This is the third part in my series of the taped interview with Sundance Film Festival winning director and writer Dennis Dortch. In this part of the interview we discuss the DVD of his movie A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy, the motivations of the characters, and several of the actors.
You can see the first part of the in depth interview at Sundance director Dennis Dortch interviewed by Michael Vass
You can read the second part of the interview at Director Dennis Dortch interviewed by Michael Vass - pt 2
Michael Vass : I can understand. Perhaps that’s why, and I think that a lot of people will find this through out all of your vignettes, that there is a lot of honesty. It is very honest. Very almost taken directly from life. You did a great job with the writing and directing and being able to make it like a real moment. I think that adds a lot to the power of what’s going on there. It’s just that I just like it the other way because it kind of almost gets a comeuppance. To a certain extent it kind of gets that a little more.
I did watch the extras which I think most people should see. You’ve got a lot of different things happing within the preparations. Some of the scenes are very different from what we got in the final version. I guess you did that with all the different actors going just a little bit more off the cuff just kind of letting them roll with it to a certain extent. Is that correct?
Dennis Dortch : Yeah very true I think it goes along with the honesty thing. After a while the scenes start sounding like lines. I think I write natural but it does not sound natural coming out of the actor’s mouth. It’s because for actors its their job to make it believable in the scene; to be in the moment. I can’t direct them on every single nuance. So I think having them have that freedom to be able to improvise and explore goes along with the same goals as being honest and true - makes it more real.
Michael Vass : Ok I can see that and it did work. It works very well.
One thing you didn’t change in any version, at least it looks like that from the extras, is the American Boyfriend storyline. You could have used almost any type of group of people. Inparticular you could have gone with some whites, some Russian. You could have gone to native Indians, or Jewish. There are so many people you could have interjected instead of Ann Marie Liu (Emily Liu) I believe that’s her name. But you went there in that direction and they're Chinese. Traditional Chinese I believe? Is that correct?
Dennis Dortch : Yes that is correct.
Michael Vass : Why did you make that choice to the Asian? To use Asians.
Dennis Dortch : For two reasons, one is because its really happened in my real life so I stuck with that and what I knew. And two - there’s a particular type of tone I was going for. I can only write what I know number one and number two a lot of people can identify and have had more experience with a Chinese family.
I could have made them Mohican but it just seemed too straight forward. To on the nose and racism does go beyond, people learn it. You know what I mean? So that is another part that I wanted to get at and I also wanted to bring in a freshness something that was different to. And felt a little different as far as a Chinese family hanging around popping the Mandarin.
And I think the other part was quite honestly, it was like Alphonso. He had the same experience with a Chinese girl he was dating, and my editor who edited that particular vignette, he had the same experience. He [editor] was not really dating the girl but he was friends with her but she would never take him to her house till one day they dropped by to pick up some stuff and he felt really strong with it… and so everybody can identify with it. But this is after the fact, after I wrote it of course. But I knew I was on to something that was very identifiable. Speaking the Chinese was really the way to go.
Michael Vass : It makes perfect sense to me, and it is a different approach to that theme. I just know some readers are going so say, ”well why did he do that?” So I just wanted to ask that. So you said that it happened to you? Did you actually walk through the door like that at the end? You said it was something that you did.
Dennis Dortch : No it was something that I wanted to do. I didn’t have the courage to do that. I get to do that in the movie but I didn’t. We were caught like the line where Ann Marie says he’s just a friend, that happened. I was hidden in that room or pushed out the back door on about three occasions.
Michael Vass : I’ve had that happen too.
Dennis Dortch : On the fourth occasion her parents walked up. It was hot you know you have the door open the screen door closed and they walked up and I didn’t even see them. They walked in on us and my girlfriend at the time let go of me and jumped and said, “he’s just a friend.” It was hurtful so that is exactly how that happened and so that actually played out in the film, but the other part was made up. A scene that was in my head that I wanted to do since I was sitting in that room steaming for hours you know.
Michael Vass : I think there is a lot of black men who can cheer that on, because I’ve had a similar experience to that same one and I didn’t [do anything]. I’m a strong man too and no I didn’t make that confrontation either so I can relate both to.
We all want to be him walking out that door but then again most of us aren’t going to do it. So that’s why I wanted to ask that because its kind of funny. Because we’ve all had that same experience.
By the way where did you find Nana Hill?
Dennis Dortch : She actually auditioned for Reprisosity and you probably saw that on the extras. She was just a girl who would literally go down and do it. So she didn’t work at all. But I liked her so much, that sensuality in her, and I definitely wanted a chocolate sister. I love natural hair in an afro so I wrote that part for her, it was supposed to be that hidden tract after the credits. But it was shot so beautifully that it was a nice little interlude that I ended up putting it into the main film.
Michael Vass : Where is she from? She sounds almost South African.
Dennis Dortch : Yes she is from Uganda.
Michael Vass : She is stunning and I think you just may have started a great career there because I can’t see Hollywood turning around and going I can’t use her. They’ve got to be using her more.
Dennis Dortch : Last time I saw her she was on CSI, but yes she is getting work here and there.
Michael Vass : Let me just skip ahead a little bit on a question that is also of interest into the actors you’ve worked with so far. Are you looking at going into the same thing that Spike Lee, Clint Eastwood and a few directors do. Which is to use a consistent core group of people over and over again in most of your films, or at least several of them?
Dennis Dortch : I don’t know, I’m not sure yet. But it’s possible to do that some times. I’m not sure yet but I don’t think that they knew that at the time either you know.
I think they were kind of looking for people. Probably new fresh people and just going back to people like Wesley Snipes, you know just kind of going back to the same actors. Because you know there really is only so many great actors. So I don’t know if we really are premeditated to do that, I think we just naturally kind of run out of options.
Who knows what this person really embodies, then you just start writing for people we know because we’ve got something so strong in our heads. So its kind of hard for me to say what I would do. I have no idea right now.
I have my next film in my head and I’m not thinking about any particular actor I’d use. Chonte is probably the one that comes to mind more often. Between her and Mylika who played the girl in Tonight, those are my best actors. And in my head yes I’d use them again but I’ve not made any plans yet.
Michael Vass : Ok so there is something for people to look forward to and I know they both have fans. But there are people who are fans of several of the people you use. So there is something they will be looking forward to in your next item.
Before I go there though …give me a moment, I’m just thinking through … there are a couple of things I wanted to hit on. Did you have a favorite story in this? I know American Boyfriend is one that you’ve lived but was that your favorite or was there a favorite in all the stories?
Dennis Dortch : No. They’re all my babies.
Michael Vass : Well its all yours that’s true.
Continued in part 4…
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