Exclusive: Jeremy Pope talks Elegance Bratton's The Inspection
Currently in theaters from A24 is The Inspection, which was written, directed, and inspired by the life of Elegance Bratton.
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and finish out the prestigious New York Film Festival as its closing night selection.
The film stars Jeremy Pope, Raúl Castillo, McCaul Lombardi, Aaron Dominguez, with Bokeem Woodbine and Gabrielle Union.
In Elegance Bratton's deeply moving film inspired by his own story, a young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother and with few options for his future, decides to join the Marines, doing whatever it takes to succeed in a system that would cast him aside. But even as he battles deep-seated prejudice and the grueling routines of basic training, he finds unexpected camaraderie, strength, and support in this new community, giving him a hard-earned sense of belonging that will shape his identity and forever change his life.
Best known for his role on Broadway, Pope is the sixth person in Tony Award history to be nominated in two categories for separate performances during the same year when he received nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for his role as Pharus Jonathan Young in Choir Boy and Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his role as Eddie Kendricks in Ain't Too Proud in 2019. Pope later starred in the Netflix miniseries Hollywood, which earned him a nomination for a 2020 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Pope is set to return to Broadway and play Jean-Michel Basquiat opposite Paul Bettany’s Andy Warhol in The Collaboration.
Blackfilmandtv.com’s Wilson Morales spoke with Pope about his role in The Inspection and working with Gabrielle Union.