Exclusive: Justice Smith, Kobi Libii & David Alan Grier talk The American Society of Magical Negroes
Hitting theaters on March 15 from Focus Features is The American Society of Magical Negroes, written and directed by Kobi Libii, making his feature directorial debut. The film stars Justice Smith, David Alan Grier, Drew Tarver, Rupert Friend, Nicole Byer, and An-Li Bogan.
A young man, Aren, is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to a cause of utmost importance: making white people’s lives easier. If The Birth of a Nation by D.W. Griffith is proclaimed 'the greatest picture ever made,' then the 'Magical Negro' — a Black supporting character who exists solely to serve a white protagonist's storyline — has been a stock character trope since the inception of American cinema.
Produced by Julia Lebedev, Kobi Libii, Angel Lopez, and Eddie Vaisman, the film had its World Premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January.
Smith is best known for his roles in the films Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019), All the Bright Places (2020), and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023). Smith also had the lead role of Ezekiel Figuero in Netflix's short-lived musical drama series The Get Down. He will next be seen in I Saw the TV Glow, which also had its World Premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
An alum of Sundance’s Screenwriters and Directors Labs, where he developed The American Society, Libii has most recently been seen writing and performing on Comedy Central’s The Opposition with Jordan Klepper. Other onscreen credits for the writer, director and actor include the shows Doubt, Madam Secretary, and Transparent, to name just a few.
An acting veteran with about forty years of TV and film credits, Grier recently appeared in 2023’s The Color Purple, Candy Cane Lane, and They Cloned Tyrone. In 2021 he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role in A Soldier’s Play.
Blackfilmandtv.com’s Wilson Morales spoke with Smith, Libii and Grier about the making of The American Society of Magical Negroes .