Exclusive: Jeffrey Wright & Jennifer Hudson on playing concerned parents in ‘Monster’

Coming out this week on Netflix is the contemporary drama MONSTER, marking the feature debut of acclaimed commercial/music video director Anthony Mandler, who received worldwide notoriety for his work with some of the music industry’s most influential artists. The film hits the streamer on May 7, 2021.

Written by Colen C. Wiley, Radha Blank and Janece Shaffer, MONSTER is based on the award winning novel by Walter Dean Myers.

MONSTER features an outstanding ensemble cast including: Kelvin Harrison Jr. in the role of Steve Harmon; Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Ehle, A$AP Rocky, Nas, Tim Blake Nelson, John David Washington and Jeffrey Wright.

“Monster” is what the prosecutor calls 17 year old honors student and aspiring filmmaker Steve Harmon. He is being charged with felony murder for a crime he says he did not commit; but is Steve really a monster? As Steve’s world comes crashing down around him, the film follows his dramatic journey from a smart, likeable young man from Harlem attending an elite high school through a complex legal battle that could leave him spending the rest of his life in prison.

BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales spoke with Wright and Hudson about their roles as the concerned parents to Steve Harmon. The two also appeared in HBO’s 2016 Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill film Confirmation starring Kerry Washington.