Ava DuVernay Explains Why She Didn't Cast Anyone To Play Donald Trump In 'When They See Us'

[Kind of Blue]

If you follow famed filmmaker Ava DuVernay on Twitter, you already know she’s not afraid to call out the man who occupies the Oval Office. On Monday, when Donald Trump tried to get self-righteous about where he stands on criminal justice reform, it was only fitting that the director of the upcoming When They See Us Netflix miniseries, quickly got him together. https://www.essence.com/news/ava-duvernay-donald-trump-crime-bill/

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

The director went on the explain why she used news footage of Trump instead of casting an actor to play him in the series. DuVernay said that she wanted to present the reality show villain the way the families of the men—then just children—experienced him.

“I decided I was telling the story of the men. They knew a rich, kind of bloated, flamboyant guy who owned buildings across town had said something about them,” she explained. “They were much more concerned with their families and their lives than some guy in a golden tower.”

Unsurprisingly, Trump’s tune hasn’t changed.

While running for president in 2016, 14 years after the men were exonerated and their confessions proven to be coerced, Trump said that he still believes the men are guilty because “they admitted they were guilty.”
In 2002, Matias Reyes, a serial rapist and murderer, confessed to raping Meili, with DNA evidence confirming his statement.
https://www.essence.com/celebrity/ava-duvernay-explains-decision-not-to-cast-trump-when-they-see-us/

Link to tweet