Knowshi: How do the original Motown superstars feel about their younger acting counterparts and how they’ve been portrayed?

Wright – “They’ve been incredibly supportive: the man [Gordy] who wrote songs and produced for them was there when they were teens, so having that is my secret weapon in having it feel authentic, his insider knowledge and perspective. Mary [Wilson], Smokey [Robinson], Stevie [Wonder], Diana [Ross] have all seen it, it feels authentic although every one of them has a personal view and saw things a different way. I’ve spent time with so many of them, and the actors got to hear about their feelings, to talk to Suzanne de Passe [Motown creative director and executive] about how it happened and gained that insight.”

Knowshi: What qualities were you all looking for in those players to make it to the stage?

Wright – “Those actors had to already have a unique style and come into the room with their own point of view. You’ll see people imitating, but real actors evoke; they find, in their muses, what relates, what motivates them and what they already have in common with the artist and then they create an interpretation of that energy in themselves. That’s how they’re able to re-create ‘the it factor, that sense of identity and charisma.”

Knowshi: What do you consider you duties to be as a director?

Wright – “My job as the director is to……(click here for the full-length Q&A at Knowshi.com)