MY GUEST TONIGHT IS AN EMMY AND FROM "IF BEALE STREET COULD

TALK," "WATCHMEN," AND SO MUCH MORE.

NOW SHE'S DIRECTED HER FIRST FEATURE FILM, "ONE NIGHT IN

MIAMI."

PLEASE WELCOME REGINA KING!

HEY, REGINA KING.

>> HELLO!

>> Stephen: NICE TO HAVE YOU HERE.

>> IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE.

I WISH I WAS THERE IN PERSON, BUT --

>> Stephen: I WISH SO, TOO, BECAUSE THAT MEAN THERE WOULD BE

AN AUDIENCE AND WE ALL WOULD BE HAVING A LOT MORE FUN, BUT I'M

GLAD WE COULD BE TOGETHER THIS WAY IF NO OTHER WAY.

I WANT TO GET TO THE FILM IN JUST A MOMENT, WHICH IS

BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL AND, BOY, IT EMOTIONALLY SNEAKS UP ON YOU

IN A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT WAYS.

BUT FIRST, THE LAST TIME THAT YOU WERE HERE -- HERE -- WAS

FOR, "IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK."

AND THEN, SINCE THEN, YOU WON AN OSCAR FOR YOUR PERFORMANCE IN

THAT MOVIE.

THEN YOU WON AN EMMY FOR "WATCHMEN."

NOW YOU'VE DIRECTED YOUR FIRST PEACH FILM "ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI."

SOMETIMES I MEET VERY TALENTED PEOPLE FOR WHOM THE RIGHT THING,

YOU KNOW, IS HAPPENING.

AND WHILE IT'S GREAT, THEY DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO APPRECIATE HOW

WONDERFUL THINGS ARE GOING FOR THEM.

DO YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO ENJOY IT, BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN SO

BUSY?

>> UM -- THAT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION RIGHT NOW DURING THE

PANDEMIC.

>> Stephen: SURE.

I WOULD SAY THAT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE HAD MORE CELEBRATORY

MOMENTS, IF WE WERE NOT CONFINED TO OUR HOMES.

SO MOMENTS LIKE THESE ARE SPECIAL BECAUSE I HAVE SOMEONE

THAT I'M A FAN OF AND, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE I'M TAKING A MOMENT

TO TAKE IT IN.

SO, YEAH, IT'S KIND OF LIKE A YES AND NO ANSWER.

>> Stephen: SURE, SURE.

THAT'S A LOT OF LIFE THESE DAYS.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: WELL, YOU DIRECTED THIS NEW FILM, "ONE NIGHT IN

MIAMI."

IT'S ABOUT A REAL NIGHT.

YOU KNOW, THE EVENTS ARE IMAGINED OF THIS NIGHT, BUT THIS

REALLY HAPPENED.

IT WAS MALCOLM X, MOHAMED ALI, JIM BROWN AND SAM COOKE GATHERED

TOGETHER IN A HOTEL IN MIAMI IN FEBRUARY 18964.

FIRST OF ALL, TELL THE PEOPLE WHAT THE OCCASION OF THE NIGHT

WAS.

WHAT SORT OF BROUGHT THEM ALL TO MIAMI THAT NIGHT?

>> RIGHT.

WHAT BROUGHT THEM ALL TOGETHER WAS THERE WAS A FIGHT BETWEEN

CASSIUS CLAY AND SONNY LISTEN, AND IT WAS THE FIGHT WHO WAS

GOING TO WHOEVER WAS THE VICTOR WAS GOING TO BE THE HEAVY WEIGHT

CHAVRP ONE OF THE WORLD.

AND CASSIUS CLAY, WHO LATER BECAME MOHAMED ALI WAS NOT THE

FAVORITE.

HE WAS NOT EXPECTED TO WIN, SO THERE WAS NO PARTY PLAN, SO HE

CELEBRATED WITH THREE OF HIS FRIENDS.

>> Stephen: WELL, ALL THESE MEN, CERTAINLY, NOW, JIM BROWN'S

STILL WITH US, BUT ALL OF THEM ARE OF JUST A HUGE STATURE, NOT

ONLY IN THEIR CHOSEN WORK, BUT IN OUR HISTORY AND IN OUR

CULTURE.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO DEPICT PEOPLE FOR WHOM IS AUDIENCE ALREADY HAS

SUCH A PRE-SET IMAGE AND IDEA?

>> YEAH.

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S A BIG FLEX TO MAKE.

WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THE NIGHT, I WASN'T AWARE OF IT PRIOR TO

READING THE SCRIPT.

KIPP POWERS WROTE THE SCRIPT.

IT WAS A PLAY HE HAD WRITTEN AND HE ADAPTED IT INTO A SCREENPLAY,

AND YOU JUST WANT TO HONOR THESE MEN, THEIR LEGACIES, YOU KNOW.

YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU TELL A STORY THAT'S ENTERTAINING BUT

ALSO THE IMPACT -- TO SHARE THE IMPACT THAT THEY MADE.

BUT, ALSO, IT WAS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THEM AS MEN

OUT ALL THE TITLES, WITHOUT ACTIVIST, ATHLETE, SINGER, BUT

MEN IN THE VULNERABILITIES THAT ALL MEN HAVE AND HOW THROUGH

THAT VULNERABILITY BRINGS STRENGTH.

>> Stephen: THERE'S A PARTICULAR POIGNANCY TO THE

VULNERABILITY WE SEE EXPRESSED IN THE PERFORMANCE OF MALCOLM X,

BECAUSE HE IS SUCH A FIGURE OF STRENGTH, YOU KNOW.

