TIFF 2018: George Tillman Jr. On Adapting Book 'The Hate U Give' To The Big Screen

Since the mega success of 1997’s Soul Food, director George Tillman Jr. has been telling stories that enable people to deeply examine their own lives and their connections with others. He's directed Notorious and The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, and he’s also worked diligently as a producer films like Mudbound and the Barbershop franchise. Now the prolific filmmaker is bringing Angie Thomas’ stunning novel The Hate U Give to the big screen. The narrative centers around Black teenager Starr Carter, and her experiences participating in activism paralleling the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Following the film's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Shadow and Act sat down to chat with Tillman about why this was a story he felt compelled to tell, and what he’s uncovered over the course of his career. For Tillman, the entry point into Starr’s world was first sparked by Thomas’ novel. 

"When the book came to me it wasn't published," Tillman told Shadow and Act. "Angie was still in the process of editing the book. I got it really early — in January 2016. I was working with Cheo Hodari Coker, who I did Notorious with. He wanted me to do an episode . I went out to Brooklyn, and the book came to me in my second week of shooting." 

"I didn't have a lot of time, but I did read the first chapter," he said. "The first chapter starts off at the party where Starr's hanging out. She says, 'I don't know if I'm supposed to be at this party.' She was uncomfortable, and I thought, 'Wow, I’ve never seen a story about a young 16-year-old, African American dealing with identity issues.'" 

"As I kept reading it, the dialogue and the language reminded me of a party I went to years ago in my high school times, and a shooting happened," Tillman recalled. "The way (Angie) caught that, and the themes — I was just blown away. I had to get on the phone with her right away. We talked maybe two weeks after that. We went through how I saw the movie, the important characters, the voice, the theme. We completely connected. Then I was able to sell it to Fox at that point." 

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Regina Hall On Bringing Angie Thomas' World To Life In 'The Hate You Give,' And Why It’s Always A Wonderful Time To Be A Black Woman

Regina Hall didn’t expect to be a part of the film adaptation of Angie Thomas’ explosive novel, The Hate U Give. She was cast as Lisa Carter, the loving but no-nonsense mother of protagonist Starr Carter, quite by chance. The novel and film chronicle Starr's experiences with law enforcement, her school and her community, after she watches her childhood friend get gunned down by a police officer. During the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Shadow and Act sat down to chat with the Hall about bringing a black teen girl’s experience of police brutality and injustice to the big screen. "I did Barbershop—the third installment. And after we wrapped, George said, 'You know, there's a project that I really think you'd be great for,'" Hall revealed. "I didn't know that it had a green light, nor was I sure that the studio was going to approve me for the part. A year passed and George called, and they sent the book over. I was more than halfway through the book, and then the script came. I read the script and thought that they did a great job with the adaptation—because that's hard. Then I went and met with the executives at Fox, and everyone said, 'Yes.'"

Though the veteran actress trusted Tillman’s vision, watching the film come together as the rest of the cast came onboard was a thrilling experience. "I was excited! Russell was doing it, and Amandla. I thought of the cast that George was putting together, and I was like, 'Huh? That's an interesting cast.' I thought, 'Are people going to think Starr looks like me?' Hall told Shadow and Act.

"Then they brought on Common, and Issa as the activist lawyer. Even Anthony as the villain — there were all these pieces of the puzzle. George was so clear, and he was so smart in his vision of the movie. When we were shooting, I was like, 'Oh, of course!' I couldn't see anyone else. It's not necessarily what I would've thought, and I know that there were people who were like, 'I don't know about that,'" Hall said. "So that's just a testament to George and everyone at Fox in the casting. I was very excited to be a part of it, in the rehearsals watching it come together."

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Don't Expect 'The Hate U Give' To Deliver Sanitized Storytelling Around Race

The late rapper Tupac Shakur only saw 25 birthdays. However, during his short life, he came to understand the black experience in America, which he summed up as T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E, meaning, “The Hate U Give Little Infants F*cks Everybody.” This haunting perspective would influence Angie Thomas’ award-winning novel The Hate U Give, which is now a feature film. Helmed by veteran director George Tillman Jr., Amandla Stenberg brings Thomas’ Starr to life in a heartbreaking and impactful portrayal that will surely shut down the naysayers who questioned her casting. At 16, Starr has many interests—she's a sneakerhead, a starter on her school's basketball team and an active member of her community, where her father Maverick (an outstanding Russell Hornsby) owns a corner store. However, in addition to the burdens of being a teen, Starr has trained herself to exist in between two worlds. She's continuously code-switching and navigating her way through her white, upper-class prep school and the streets where she was raised.

Though she's mastered being both versions of herself, Starr’s world shatters when she witnesses her childhood best friend, Khalil (Algee Smith), be gunned down by the police during a traffic stop. Though his character is killed not even 30 minutes into the film, Smith’s endlessly charismatic Khalil allows Starr to be her true self. In his presence, she no longer has to walk a tightrope between two worlds. The banter between Smith and Stenberg—though brief—was the stuff of which teenage love affairs are made. In the aftermath of Khalil's murder, Starr must grapple with remaining silent. It's something her loving but fearlessly protective mother, Lisa (Regina Hall), begs Starr to make a choice about: bear with the quiet or use her voice to speak for her fallen friend.

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Regina Hall on the phenomenon that is 'Girls Trip,' 'Due North' and making Black women proud (EXCLUSIVE)

Regina Hall is just getting started. The veteran actress burst onto the scene nearly two decades ago in Malcolm D. Lee’ iconic film, The Best Man. Since then, she's been in everything from the Scary Movie franchise to Black-ish. However, the smash success of her the $100 million marvel Girls Trip – another Lee flick, has propelled the extremely busy actress back into the spotlight. “I've been really blessed, and I've always worked a lot,” Hall told me when I asked her if the success of Girls Trip has triggered new roles for her. “I'm not the most social media visible person, even though I do have a page. Maybe people don't know what I'm doing in between stuff. It was great and consistent before, and yeah, I think maybe my options continued to grow, but I think it's been good and it's staying good thanks to (Girls Trip)." The first time the Insecure actress had even heard of Girls Trip was two years ago. She and producer Will Packer were on an airplane headed to New York for another project. Packer asked her opinion about an idea he had for a film where four friends go to Essence Fest. “Honestly, I was like, ‘What?’," Hall told me reflecting back on that initial conversation. “I didn't know what that was going to be, but I thought about four women going to Essence Fest, and I knew it could be good.” It didn’t take long for Packer to set his plan in motion – bringing on Lee to direct and calling Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver to write the script. “I think a year later there was a script and then we were on set," Hall remembers. “So, it all was a culmination of a perfect storm.”

Now that the critically acclaimed R-rating comedy has grossed a massive $130 million plus at the box office, Hall is still reeling a bit from the insanity that was this past summer. It’s all been an incredible ride for the Naked actress – but it’s also been shocking in some ways. “You never know what a movie is going to be, how it's going to go from paper to an actual film," she said thoughtfully. “I knew that we had a lot of fun. I mean, we laughed a lot. I knew that me and the girls had really created a deep connection and bond, and I knew that part was real. Then the rest you hope for. I don't know if my expectation was where it ended up being, but it was an amazing and wonderful surprise. I think we were just really happy that women who watched it enjoyed it. I think that was what I thought about the most. Even though it was an African American led movie — I wanted all women to receive it and love it, and I wanted Black women to be proud."

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