He is one of Hollywood’s most prolific and powerful directors, with acting credits that span multiple mediums, genres and generations. Whether you’re a fan of drama, action or comedy, Bill Duke is a man who’s portrayed all of the above with depth and aplomb, and since his mainstream debut in the classic 1976 film, Car Wash, the Poughkeepsie, NY native has maintained a flourishing career both in front of (Commando, Predator, Action Jackson, Menace II Society, Get Rich or Die Trying) and behind the camera (Hill Street Blues, A Rage in Harlem, Deep Cover, Hoodlum, Not Easily Broken), serves on the Board of Trustees at the American Film Institute and donates both resources and time to his community to educate youth in the craft of acting (“Boot Camp Hollywood”), as well as supplemental education alternatives for at-risk youth in his home base of Los Angeles (“Educating Young Minds”).
In part one of a recent chat with DSN, the 67-year-old activist and Director’s Guild of America Award recipient spoke with passion about his latest projects and how societal issues reflect in his film and humanitarian work.
LORRIE IRBY JACKSON- I appreciate you making time for me in your busy schedule Mr. Duke, your library of work is inspiring and I’ve enjoyed it for years.
BILL DUKE- It’s my pleasure, thank you.
LIJ- I was intrigued by the trailer I saw for the documentary you’re directing that’s presently in post-production, Black Diamonds, about pioneers in the field of baseball who attained incredible success in the segregation era and helped to break the color barrier for present players. What drew you to the project more, the love of the game, or the stories they had to tell?
BD- I enjoy baseball, yes, but it was more about the history of our people and the great sacrifices that so many of them have made that have not been recognized fully in the sport’s entire venture.
LIJ- The men you secured interviews with are legends: Ernie Banks, Tommy Lasorda, Joe Torre, “Sweet” Lou Johnson. Many of the men seemed emotional reliving those days, was that hard for you to take in?
BD- Yes, a lot of them were reluctant to go back because those were very unpleasant and painful times, very hurtful. But their courage, their strength, their resilience, in my opinion anyway, are traits that we should be carrying on. The most important thing to me was their sacrifice. They gave up a good deal for us so we could go sit and watch a game, and for that young man, who wouldn’t have had a chance previously, to play the game. The reason we’re making this film is because we have a tendency to forget, and we would not be here if it weren’t for those kinds of people.
LIJ- Many believe that the election of Barack Obama signaled a post-racial America and that things are much better for African-Americans today. Do you agree?
BD- We have a long way to go, unfortunately. I think for me, the stress is never about the problem but the solutions and applications they require. For example, just a couple of weeks ago, in Chicago, 23 young black men were killed, and that’s just one city.
LIJ- Outrageous….the lack of caring about the sanctity of life is disturbing, and what many fail to understand is that even though we might be in a different part of the country, it ultimately affects us all.
BD- And you’re totally 100% right. Something’s been lost there, and I’m going to run down some of the issues facing our community, at the risk of sounding depressing, but that’s not my intent. Boys are being killed every weekend somewhere in our country. The AIDS rate in our nation….1 out of 7 black men in Washington DC is HIV-infected. Out of all the newly-reported AIDS cases involving women in America, 70% are black women, Diabetes is taking us over because of our eating habits, obesity, 30% of our kids are dropping out before they graduate, and the incarceration rate, as you know, is increasing. They’re projecting, in the near future, the average age of a grandma in some of our communities will be 32. So, when you put those factors together, it sounds like a perfect storm, but my concern is bringing forth the solutions to solve the problem.
LIJ- That’s what’s so inspiring about you, the fact that you care enough to throw your cinematic weight behind addressing those issues.
BD- Well, you’re doing the same and I applaud you for that. You’re using your medium to bring attention to issues and to get people to think and understand that passivity is not a solution.
LIJ- When will Black Diamonds be released?
BD- We’re going to investors now, since our goal is to make it a full-fledged, Michael Moore-like documentary. In the next four to six weeks, we should have that kind of funding.
LIJ- Good, looking forward to seeing it. Let’s discuss the 2007 film Cover, the one highlighting the AIDS epidemic in our community. I like how you spoke to all the perspectives; the sanctified, the secular and everyday folks.
BD- Thank you. People are still responding to Cover in a big way: there are ladies out there having ‘Cover’ watch parties, where they play the film, have refreshments and then discuss the issues with others in their community. I want to bring a greater awareness to the AIDS issue and how seriously it is devastating us, both the very young and older people. It’s not like cancer, polio or Parkinson’s, this can be prevented if we take the measures to do so. But the attitude is ‘well, that will never happen to me,’ and that’s not necessarily the case.
Secondly, I tried to state the ‘down-low’ lifestyle is not an acceptable behavior, but neither is our treatment of homosexual or bisexual men when they come out and say, ‘I’m a bisexual man who’s been sleeping with your daughter, I’ve told her and I’m giving her the option as to whether she wants to stay with me or not.’ Now, if a person comes out and does that, he doesn’t want to come out to a crucifixion. If we want these men to come out about what they’re doing and who they are, we have to find a way to acknowledge it in an affirming way.
We have to read the Bible’s book of Leviticus, where it was says ‘if a man sleeps with another man, it is a mortal sin.’ And people who admit to that are outcasts, but isn’t lying is a sin? There are other sins that verse is covering too. Listen to this, it’s a true story reported in The Washington Post, I believe….about 4 or 5 years ago, there was a major, major mega-church where a pastor said, ‘Will all of the men in the congregation come down for altar call?’ We’re talking thousands of men, it’s a huge church. As they’re coming down, the pastor held his and up and said ‘No no no, I don’t mean all you homos, fags and sissies, I mean the real men.’
LIJ- Lord have mercy.
BD- So, the homosexual men who were walking with the rest kept moving forward because they were humiliated, and the women were laughing. This all happened on a Sunday morning in the house of God. Our community’s response to this phenomenon is totally inappropriate. We have to find a way, if we’re gonna protect our culture, our society and our women, of embracing it in a way where we can discuss it openly, honestly and not shame the people who admit to the lifestyle. The silence is killing us.
LIJ- Exactly Mr. Duke. Your most recently directed film, Not Easily Broken, made a profound statement about marriages. What ultimate message were you hoping was conveyed?
BD- The film was based upon a book by Bishop T.D. Jakes of the same name, and how he feels is that, a relationship is represented by a cord interwoven with three elements: woman, man and what holds both of those cords together, God. And the moment you let God out of that equation, chaos occurs, because then we are dependent on just each other and not just the foundation of God, which is strength, forgiveness and unconditional love.
We’re all imperfect: I mean, we could attack each other all day by pointing out our imperfections, but what bonds the relationship in this book and film is God, and he’s saying that if you don’t let go of Him, the relationship will last forever. What happens is the pastor tells the couple this, but the couple gets so invested in their own egos and points of view until the relationship is destroyed, and then they are forced to remember God.
http://www.dallassouthnews.org/2010/05/07/an-exclusive-chat-with-bill-duke-pt-1/
