The true story of black real estate moguls turned bank owners Joe Morris and Bernard Garrett will be told in the Apple TV+ filmed called “The Banker”. The film stars Anthony Mackie as Garrett, along with Samuel L. Jackson, and Nia Long. Mackie and the film’s director/screenwriter George Nolfi attended a special screening at New York City’s Roxy Cinema in TriBeCa to discuss the challenges and importance of telling the story of the two civil rights era black moguls.
Moderator: Anthony, what did it mean for you to bring this untold story to life at this moment?
Anthony Mackie: It was huge for me for many different reasons. But this is something we’ve been working on for ten years now.This story came to fruition on the roof of 30 Rockfeller Center [Top of the Rock] when we were shooting The Adjustment Bureau, and it’s funny because you wouldn’t believe how hard it was to get this movie made. You can have Sam Jackson, you can have Nia Long, you can have me and I can be in Marvel movies and people still could say NO. Once you realize the power that comes along with the ability to say no, it’s a very humbling situation. This business has a really interesting way of making you think you’re on top of the world and humbling you at the same time (‘how can things get better, they can get worse’). It’s a very gratifying experience to have this movie finally out and to have my brother with me and us doing it together.
Moderator: George, how did you make this movie?
George Nolfi: Well we did a little retooling of the script get it to the place where Anthony could call his friend Sam Jackson, saying you need to put this at the top of your pile. If we went through normal means it probably would have taken us six months to get a read, but he read it quite quickly and wanted to do the film. So that was the thing that pushed us over the edge I think. But as Anthony was saying we went to a lot of different financiers and they were like two black leads, banking, real estate, two million dollars, can’t make this movie for two million dollars, so there was just no way to do it. I do want to thank Brad Feinstein who came in and took the whole film at a budget level that we could make it look like that.
Moderator: Why did you personally feel you had to make this movie?
George Nolfi: I just think it is shocking, it’s sad that these guys were erased from history. Anthony mentioned being at the Top of The World, we were making The Adjustment Bureau together and we wanted to work on something else we wanted to find something else. One of the producers came and told us the story and I think we were both kind of slack-jawed that they owned 177 buildings, that they got to be as wealthy as they did and that they needed a white face to do that. They took this guy and kind of My Fair Lady’d him and turned him into a quote on quote rich white guy. It was just too extraordinary and then the poignancy of the fact that they had to dress as janitors and chauffeurs to have some insight on what was going on in their own banks. It just was an incredible true story that I think we both were how is it possible this story hasn’t been made. And to be honest in 2010 when we were on that rooftop I don’t think there’s any way this story would have been made. I think this [story] is 2017 and beyond.
Moderator: Anthony there is a diversity of representation of black characters in the film working together, is that important to be seen on film so black people don’t have to be seen as monolithic?
Anthony Mackie: Of course. I feel like look as black people we all know even when we do well there’s somebody in our family who you’re like ‘Alright Jamal gonna be here this weekend’. So let’s be honest with ourselves. I feel like at some point in time we have to stop being victims, at some point in time we have to stand up and take the horse by the reins and ride into our destiny. So for me when I watch a movie like this, my dad was an amazing man. I’m very fortunate to say I come from a lineage of amazing men. The more I read the more I research the more I learn about my grandfathers and great grandfathers and the more I’m impressed by the men that they were, even my two brothers like everyday I talk to my brothers I’m like ya’ll are just impressive. Being the youngest I grew up with that in front of me. I grew up with that legacy to chase and I feel like we’re at a point now where there is so much wealth, so much black independence there is so much black opportunity. You watch this movie, one dude couldn’t do it, so he humbled himself go to another dude and said together we can do it. But you know what they had.. their money right. And I’m sorry we at a day and age where we know what your money right is. If you’re willing to spend $400 on a t-shirt because it has a label on it, but when the opportunity come and your money ain’t right, who the fool. So let’s stop, let’s stop dog come on. There are people out here hurting who can’t make a living. What good is a Benz when it’s time to go home? I feel like when we look at the wealth gap in America, when we look at the financial independence that is not garnered towards African American men and women in this day and age part of that is our responsibility, part of that is our lack of creativity.
Moderator: Originally the film garnered an R rating, but that isn’t so anymore. George can you talk about what happened with the MPAA?
George Nolfi: Got an R- rating because of Sam’s use of the quote on quote F word in a quote on quote sexual context. I felt very strongly that this is a film that should be shown to 13, 14, 15 year olds. Marshall and I had a conversation where I think he said I need authentic counter narratives for my kids and the idea you can’t see this until you’re 17 years old because Sam Jackson talks the way all those 13, 14, 15 year olds talk all the time. I read something that kid’s first exposure to hardcore porn is like 9, like we’re gonna get an R rating for this. I felt it was really unjust. Marshall and I talked about this because the obvious thing to do was to cut the line but then it just doesn’t feel real ‘I’m not sleeping with your wife’ ‘I’m not boffin your wife’ . The MPAA to it’s credit has an appeals process and even though they have rules that state explicitly that you can’t use that word in a sexual context, we went and presented our case and why we thought it was important and it was important in the context of this movie and they overruled their own board. They had to do that my a two thirds majority.
Moderator: What is your wish for this film?
Anthony Mackie: To be honest I would love for this movie like all the movies I do is to start a conversation. I feel like it’s a day and age now where when people talk and they disagree you can no longer talk. To me the start of a conversation is a disagreement, I need to understand your way. So the conversation that needs to be had the great Warren Buffett, whatever you do invest in it. If you like McDonald’s buy some McDonald’s stock, like I work for a certain company that’s represented by a mouse, they employ me, they had a big announcement you know what I did? I brought some stock, a certain company brought a movie of mines, they said they were gonna put my movie out because they were starting a new service, you know what I did I went and brought some stock. The information is out there. If you know when Lil Wayne coming to town, if you know when the new Jordan’s coming out then you know the opportunities that are out there.
The Banker will be released in limited theaters on December 6th, and will be available for streaming on Apple TV+ in January.
