By C.J. Hirschfield
In 2018, the film BLINDSPOTTING, co-written and starring Oakland natives and lifelong friends Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, explored the intersection of race and class, set against a rapidly gentrifying Oakland. In addition to being critically acclaimed, the film was a love letter to the city in which it was set.
A new project spearheaded by Casal and Diggs continues the valentine, but this time in the form of an episodic series on Starz (premiere date yet to be announced). They have assembled a stellar team, and are utilizing Bay-Area influenced dance and spoken verse to advance the story of the systemic effects of the U.S. prison system seen through the eyes and hearts of affected families, lovers and friends.
Recently the crew completed nine days of filming exteriors in Oakland; some shots near the Port of Oakland, one day at City Hall and one week in West Oakland.
Jasmine Cephas Jones; Courtesy of Patrick Wymore
In a panel session at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, members of the show’s self-proclaimed “squad”—Casal, Diggs, star Jasmine Cephas Jones, choreographers Lil Buck and Jon Boogz and cinematographer Tarin Anderson– shared their thoughts about the challenges and joys of telling their story through dance and verse, and showed clips of the production-in-process.
In the original BLINDSPOTTING film, music played a key role in setting the tone, and included pieces from Weezer, Verdi, Fantastic Negrito and Tower of Power, among others. The new ½-hour, eight episode “dramedy” has taken the cultural arts to the next level. “We keep blending media,” says Diggs, “and expanding our tribe allows us to dream even bigger.”
Casal and Diggs rave about the actor portraying Ashley, the show’s main character. “It’s Jasmine’s show; we built a world around her,” is how Casal explains it.
Jasmine is actress/singer Jasmine Cephas Jones, best known for originating the dual roles of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds in the 2015 Broadway musical HAMILTON. In 2020, Cephas Jones won a Primetime Emmy for portraying Tyisha in #freerayshawn.
“Ashley’s a superhero without the cape, raising a child on her own and trying her best,” says Diggs.
One of the clips screened as part of the program features lifelong best friends (a la Diggs and Casal) Miles and Colin telling story of their friendship over time, through dance. Tarin Anderson’s inspired cinematography follows them as they move through rooms representing childhood through adulthood; each room suggesting a different era. Wordlessly, and through movement, love, friction, connection and joy between the characters is conveyed.
Another featured clip illustrated the creative use of verse in the series, with Cephas Jones delivering intensely intimate and emotional words directly into the camera. “It was the meanest verse we threw at her, and she makes it look simple,” says Casal. The scene was brilliant.
Although most of the production was shot in Los Angeles, Daveed Diggs wants to be clear about Oakland’s role in the new series. “We’re still making a love story to the place we’re from—just adding to it.”
The SXSW Panel discussion is not currently available but we have posted the excellent sessions after the World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival with Rafael Casal, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Helen Hunt and Benjamin Earl Turner.
Plus from the ATX TV Festival, June 19, 2021, with Rafael Casal (Creator/Executive Producer/Writer/Cast) Daveed Diggs (Creator/EP/Writer) Alanna Brown (Writer) Nijla Mumin (Writer) Priscila Garcia-Jacquier (Writer) Benjamin Turner (Writer/Cast) MODERATOR: Ashley Ray Harris (“TV, I Say with Ashley Ray”Podcast).
Daveed Diggs & Rafael Casal; photo by Nikita K. Carpenter, Jr
C.J. Hirschfield recently retired after 17 years as Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, where she was charged with the overall operation of the nation’s first storybook theme park. Prior to that, she served as an executive in the cable television industry where she produced two series, ran San Francisco’s public access channel and advocated on behalf of the industry. A former writer for Film Month, she also penned a weekly column for the Piedmont Post for 13 years and now writes features and reviews for EatDrinkFilms. C.J. holds a degree in Film and Broadcasting from Stanford University.
Hirschfield currently serves on the programming team for the Appreciating Diversity Film series showing free documentaries in Oakland and Piedmont, as well as on the advisory board of Youth Beat, a youth media training program that provides low-income Oakland students with the tools and opportunities they need to thrive in today’s workforce.
The cast of “Blindspotting” from left to right: Jaylen Barron (Trish), Benjamin Earl Turner (Earl), Candace Nicholas-Lippman (Janelle), Atticus Woodward (Sean), Jasmine Cephas Jones (Ashley), Rafael Casal (Miles Turner) and Daveed Diggs (Collin.) Casal and Diggs also serve as co-creators and executive producers of the series.
Eddy Chen/Courtesy of Starz
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