Jussie Smollett admitted to having legal issues. Despite his personal troubles, he expressed thanks for finishing his feature directorial debut “B-Boy Blues” during a Harlem premiere screening on Thursday.
“Sometimes we all go through stuff, you know,” Smollett said in his first significant public appearance since earning a five-month prison sentence in March for lying to Chicago cops about a racist and homophobic attack in 2019. “I realize how appreciative I should be. It isn’t up for discussion. I must express my gratitude. To anyone you choose to believe it is: the universe, God, our forefathers, or whoever you want to believe it is.”
The former “Empire” star acknowledged the film’s problems, which are based on novelist James Earl Hardy’s bestselling 1994 novel of the same name, which he co-wrote with Smollett. In addition to his well publicized judicial drama, he began filming COVID-19 in the United States.
“We did [the movie] in 12 days in the midst of the pandemic, among other crazy s— going on with me,” Smollett said in a Q&A after a screening of the film, which will premiere on BET+ on June 9th.
Smollett was ordered to be released from jail days after his March sentencing, pending an appeal of his December conviction on allegations that he fabricated a hate-crime attack against himself in 2019. The evidence against Smollett was “overwhelming,” according to Judge James B. Linn, and the jury’s finding in his case was “right.”
Legal matters were not front and center on Thursday. Smollett, dressed in a striking blue suit, was ecstatic to be putting an end to the problems he’s had in recent years by producing “a beautiful Black French picture” that he compared to past cinematic romances like “Jason’s Lyric,” “Love Jones,” and “Pretty Woman.”
“This video was made by Black men and women who love the same gender,” he remarked. “It was also delivered with love.” The plot revolves around an unexpected romance between thirtysomething journalist Mitchell Crawford (Timothy Richardson) and 24-year-old bike messenger Raheim Rivers (Thomas Mackey). Aside from their age disparities, the two argue about race, class, culture, sexual identity, and other topics, but the couple’s passionate affection is undeniable.
At the Magic Johnson AMC Theater Harlem, Jussie Smollett, far right, participates in a post-screening Q&A for his film “B-Boy Blues.” (Photo courtesy of John Hogan)
Ledisi (Selma), Brandee Evans (P-Valley), Michael Jackson Jr., Landon G. Woodson, Heather B (The Real World), Marquise Vilson (Tom Swift), Jabari Redd (Goals), and Broderick Hunter (Insecure) round out the cast.
Following the completion of the film, Smollett hooked up with iconic producer Mona Scott-Young (“Love & Hip Hop”), who assisted in the signing of the BET+ streaming arrangement. “Everyone who knows me knows I enjoy kicking down doors,” Scott-Young remarked at the Harlem premiere on Thursday. “I enjoy shaking the table and shining a spotlight where none exists.” So for me, this is an incredible opportunity to normalize these relationships [and] share [this film] with the public, with the goal that additional films like this will make their way into mainstream media.”
At the 2021 American Black Film Festival (ABFF), where it premiered, “B-Boy Blues” earned the Narrative Feature Fan Favorite Award, as well as the Best Feature Audience Award at Outshine.