(Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate)
Writing for BlackPressUSA, The Burton Wire’s founder & Editor-in-Chief interviewed rising star Myles Truitt about his role in the science fiction film Kin, co-starring acclaimed actors Dennis Quaid, James Franco, Jack Reynor and Zoe Kravitz. Myles plays the character of Eli, a young black teen adopted by a white family who happens upon a weapon from the future. In Hollywood cinema, it is rare to see a black teen at the center of a narrative and the other characters revolving around his actions, so his role in the film is groundbreaking in a myriad of ways. Check out what he says about starring in the film in an EXCERPT below:
Truitt has worked steadily over the last five years in television and is now starring in a major, Hollywood motion-picture where he is the star of the movie. It is rare in Hollywood films for a black person, let alone a black teenager to be the center of a narrative, so Truitt is breaking new ground in an industry that is often criticized for excluding people of color from central roles in major films. The weight of playing this role as a young, black man has not escaped Truitt, who has mixed emotions about landing this opportunity.
“I really don’t know how I’m feeling. I’m happy and excited, but I don’t know how to communicate exactly what I’m feeling at this moment, says the thoughtful teenager. “I’m interested in seeing the impact it has on the fans, especially black audiences, because you don’t see young, black males in this type of role, especially in Hollywood.” Truitt is focusing on the “work” while he awaits the film’s reception by audiences and critics. “It hasn’t hit me yet, but I know that it will. I know that it will be a big moment and stepping stone for me in my life.”
“Work” is what Truitt does in this film — shooting action sequences, performing poignant and intimate scenes with Quaid, Reynor and Kravitz and literally moving the narrative forward with each decision his character makes.
One would think a teenager in his first major motion picture, working with an elite group of actors would be intimidated by all that is happening around him. Truitt isn’t intimidated or star struck. He knows he belongs here and his co-stars who fans worship are human beings just like him. He credits his grandfather with teaching him to treat everyone as a friend. “My grandfather was an old soul and he treated everyone in a very respectable manner. It didn’t matter who you were. I learned that from him,” says Truitt.
The teen actor also learned to treat everyone the same. “I hung out with James Franco who is a huge actor. Most people would be afraid to talk to him, but I wasn’t. I treated him like I treat everyone. Like a friend. He treated me the same.” The bonds that were formed during filming are on display throughout the film.
Read the story in its entirety at BlackPressUsa.com.
Follow Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. on Twitter @Ntellectual. Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter or Instagram @TheBurtonWire.
