In a recent chat with Vanity Fair, J.K. Simmons said he thought director Damien Chazelle was a Black man after reading the script for ‘Whiplash.’
“I see a genius script by somebody who clearly understands jazz, the quintessential American musical art form — and a largely African American art form,” the actor explained. “The guy’s name is Damien Chazelle. I’m picturing Antoine Fuqua. I’m going into this meeting thinking it’s going to be some tall, elegant-looking Black guy with a beret.”
Simmons continued, “We go to meet at this restaurant, and of course, he’s there a few minutes early because he’s a young guy. I get there right on time, as is my wont, and I’m literally looking around the restaurant, which is not very crowded — I’m looking right past or through Damien, who finally stands up and waves at me. I’m like, ‘Who’s this little curly-haired kid from New Jersey?'”
‘Whiplash’ is about the harsh relationship between a jazz drummer and his tough teacher. “Well, you know, it’s great,” Simmons previously said about the film’s success. “I knew that we had a made a wonderful movie and that Damien was the real deal and I was certainly expecting that it was going to be well received, but obviously, you never know.”
The actor added, “It’s a competitive place out there so the fact that we got the level of attention we did was really gratifying. I got to go to Cannes for the first time. Damien and I went to Cannes and I got to be there firsthand seeing just the outrageous reception we got from audiences there. And it’s continued…Toronto, New York, the film was really landing with audiences all over the place.”
‘Whiplash’ hit the theaters in 2014. The film won many awards, including Oscars for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. It was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
