*The new Netflix film, MONSTER, centers around 17 year-old Steve Harmon; a young kid from Harlem whose life gets turned upside down when he goes from studying film to being charged with felony murder. Inspired by Walter Dean Myers 1990s novel and initially released in 2018 at the Sundance Film Festival, audiences everywhere will finally have the chance to take in this story on Friday.
As we near its premier, correspondent Briana Wright spoke with some of the cast about the film’s message, uniqueness and more.
MONSTERS’ star-studded cast and crew include, Rakim “ASAP Rocky” Mayers, Jennifer Hudson, Nasir “Nas” Jones (also an executive producer). And Kelvin Harrison Jr., who plays Harmon, described an important lesson he learned from Nas’ character in the film.
“He said…’stand in your truth.’ That was huge…I need to know who I am and consistently never compromise in my humanity and that’s empowering for me. That’s an act of self love,” shared Harrison.
Despite the movie being filmed years ago, the message still gets across and holds true today. Hudson, who plays the role of Harmon’s mother, explained why now is the perfect time for the film’s release.
“I don’t necessarily feel if it came out any sooner than now…we would’ve been in a place to receive it and really understand what’s going on. There is no better time than right now,” explained the actress.
This wouldn’t be the first story we’ve seen that brings light to some of the issues the Black community has to face; but according to Jeffrey Wright, who plays Harmon’s father (and is one of the executive producers), MONSTER sets itself apart.
“Because there is such a richness and fullness to the portrayals, not only of our young hero, if you will, but all of these characters surrounding him. We get a sense of their humanity. We get a sense of their flaws. We get a sense of their potential,” expressed the actor.
MONSTER will be available for streaming May 7th on Netflix.
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