John Legend to play Harry Belafonte in Bill Condon's apartheid-era drama 'The Road Home'
Los Angeles, July 30
John Legend has been roped in for "The Road Home," a project about South African jazz legends Hugh Masekela and Miriam "Mama Africa" Makeba, and their Apartheid-era Graceland tour with Paul Simon.
Legend will essay the role of American singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte, as per Variety.
Excited about the opportunity, John Legend said, "I was honoured to know Mr Belafonte as my friend, mentor and collaborator in the struggle for justice," Legend said. "He was an incredible human being who lived a monumental, revolutionary life. He was the epitome of an artist and activist who set a standard for me and so many others who stand on his shoulders. I count it a privilege to be entrusted with the role of Harry Belafonte in this special film."
Filming for The Road Home, helmed by Oscar-winning director Bill Condon, is currently in progress in South Africa. The project is supported by Canal+, Studiocanal, Flora Films and South African production company Blue Ice.
"The Road Home" follows as renowned trumpeter Masekela (award-winning South African star Thabo Rametsi) is pulled between two worlds.
In the late 1980s, the anti-Apartheid Movement, led by his mentor, fierce anti-Apartheid advocate Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (Oscar nominee Guy Pearce), launches a boycott against Hugh's friend Paul Simon (South African-born actor-musician Johnny Flynn), over his township music-inspired album "Graceland," accusing Simon of violating the United Nations' Cultural Boycott. Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner and Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo portrays powerhouse vocalist Makeba as she joins forces with Masekela -- who sees music as a mighty weapon in the struggle -- to create the Graceland band, a supergroup designed to bring South Africa's voice to the world.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Honestly, I'm a bit skeptical. Another Hollywood biopic about Africa made by non-Africans? The apartheid struggle is incredibly complex, and I hope they don't whitewash or simplify it. Paul Simon's 'Graceland' was great music, but that boycott controversy was real. Good that they're including that angle.
John Legend playing Harry Belafonte? That's perfect casting mate! Both are artist-activists in the truest sense. I'm from Chennai and we grew up listening to Masekela's trumpet — 'Stimela' still gives me chills. This film could be India's 'Mandela' moment at the cinemas. Hope they release it wide here 🇿🇦❤️🇮🇳
This will be powerful! As an Indian who studied South African history, the connection between the anti-apartheid movement and our own freedom struggle runs deep. Archbishop Huddleston was a hero to many here. And including the controversy around Paul Simon shows nuance. Bill Condon rarely makes a bad film. High expectations!
I appreciate the casting but... John Legend as Belafonte? Belafonte was a towering figure, an activist with a gravitas that's hard to match. Legend is a great singer but he's no Belafonte. Hope he can pull off the acting. Cynthia Erivo as Makeba is pure brilliance though — she'll nail it.
Finally! A film that puts African artists at the centre of their own story.
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