Inside Judas and the Black Messiah, Daniel Kaluuya plays Fred Hampton, the young leader of the Black Panther Party who was shot dead at 21. It is a bold and moving role for the Britishwho tells The AV Club that he was inspired by an “intense” 8-hour session that he and director Shaka King, co-star Dominique Fishback and Ryan Coogler producers and Charles King had with some members of the Hampton family, including his namesake son Fred Hampton, Jr. Part of the audition and part of the therapy session, the meeting was, Kaluuya says, “deeply moving and comprehensive”, including even a tour for some the areas where Hampton grew up. More on that, in addition to Kaluuya’s thoughts on the film’s ever moving social justice messages in the video above.
Judas and the Black Messiah debuts on HBO Max on Friday, February 12.