Horror/comedy film Meet The Blacks
Horror/comedy film Meet The Blacks
An interview with Deon Taylor, Gary Owen, King Bach and Lil Duval
By Consciousness Magazine
In the new film “Meet the Blacks”, Carl
Black (Mike Epps) family inherits one million dollars
and moves to Beverly Hills
Consciousness Magazine had the opportunity to speak with writer, director, and producer Deon Taylor, actor/comedian Gary Owen (Stranger), online sensation King Bach (Freezee), and comedian Lil Duval (Cronut) of the new horror/comedy film that is currently playing in movie theaters worldwide. Here is what they had to share regarding the film.
As the director and co writer of this film, where did you get the idea for “Meet the Blacks”?
Deon Taylor: If you know me, I’m really really into horror. I was absolutely nuts over the Purge franchise when it first dropped. I thought it would be funny if we had a black family in the middle of a purge. The genesis of the idea started that way. I pitched it to a couple of friends. I said I’m going to write this and put it together. Several months later, we had a script. I had the opportunity to go sit with Mike Epps at one of his shows. On the whim, I pitched it to him. I didn’t know he was a fan of the purge. He jumped at the idea. We ended up partnering up and the rest is history.
Now you’ve created horror films before, what made you want to do comedy at this point in your career?
Deon Taylor: One of the films that I really did that worked out is called “Chain Letter”. I always wanted to stay in that genre. I did a movie last year called “Supremacy”, which is more of a critically acclaimed film. It was a really tough movie for me to make - very hard drama, true story about a white supremacist. Right when I rapped production, I was like, “man I want to find something fun to do, something loose, with no edge, with no energy to be heavy.” This is when I came up with the idea of “Meet the Blacks”. I wanted it to be fun - to make people laugh instead of making them cry. I wanted to do something that was like a throwback to the old days of like the “Friday” franchise. I wanted to do something that was politically incorrect.
You also have some great cameo appearances, core comedians like George Lopez, Lavell Crawford, Charlie Murphy, DeRay Davis, and Paul Mooney. How did you go about pulling together those guys to participate?
Deon Taylor: It was kind of like a domino effect. Once, actually, me and Mike got in sync, and kind of started pulling the movie together, that’s when I kinda had this crazy idea like “man it would be great to make this film where every corner you turn it’s someone great”. At first it was like a drama like, “man we will never pull this off.” I think we may start a trend here going forward, people in this caliber of the business and want to work together and create a figure brand, in terms of what they’re doing film wise.
Lil Duval, you played cousin Cronut and he was recently released from prison and joined the family. Describe your character?
Lil Duval: What was it like playing this role? It was a bit stretch, just trying to dig within to build that character. Naw, It wasn’t nothing! It was fun (laugh)! It was fun to me. Pretty much my charter is the guy who is just there for the ride. I ain’t helping with nothing. I’m just there to leach off of my cousin.
Lil Duval, what was it like working with Deon as a director as you went through this process?
Lil Duval: Honestly it’s the coaching, for a guy like me needs it. I think he is a great coach.
Gary
Gary
An interview with Deon Taylor, Gary Owen, King Bach and Lil Duval
By Consciousness Magazine
Consciousness Magazine had the opportunity to speak with writer, director, and producer Deon Taylor, actor/comedian Gary Owen (Stranger), online sensation King Bach (Freezee), and comedian Lil Duval (Cronut) of the new horror/comedy film that is currently playing in movie theaters worldwide. Here is what they had to share regarding the film.
As the director and co writer of this film, where did you get the idea for “Meet the Blacks”?
Deon Taylor: If you know me, I’m really really into horror. I was absolutely nuts over the Purge franchise when it first dropped. I thought it would be funny if we had a black family in the middle of a purge. The genesis of the idea started that way. I pitched it to a couple of friends. I said I’m going to write this and put it together. Several months later, we had a script. I had the opportunity to go sit with Mike Epps at one of his shows. On the whim, I pitched it to him. I didn’t know he was a fan of the purge. He jumped at the idea. We ended up partnering up and the rest is history.
Now you’ve created horror films before, what made you want to do comedy at this point in your career?
