshot
Kendrick Lamar - Depositphotos
Kendrick Lamar accepts Grammy - screenshot
Irv Gotti - Getty
blood pressure
D'Mile - screenshot
Politics - Depositphotos
Cherelle Parker - screenshot
Read More
Kanye West and Bianca Censori on Grammy Red Carpet - screenshot
Read More
Damon Wayans
Read More
Denzel Washington - Gladiator II
Read More
Learjet after crashing - via Grok AI
Read More
Rymir Satterthwaite - screenshot
Read More
Beyond the Gates
Read More
Sunny Hostin
Read More
Amtrak
Read More
Will Smith (AI character from 'I Am Legend 2'
Read More

POPULAR

Johnny Devenanzio and Taylor Hale
Reality TV Star Under Fire for Controversial Gorilla Emoji at 'Big Brother' Winner Taylor Hale
Whoopi Goldberg and Serena Williams
Whoopi Goldberg Shuts Down Stephen A. Smith Over Serena Williams–Drake Super Bowl Debate
Raising Kanan Fourth Season
New Trailer for 'Power Book III: Raising Kanan' Hints at Intense Season 4 | Watch
Serena Williams - via screenshot
Serena Williams Reveals Kendrick Lamar Requested Her Crip Walk Performance - That's it. No 'Git Back' at Drake
Kendrick Lamar - Depositphotos
Kendrick Lamar's Middle School Teacher Recalls His Passion for Storytelling
Kendrick Lamar accepts Grammy - screenshot
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Breaks Records
Irv Gotti - Getty
Irv Gotti's Family Expects a Packed Church for His Funeral at Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral
blood pressure
Research Finds Isometric Exercises Most Effective for Lowering Blood Pressure Levels
D'Mile - screenshot
D’Mile Talks Hit Song 'Die With a Smile' + Career Struggle and Importance of An Album | VIDEO
1 2 3 8,553