Claudine

“Oh, I've got to have Claudine. Diahann Carroll. Oh, yeah, there you go. James Earl Jones, man.”

“Oh, Lord have mercy. Now, see... We got to talk about something. I see something right here that I definitely am going to take home, because I have watched this movie so many times and I love it. Claudine. See this man right here, James Earl Jones? That’s my hero. Amazing, amazing actor. And Diahann Carroll. I mean, come on. She just was everything. It’s such a beautiful film, so complex and so lovely and sexy. I was like, “Oh, my God. Who are these two?” I’m sorry that we don’t have James Earl anymore, but he has left quite, quite a legacy. In fact, I did Othello a number of years ago on stage, and one of the best parts of it was that I found this book that was a journal or a collection of his sort of journal entries about having played Othello, like, five or six times. So, as I was working on the part, I got to look through, you know, each of the times that he played it and how he made certain decisions about certain lines, and... I don’t know, I just felt so close to him after having read that, and just had even more of an appreciation for his brilliance. He’s such a, such an amazing person.”

“Claudine. I just saw a poster for this outside. James Earl Jones. Looks amazing. "A bittersweet, big-hearted celebration of family and community set to a sunny soul soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield." You got me.”

“Oh, my gosh. So, Claudine... Claudine reminds me of my mom. My mom was elegant– is elegant. She raised five kids on her own. And, after my dad was shot and killed– he was a police officer– killed in the line of duty, my mom took us to see this in Philadelphia, West Philly, at the Locust Theatre. And... It– I couldn't believe I was seeing my life on screen. We all walked out of the theater holding hands. And I didn't understand what filmmaking was at the time, I think I was probably nine when this came out. But I saw my mother smile after my dad's death, and I wanted to make her... Smile. So I think that this is it. It's very dear to my heart. And Gladys Knight's and the Pips' soundtrack, Curtis Mayfield's soundtrack on this is just a beast. I play it. It's my workout to this day.”

“Claudine. Okay, like I remember like it was at least 20 years ago that I saw this and I can remember like faces and lines and emotions. Where I grew up it was, you know, it was very difficult because there was nobody that looked like me, and so, and certainly when you watched TV and film as a black woman, you're not seeing yourself reflected. And it's crazy what that can do to your self-esteem, and so much of what I do as a filmmaker, I hope, is fighting to put black women on screen so that we can see ourselves, and this was one of those movies. Seeing Diahann Carroll like changed me. I've never forgotten this movie.”

“Claudine, by the way, another, another amazing New York movie. It's like Edgecombe Avenue or something. It's the whole, all these shots of New York in like 1971 just bring back my little childhood, so that's why I always love it, you know. And, that was another good one. James Earl Jones, the garbage man, Claudine's working, she's a cleaning lady, and their kids, and it was really good.”

“Claudine. This is a favorite of mine too. Two of my all-time favorite actors are in this movie: James Earl Jones and Diahann Carroll. I’ve been such a big fan of Diahann Carroll my whole life. She was a mentor of mine. And again, this is one of those movies where we get to see Black performers living their slice of life. For me, as a young girl growing up, these weren’t movies that I saw very much so when I got to see myself reflected and I got to see my culture reflected, they were big moments in my life. And Diahann Carroll also was Oscar-nominated for this performance and, if you ask me, she should have won. She should have been– along with Dorothy Dandridge, they should have an Oscar far before I ever had an Oscar, and it’s heartbreaking that they did not.”

“I saw this, Claudine. James Earl Jones, Diahann Carroll. One of my favorite films that I’ve watched over and over again, just about Black life, 1974. Woman really trying to find her way through, and James Earl Jones is a garbage man. James Earl Jones is like… this character is like my pop. I think maybe that’s why I relate to this character so much. I’m like, I see that dude, that dude who was, like, too cool, blue-collar dude, but who became a man and laid down some rules for the new family. And there’s comedy and drama that ensues. And romance.”

“Can you pass up Claudine, with the most gorgeous Diahann Carroll? I mean, if there’s anyone more beautiful… Okay, that’s coming with.”