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1883 Star LaMonica Garrett On The Importance Of Black Cowboys’ Stories, And What He Loves About Taylor Sheridan’s Writing

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1883 Star LaMonica Garrett On The Importance Of Black Cowboys’ Stories, And What He Loves About Taylor Sheridan’s Writing

When Yellowstone’s prequel 1883 was first announced, it seemed like a great way for Paramount+ to build up the mythology of the flagship series’ Dutton family and all of its land-protecting justice-keeping glory. And while that’s certainly part of what the streaming western is doing, 1883 isn’t worried about exploiting such connections, as Taylor Sheridan has another universe of stories to tell with these specific characters, some of whom happen to share a name with others down the family tree. One of those non-Dutton stories belongs to the Pinkerton agent Thomas, as played with hard-jawed stoicism by Arrowverse and Sons of Anarchy vet LaMonica Garrett.

While not that much is known about Thomas by this point in 1883’s run, what we do know is that LaMonica Garrett is portraying the rare Black TV cowboy whose narrative isn’t largely driven by Civil War-related racial tension. As the right hand to Shea Brennan’s left, Thomas keeps an understated presence among the many going along on the epic cross-country journey, but he’s more than intelligent and badass enough for any given situation or conversation that comes up. When the actor spoke with CinemaBlend ahead of Season 1, I asked him how important it was to him to star in a high-profile western that handles race in such an atypical way. In his words:

Yeah, it’s significant, because we weren’t around if you let Hollywood tell it. In different television shows and films, like, Black cowboys weren’t around, but they were. One in every four cowboys was a Black cowboy, and they’re stories that need to be told. And the one thing I loved about these scripts and Taylor’s writing for this Black cowboy, slavery was never mentioned. You know, the N-bomb was never dropped. It was just, what you think a Black cowboy would have to go through in this era, he was just a cowboy. And that’s what these Black cowboys were back then. They were just cowboys, but they had stories. We just don’t know those stories.

Which isn’t to say that Taylor Sheridan has sugarcoated 1883’s storyline to make Thomas’ story feel inauthentic in the slightest. It’s not as if he’s a Black cowboy treated like royalty or anything, and Thomas gets targeted and shot at the same as some of the others in the group. He’s just not a character that suffers many of the stereotypes that are so common in other genre efforts across the past century.

LaMonica Garrett is clearly pleased by what he’s experienced filming 1883 so far, giving Taylor Sheridan credit for understanding how important normalizing the Black cowboy experience is, particularly in non-sensational ways. The actor continued, saying: 

And every once in a while throughout the series, Thomas might reference his past, but he doesn’t lean into it. It’s not a woe is me thing. He’s just a cowboy with a story being told, just like millions of others. And, you know, I hope [for more like it]. They’re starting to be shown more now – The Harder They Fall came out. There’s movies and projects featuring Black cowboys. Bass Reeves, I heard they’re going to do a show about that. So hopefully it’s the beginning of it. At the end of the day, they’re all cowboys, and these cowboys just happened to be Black, but they did have stories, and they need to be told.

Three cheers for that sentiment! And the conversations about race that surrounded the popular and well-received Netflix Original truly speaks to the rarity of a Black cowboy flick like The Harder They Fall. It’s presumed that viewers will witness a flashback or two from Thomas’ past that leans into his war efforts for the military, with or without another cameo appearance from Tom Hanks. And if and when that happens, we can presume that Taylor Sheridan 

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The upcoming Bass Reeves series had something of a mini-predecessor in the premiere episode of HBO’s Watchmen, which also provided a very unique racial spin on genre storytelling. It’s certainly worth a short fan fiction tale about LaMonica Garrett’s Monitor and Anti-Monitor being from the same DC-based universe as Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Doctor Manhattan, no? Okay, okay, that’s for a different time, I get it. 

With its first two episodes having enjoyed a TV-fueled boost via post-Yellowstone airings, 1883 streams new episodes every Sunday on Paramount+, with much more to come from Thomas and Sam Elliott’s Brennan. And be sure to keep an eye on all the new and returning shows hitting the small screen soon with our 2022 TV premiere schedule!

Interviews

Quentin Tarantino Reveals His Pick For ‘The Greatest Movie Ever Made’

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Quentin Tarantino Reveals His Pick For ‘The Greatest Movie Ever Made’

It may not feel like it sometimes, but any upcoming movie has the chance to be named “the greatest movie ever made” by someone out there. However, that honor does have some specific caveats if you’re someone like filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. Not only has the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood director chosen a Steven Spielberg classic for that very distinction, Tarantino also explained just why that title is very specific. 

In an upcoming interview with our in-house podcast ReelBlend, Quentin Tarantino made his fourth appearance to talk about all things movies; the first since the big live show at the New Beverly Cinema. Promoting his new co-hosting gig on The Video Archives Podcast, Tarantino had yet another spirited discussion about cinema, which led to his pick of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws as  the greatest “movie” ever made. That distinction is important, as the Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood director made that perfectly clear through the following remarks: 

I think Jaws is the greatest movie ever made. Maybe not the greatest film. But it’s the greatest movie ever made. And then there are other movies that can get in its rarefied air. But as far as a movie, there’s no making it better than Jaws. There’s no ‘better’ than Jaws. It is the best movie ever made. And it shows how badly timed most movies made before Jaws were.