AND A CERTAIN TYPE OF AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH, CERTAINLY, AT A CASUAL

GLANCE OF HIS PUBLIC PER SEWNA.

WE HAVE A CLIP HERE OF THESE ARE THE FOUR MEN ON THE ROOFTOP.

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS MOMENTAL?

>> THIS IS A MOMENT KIND OF LIKE MIDWAY IN THE FILM, WHERE

CASSIUS HAS NOTICED A TENSION THAT'S GOING ON IN THE ROOM AND

HE SAYS, YOU KNOW, LET'S GO TAKE A BREATHER.

SO WE'RE IN THIS MOMENT AND, YOU KNOW, THE AUDIENCE IS BREATHING

WITH OUR FOUR HEROES, WE CALL THEM, OUR HISTORICAL AVENGERS,

AND WE GET TO SEE ONE OF THE MOMENTS WHERE MALCOLM IS REALLY

QUIET AND I GUESS A BIT INTROSPECIFIC.

>> Stephen: JIM.

YEAH, APPEARS COOLER.

AWAY FROM THE PRYING EYES OF YOUR G MEN.

>> YEAH, YOU JOKE ALL YOU WANT, SAM.

I'M TELLING YOU, IT'S GOT WORSE SINCE THE TENSION BETWEEN ME AND

MR. MOHAMED.

>> I MET WITH A WRITER IN NEW YORK A FEW WEEKS BACK, TWO

GUYS FOLLOWING US THROUGH THE AIRPORT.

I SWEAR IT WAS THE SAME TWO.

>> I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T TRUST WRITERS.

>> OH, THIS ONE WAS A BROTHER, AND THIS MEETING WAS IMPORTANT.

I FIGURE I BETTER START GETTING MY LIFE STORY DOCUMENTED IN MY

OWN WORDS WHEN I CAN.

>> Stephen: ONE OF THE THINGS YOU MENTIONED BEFORE WE WENT

INTO THAT CLIP WAS THE TENSION BETWEEN THESE FOUR MEN, AND TO

SIMPLIFY IT FOR OUR AUDIENCE, JUST FOR THE CONVERSATION, THERE

IS A TENSION BETWEEN ALL OF THEM DRIVEN BY THE CONVERSATION

THAT'S BEING DIRECTED IN SOME WAYS BY MALCOLM X ABILITY HOW

EACH OF THESE MEN CAN USE THEIR CELEBRITY, THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS,

THEIR RELATIVE PRIVILEGE WITHIN SOCIETY TO FURTHER THE CAUSE OF

LIBERATING BLACK PEOPLE, TO ACHIEVING BLACK POWER, AS

MOHAMED ALI AND SAM COOKE TALK ABOUT LATER, THERE ARE VERY

DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT HOW THAT'S ACHIEVABLE IN THIS MOVIE.

WHICH THEORY RINGS MOST POSSIBLE TO YOU?

>> ACTUALLY, FOR ME, STEPHEN, THEY'RE BOTH EQUALLY POSSIBLE

AND THEY BOTH RING TRUE TO ME.

I FEEL LIKE BOTH STYLES, IF YOU WILL, OF ACHIEVING RACIAL

EQUALITY OR BLACK POWER, AS CASSIUS SAYS IN THE FILM, ARE

NECESSARY.

I FEEL LIKE THEY'RE SITUATIONAL.

IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU'RE UP AGAINST.

SOMETIMES IT IS, YOU KNOW, LET'S TEAR IT DOWN AND START ALL OVER,

AND SOMETIMES IT'S WORKING INSIDE OUT FROM AN ECONOMIC

SPACE, LIKE SAM SPEAKS ABOUT.

SO I RELATE TO BOTH.

I DO.

>> Stephen: WELL, SAM COOKE IS PORTRAYED BY LESLIE ODOM, SUCH A

BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE.

AND COOKE HIMSELF IS SUCH A POWERFUL FIGURE.

MALCOLM X SAYS YOU MIGHT HAVE A BETTER CHANCE THAN SOMEBODY ELSE

BECAUSE OF THE MAGIC MUSIC CREATES AND CHANGES A HEART FROM

A DISTANCE.

WHAT LED YOU TO CASTING LESLIE ODOM, JR.

HAD YOU SEEN HIM IN "HAMILTON"?

>> I HAD SEEN "HAMILTON" BUT NOT THE CAST WITH LESLIE ODOM.

I HAD A LIST OF PEOPLE THAT I WAS THINKING OF THAT POTENTIALLY

COULD BE GOOD FOR ALL FOUR OF THE ROLES, AND LESLIE -- I HAD

SEEN HIM IN A NATIONWIDE COMMERCIAL -- W

( LAUGHTER ) -- AND SOMETHING JUST ABOUT THE

WAY HE WAS CARRYING HIMSELF FELT VERY SAM COOKE-ESQUE TO ME.

>> Stephen: SURE.

AND I ASKED ME SON, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER IDEAS ABOUT --

I'M TRYING TO THINK OF YOUNG ACTORS I'M NOT THINKING OF FOR

ANY OF THESE ROLES.

HE SAID, OH, MOM, THAT DUDE IN THE NATIONWIDE COMMERCIAL MIGHT

BE GOOD FOR SAM COOKE.

I THOUGHT, THERE YOU GO!

>> Stephen: TWO POINTS MAKE A LINE.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: A BRILLIANT FILM.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> STEPHEN: "ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI" IS AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZON

PRIME.

REGINA KING, EVERYBODY!

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY VIC MENSA.

♪♪♪