Deon Taylor: One of the films that I really did that worked out is called “Chain Letter”. I always wanted to stay in that genre. I did a movie last year called “Supremacy”, which is more of a critically acclaimed film. It was a really tough movie for me to make - very hard drama, true story about a white supremacist. Right when I rapped production, I was like, “man I want to find something fun to do, something loose, with no edge, with no energy to be heavy.” This is when I came up with the idea of “Meet the Blacks”. I wanted it to be fun - to make people laugh instead of making them cry. I wanted to do something that was like a throwback to the old days of like the “Friday” franchise. I wanted to do something that was politically incorrect.
You also have some great cameo appearances, core comedians like George Lopez, Lavell Crawford, Charlie Murphy, DeRay Davis, and Paul Mooney. How did you go about pulling together those guys to participate?
Deon Taylor: It was kind of like a domino effect. Once, actually, me and Mike got in sync, and kind of started pulling the movie together, that’s when I kinda had this crazy idea like “man it would be great to make this film where every corner you turn it’s someone great”. At first it was like a drama like, “man we will never pull this off.” I think we may start a trend here going forward, people in this caliber of the business and want to work together and create a figure brand, in terms of what they’re doing film wise.
Lil Duval, you played cousin Cronut and he was recently released from prison and joined the family. Describe your character?
Lil Duval: What was it like playing this role? It was a bit stretch, just trying to dig within to build that character. Naw, It wasn’t nothing! It was fun (laugh)! It was fun to me. Pretty much my charter is the guy who is just there for the ride. I ain’t helping with nothing. I’m just there to leach off of my cousin.
Lil Duval, what was it like working with Deon as a director as you went through this process?
Lil Duval: Honestly it’s the coaching, for a guy like me needs it. I think he is a great coach.
Gary
Owen: When I got the script, that’s when I
found out I’m a killer. I read it in my trailer right before I was ready to
shoot and I was just doing all of these goofy voices in my trailer. When I came
out on the set, and then for that shoot, I noticed a European anorthic personal
guy killer came out of my mouth (laugh). Deon was like, “just stick to that
voice.” I was like “alright.” It just kind of just happened. It was like Tom
Hanks in Cast Away in this movie. I didn’t even get to film with anybody. I was
the one trying to get in the house to kill everybody. It was a very lonely
shoot for me.
Bach,
you are a phenomenal mogul when it comes to social media. Did your background
prepare you to be Allie Black (Bresha Webb’s) boyfriend Freezee?
King
Bach: The social media legend is Lil
Duval. He started that way back in the day when I was in college. I studied and
watched a lot of videos but I did a lot of impov classes and hip hop training.
I think that really prepared me for acting on set with Deon and the cast.
What
are some of the things that you hope people take from the film?
Deon
Taylor: What I hope we did with this film,
is we took the spoof satire, but we did a great job with building a true story
within the spoof. When you get an opportunity to watch it, the story is really
about Carl Black actually trying to do better with his family and he is making
all the wrong mistakes. On the night of the purge, everyone is coming to get
him. I think that we may have been able to do something a little bit different
in the space. I hope that people take that with them. I think that it would be
an instant classic. We have never seen a movie with these many stars in it made
for us.
Gary
Owen: The day that we shot, I was always
outside by myself. It wasn’t a short shoot.
When I got to the set, I would be the only one on the call sheet. I’m
like dang! I got no one to talk to today (laugh). In a little bit, it worked
for the character. I was always by myself just trying to make good stuff - new
voices (laugh).
What
was it like working with a comedian great such as Paul Mooney?
Lil
Duval: The Paul Mooney thing was funny! It
was actually probably more funny off screen than it was on screen.
Gary
Owen: Actually, I didn’t get to work with
him; I was by myself (laugh).
Deon
Taylor: I think the idea of having all the
comedians on set originally was a great idea. What you notice from the business
standpoint is that the date you have the most comedians on set is the date when
you get the least amount of work done, because everyone is like talking and
hanging out. It becomes a really fun sideshow of stories. Paul Mooney with a Klan outfit on, it had to
be the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life (laugh)! And him doing his
lines over and over again was great! He is truly someone who got in character
that day.
Why
should people go see the film?
Gary
Owen: It’s funny, it’s funny! The goal is
to leave the movie better than you got there.
Deon
Taylor: I would pay close attention to the
film. Not only the film in terms of it being a general comedy, but I would pay
attention to the model based on the fact that I think this movie will break the
mold of what’s going on in Hollywood. We’ve already seen a lot more independent
films. Now, we’re actually going to see a movie go from being strictly 100%
independent to now being done 100% independently being released theatrically
worldwide.
Links to follow:
Meet the Blacks
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