Leslie Odom Jr. wasn’t put off appearing in the ‘Sopranos’ movie, despite the mob show’s notoriety for racist remarks, because it shows “the truth”.
The ‘Hamilton’ star is set to star as Harold McBrayer in the upcoming prequel flick ‘The Many Saints of Newark’, and he has insisted he had the utmost faith the upcoming American crime drama’s writer, David Chase, to show the stark reality of racism in play.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Leslie said: “We’ve had years of watching Mob stories malign us in that way. So I’ve learned to look past that, if it’s [about] the truth of the meaning. The thing about art is to show how people are acting in private, to show private moments publicly. While they may be hurtful or lacerating or surprising, that’s the point of it. Anytime Scorsese does it, or David did it, I knew I was in the hands of someone thoughtful, someone who was showing me a truth. It was my choice if I would continue to look at this truth. I knew I could trust the creative; I’ve seen that throughout.”
The 40-year-old actor also revealed that his audition was so secretive that he didn’t know what he was trying out for at first, and producers didn’t even want to send him the script.
He spilled: “I’d heard that the film was happening. I wasn’t up for it in the original rounds of auditions. But there came a point where they needed someone quickly, and I got the call. I don’t even know that I knew I was auditioning for the ‘Sopranos’ [movie]. They keep things very tight to the vest. They’re like the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). They don’t send you a script, don’t send you character names, scenarios are changed. You have to make some choices as an actor. You take what you see, and you start inventing. I got a call that they liked the tape that I made, but they had some notes for me. I taped again, then they wanted me to tape again with more notes. And I said, ‘Guys, I don’t mind taping again, but you’ve got to send me a script. I don’t know what I’m doing.’ Then I got on the phone with [director] Alan [Taylor], and he helped clear up all of my questions.”
