Exclusive: Dominique Fishback Talks Playing Deborah Johnson In Judas And The Black Messiah
Currently in theaters as well as available on HBO Max for 31 days after is the Fred Hampton film called “Judas and the Black Messiah,” starring Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya (“Get Out,” “Widows,” “Black Panther”) as Fred Hampton and LaKeith Stanfield (“Atlanta,” “The Girl in the Spider’s Web”) as William O’Neal.
The story follows the rise and demise of Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya) as seen through the eyes of William O’Neal (Lakeith Stanfield), a criminal who cut a deal with the FBI to infiltrate the Panthers. O’Neal helped create rifts within the organization, kept tabs on Hampton and, when the time came, drugged the 21-year old activist on the night of the raid, which ultimately saw officers gun him down.
The film also stars Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Martin Sheen, Algee Smith, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Dominique Thorne, Amari Cheatom, Caleb Eberhardt, Terayle Hill, and Lil Rel Howery (“Get Out”).
“Judas and the Black Messiah” is directed by Shaka King, who also co-wrote the film with his writing partner, Will Berson. King, who has a long relationship with filmmaker Ryan Coogler (“Black Panther,” “Creed,” “Fruitvale Station”), pitched the film to Coogler and Charles D. King (“Just Mercy,” “Fences”), who are producing the film.
For Fishback, who plays Deborah Johnson, the pregnant fiancée of Chairman Fred Hampton, this is her biggest big screen role to date. She previously starred in the critically acclaimed indie film, Night Comes On and last year starred opposite Jamie Foxx in the Netflix film Project Power. She was also part of the ensemble cast of HBO’s The Deuce and had a supporting role in The Hate U Give. In speaking with BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales, Fishback talks about playing the living Johnson, who now goes by Akua Njeri.
