A Walk on the ‘Black’ Side: Cord Jefferson’s ‘American Fiction’
The TIFF People’s Choice Winner is a wink and a nod to the necessity of Black unity, despite ideological differences, as well as a reflection on the human ties that bind us all.
Robert Townsend and Keenen Ivory Wayans’ Hollywood Shuffle (1987) is a funny, biting look at how Black actors are often typecast and can’t seem to move beyond stereotypical roles. One would think that in the span of over thirty years, things would have changed. While there have been some strides made, this tale is still very relevant. Overarching pop culture, which is limited by nature, can’t seem to let go of negative images of Black people. New kid on the block writer/director Cord Jefferson says that Hollywood Shuffle is the “spiritual predecessor” to his feature film debut American Fiction, which hits select theaters on December 15 and expands on December 22.
Cord Jefferson is no stranger to writing. As a journalist, he wrote for The Ringer, GQ, and The New Yorker, and he was also at the helm of Gawker as editor. He’s also written for numerous television shows, including Master of None, Watchmen, Station Eleven, and The Good Place. It’s only fitting that the next step would be for him to do something as humorous and shrewd as American Fiction.
Based on Percival Everett’s critically acclaimed 2011 novel Erasure, American Fiction not only respectfully mirrors the soul of the tome but clearly exhibits Jefferson’s unique, sincere voice. Starring an actor’s actor Jeffrey Wright (Angels in America, Westworld, Shaft, Basquiat) as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a professor and writer who lives in a bubble, the story essentially addresses what Black identity is and who decides what it is.
The TIFF People’s Choice Winner is a wink and a nod to the necessity of Black unity, despite ideological differences, as well as a reflection on the human ties that bind us all. As a director, Jefferson gives some of his scenes a life-affirming, nostalgic warmth, which can be construed as conveying what Monk really has going on under that quiet facade. Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sterling K. Brown, Issa Rae, John Ortiz, Keith David, and Adam Brody round out the stellar cast of this MGM release.
How He Discovered the Book
I first heard about the novel when I was reading the review for a different book in December of 2020. That book was Interior Chinatown which I believe is being adapted for Hulu right now. In the review, it said this novel was a satire reminiscent of Percival Everett’s Erasure and I'd never heard of Erasure. I bought it and devoured it over Christmas break. Within twenty pages I knew I wanted to adapt the screenplay. Within fifty pages I was already reading the character of Monk in Jeffrey Wright's voice. That's how early I started thinking of Jeffrey for it. By the time that I was done, I knew I wanted to direct it. There were so many overlaps with my personal life, things that I'd been thinking about for literally decades, I felt like someone had written me a gift personally. When I stepped away from it, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It just felt like it was electrified. A piece of art has never resonated with me so deeply.
How Jeffrey Wright Got Involved
As soon as we got the script done, I told everyone I really wanted Jeffrey to play Monk. Everyone agreed immediately that he was perfect. We sent it to him right away. He met with me and we talked about it for a few hours. We met again a couple weeks later and talked about it for a few hours. Then he signed on. There are many reasons I'm indebted to Jeffrey but the main one is that this is a guy who played Basquiat and was in Angels in America. This is a guy that's in Batman. He's in 007. He's become Wes Anderson's go-to guy. He is literally in the biggest movies in the world.
During one of our meetings, he said something I was thinking about during the entirety of the process of writing the script, which was, "I don't want this movie to feel like it's scolding or condemning anybody." I felt the same way. I don't want this movie to feel like it's a lecture. Don’t want it to feel like we’re telling people there's a right or wrong way to be Black. We didn't want to do any "pull up your pants" respectability politics. All we wanted to do was do a movie that addresses these issues but also has a ton of levity and humor and an emotional core. We want people to leave the theater smiling and laughing with their friends and family. As soon as he talked about that, I knew for sure, 'This is the guy.'
For me to come to him, having never written a film and never directed anything, I was terrified that he was going to say, "Absolutely not. I've got another Batman to do. Why would I do this?" It's a real testament to him as an artist and to him as a human being that he was able to put his faith in me. A lot of actors of his caliber look at first-time directors and say, "I don't think so. I don't want to risk it. But thanks for asking, kid." But he came aboard and as soon as he did, things got a lot easier for the film. We got more money for the film. Other actors became more interested because they wanted to work with Jeffrey. He was incredibly gracious and collaborative from the get-go. He's an amazing man and I'll be forever indebted to him.
What Inspired His Take on the Story
I think with all of our lives, life is neither comedy nor drama. Even at my lowest lows, I've found ways to laugh and find joy. Even with my highest of highs, there have been bits of tragedy and misery. We need to find ways to laugh, to find joy. With the way that the world is, if we don't find ways to laugh and find joy, all is lost. I wanted to make sure this film had that balance of comedy and drama.
I didn't make it with a particular audience in mind. I think when you do that, you start to second-guess yourself. The balance in the movie is strategic. I wanted the movie to be satire. Erasure is a wonderful satirical novel. I wanted to make sure the satire never traveled into farce. The relationships he has with his family ground the story emotionally and keep it from going into slapstick, farcical territory. I did want people to leave the theater with a smile on their faces, laughing. I wanted it to feel authentic to life. I didn't want to spoon-feed people answers.
How the Project was Greenlit
I cried when T-Street greenlit the movie. It was the first time I'd written something specifically for me. When Robert Townsend did Hollywood Shuffle, he maxed out several credit cards to complete that film and it took over a year and a half to complete. Here I am forty years later and people gave me the money to make it.
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Sonya Alexander started off her career training to be a talent agent. She eventually realized she was meant to be on the creative end and has been writing ever since. As a freelance writer she’s written screenplays, covered film, television, music and video games and done academic writing. She’s also been a script reader for over twenty years. She's a member of the African American Film Critics Association and currently resides in Los Angeles.
