Spike Lee says memes inspired him to cast A$AP Rocky in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’

Spike Lee found some inspiration for his latest film, Highest 2 Lowest, in an unlikely place: on his phone.

Ahead of the movie’s debut at the Cannes Film Festival, the acclaimed filmmaker has revealed that memes on social media prompted him to cast rapper A$AP Rocky in the project alongside Oscar winner Denzel Washington.

“What’s funny is that I was looking at Instagram four or five years ago and people were saying that A$AP looked like he’s Denzel’s son. Everyone was saying it,” Lee explained during a recent episode of the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast. “I seen those memes and then in the film, we used that.”

The viral comparison has been circulating online for years, comparing childhood pictures of Washington and Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers. As Lee hinted, viewers who have noticed a resemblance between the two may see that acknowledged in the film.

But a resemblance to Washington isn’t all that Rocky brings to the table, according to Lee.

“A$AP, man, he fire,” the She’s Gotta Have It director teased. “I mean, there’s some scenes where him and D [go] head to head — he ain’t backing up. He’s like, ‘I’m here too.'”

Lee added that he’s “very, very happy with the way the film turned out and looking forward to sharing it with the world.”

A remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime classic High and Low, Lee’s film will delve into class dynamics and economic inequality, while centering a tense hostage negotiation and the investigation that follows. The original film featured a wealthy businessman whose chauffeur’s son is mistakenly kidnapped in a ransom plot by a mysterious antagonist.

Highest 2 Lowest will mark Lee’s first collaboration with Rocky, who made his acting debut in 2015’s Dope, and Lee’s fifth collab with Washington. The film is also set to star Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Dean Winters, John Douglas Thompson, and Ice Spice, making her film debut.

“This is not a remake, this is a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s great film,” Lee previously told Deadline Hollywood. “In Kurosawa’s film, Toshiro Mifune is a shoemaker. In our film Denzel Washington is a music mogul with his own label and his reputation as the best ears in the business.” He also teased that Rocky plays the “main role” in the movie.

Watch Lee’s full episode of 7PM in Brooklyn above.