Leave it to Quentin Tarantino to separate his tastes in movies into those two separate, important camps: “movies” and “films.” In this case, the designation of a movie almost sounds like it’s shorthand for the blockbuster opuses that Steven Spielberg made a name for himself with. Which means that “films” are presumably more of the independent/art house titles that have higher pedigrees, and usually end up on the lists of best picture nominees every year.

Strangely enough, Jaws is one of six horror movies to have Best Picture nominations, so the line could blur just a bit in that respect. Putting aside the “movies” versus “films” debate, Quentin Tarantino isn’t using that separation to be a snob. Later on in the conversation, he explained how spectacles such as this are their own form of art, and how Steven Spielberg came to be someone who perfected it: 

What I meant by that, to one degree or another, is that Spielberg and a lot of his cohorts grew up seeing those kinds of movies in the theater. Henry Levin’s Journey to Center of the Earth, he’s gonna run to go and see that. Richard Fleischer’s Fantastic Voyage. He’s going to run and go see it. Gordon Douglas’s Them! He’s going to run and go see. Now… most of them weren’t directed that well. They were assignments given to journeyman directors who did their best with them. That was how we were used to seeing comic book — that kind of movie experience. As opposed to a Spielberg, who was like, ‘No, this is exactly the kind of movie he likes. This is exactly the kind of movies he was put on earth to make. And he’s going to make it, within an inch of his life, as effective as it possibly can be. And, you know, Michael Anderson, isn’t putting that kind of work in Logan’s Run.

Spielberg, and “cohorts” like George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Ford Copolla all latched onto genres that were pulpier entertainments in their childhood, only to make them into something new. Through films like Jaws, Star Wars, Taxi Driver, and The Godfather, we saw a generation of directors taking movies they loved and reviving them through their own personal lenses. Which is exactly what Quentin Tarantino would do when he stepped onto the scene with Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction; and it’s also why he’s such a staunch supporter of the cinematic experience. 

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If this conversation boils down to anything, it’s game recognizing game. Much as Steven Spielberg idolized the movies that helped make Jaws, Quentin Tarantino has reverence for the bearded director and his dedication to making the movies that sparked his love of cinema. Though considering the history his collaborator Samuel L. Jackson has had with sharks, you have to wonder if this has already sparked any sort of humorous conversations between the two?

You’ll be able to watch, and listen, to Quentin Tarantino’s latest appearance on ReelBlend, as it’s set to hit YouTube tomorrow. Meanwhile, Tarantino may not have his tenth and final film in the works just yet, but you can still enjoy the man’s gift for words in two very cool ways. 

Tarantino’s Video Archives podcast, which he co-hosts with friend and collaborator Roger Avery, is currently streaming wherever you find fine listening material. However, if you also want to read the man’s thoughts on ‘70s filmmaking in his upcoming book Cinema Speculation, which you can currently preorder on Amazon (opens in new tab); or any other fine bookseller.

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‘Prey’ Interviews With Amber Midthunder, Dan Trachtenberg And More!

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The stars of “Prey,” Amber Midthunder (“Naru”), Dakota Bevers (“Taabe”), Dane DiLiegro (“The Predator”), director Dan Trachtenberg and producer Jhane Myers discuss their new “Predator” movie in this interview with CinemaBlend at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. They discuss the “Prey” audition moment that landed Amber Midthunder her role and more!

You can stream “Prey” on Hulu on August 5.

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Interviews

‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ | Marvel Comic-Con Interviews with Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan & More

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‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ | Marvel Comic-Con Interviews with Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan & More

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” stars Chris Pratt (Peter Quill / Star-Lord), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Will Poulter (Adam Warlock), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Sean Gunn (Kraglin / On-Set Rocket), Chukwudi Iwuji (The High Evolutionary) and writer Director James Gunn discuss their upcoming Marvel film and conclusion of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy in this post-Hall H interview with CinemaBlend at San Diego Comic-Con 2022.

Video Chapters

  • 00:00 – Chris Pratt on Finding “Your Side”
  • 00:35 – Chris Pratt Teases What’s Ahead For Star-Lord and Gamora In GOTG 3
  • 01:24 – Karen Gillan LOVES ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Fan Reactions
  • 02:00 – Karen Gillan Weighs In On Nebula Unaliving Nebula in ‘Endgame’
  • 02:32 – James Gunn Teases a “Darker” ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Movie
  • 03:20 – Sean Gunn on Baby Rocket’s Difficult Backstory
  • 04:30 –  Pom Klementieff on Welcoming New Marvel Actors to the ‘Guardians’ Family
  • 05:15 – Pom Klementieff Teases A More Badass Mantis In ‘Guardians 3’
  • 05:35 – Will Poulter Teases Adam Warlock Origins in ‘GOTG 3’ 
  • 06:32 – Chukwudi Iwuji on The High Evolutionary and His Motivations
  • 07:20 – Chukwudi Iwugi Praises James Gunn’s Dialogue
  • 08:15 – Chris Pratt Recalls His Last Day of Filming the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Trilogy
  • 08:55 – James Gunn Is Literally Always Writing and Rewriting Scripts
  • 09:49 – Will Poulter Wants to Play Adam Warlock Again “If Marvel Will Have Me”

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