Tony Award-winning actor Courtney B. Vance transforms into a Memphis restaurant owner in Prentice Penny’s new Netflix film Uncorked.
The film, which was written, directed, and produced by Penny, follows a young sommelier named Elijah (Mamoudou Athie) who comes into conflict with his father played by Vance when he doesn’t want to take over the family business. Vance talked with The Knockturnal about working on the film and connecting with Prentice Penny.
The Knockturnal: So my first question to you is when you first saw the script, what made you say that you had to be a part of this film?
Courtney B. Vance: My relationship with Mr. Penny. He’s a very collaborative gentleman and I know filmmaking is absolutely collaborative [process] and if you don’t have someone that basically says, here’s my idea, make it better, tell me what you think; It’s going to be a long, hard road. And he set up an environment so that the genius in everybody was able to come through and we were all tripping over ourselves to try to help him achieve his goals and his vision. So I knew that as soon as I met him, that I wanted to be a part of it because of him.
The Knockturnal: Can you talk a little bit more about first meeting Prentice?
Courtney B. Vance: I remember just that I met him and that the two of us connected. And once I realized they were requesting that I do the role of Louis, the first question was let me meet with [Prentice] Mr.Penny and see if we connect; and we connected in a very, very clear and wonderful way. And I was in from that point on, I read the script and liked the script. But then I said, I have to meet him and see what he’s like because if we don’t connect, to me it’s almost not worth doing because if every time we talk, it’s a war or it’s a battle I don’t wanna do that. But he was wonderful and kind and passionate and we connected. And it was a joy every day except for the weather. Every day it was a joy.
The Knockturnal: So you guys filmed in Memphis. Can you tell us a little bit about the Memphis culture and particularly the food culture?
Courtney B. Vance: The civil rights movement was centered down there. The Cogic Church of God in Crisis is centered down there and it has been there for over 100 years. And foodwise, it’s one of the barbecue capitals of the United States: a southern town that’s got a very rich history and a very rich food history. It’s very picturesque and it’s right on the Mississippi River and you’re able to see all the various [locations]. When you do a film, the city becomes part of the film and the various locations in which you make the city another character by showing it. The only major thing that we were challenged with was the weather because it got very cold- in the twenties [degrees]. And that was very hard for us that we were shooting for summertime or at least late spring or early fall. It was supposed to be warm up there. No one had ever seen anything like this where it was in the twenties for an extended period of time.
The Knockturnal: What did you know specifically about running a restaurant prior to taking on this role? And what did you learn?
Courtney B. Vance: I knew nothing and I know that it is a business and our lives are businesses now, and I know that your taxes and your bills, things coming in have got to see what’s going out. I know restaurants are strictly golden the lunches and dinners and if anything is interrupted your margins may be very tight. So a storm or a tragedy in the family or somebody’s family could impact greatly. So this whole idea that we were running a family business and realizing that I’m not going to be able to do it forever and that I am thinking about a successor and that it should be my son, that whole dynamic of should and would and dreams; it’s all a negotiation. And I wasn’t used to discussing things and talking about things, that’s what my wife did. So the beautiful transition that my character and Mamoudou’s character as my son find themselves in as they have to deal with each other- and they’re just not used to it- and how life happens and this sommelier thing happened (not to be confused with Somalian). This wine thing happened so that we were forced to deal with each other. And it just takes us a minute to figure out the landscape that we’re dealing with. So it’s a beautiful situation that Prentice set up so that these two men can begin to see what’s really at stake and what really needs to be discussed and talked about.
The Knockturnal: We see a conflict between father and son about where the father wants a specific dream for their son, wants to get his son to follow a specific path. Can you talk about a little bit maybe in your life if there was ever an instance where you had a specific goal, a dream that conflicted with one of your parents or family members for yourself?
Courtney B. Vance: Well, my parents, I think, just wanted my sister and I to be happy with what we were [doing]. We were raised to do well in school, so that wasn’t an option about going to college. That’s just what we want to do. We were raised to get good grades and to do our homework and make sure that we did some extracurriculars, that it didn’t conflict with what we had to do at school. So this idea of finding something that you are passionate about. I think in every generation that I know my parent’s generation and the option of being happy wasn’t a part of the equation because there wasn’t a lot of options available to black folks, you know, teachers, janitors. You want to be a lawyer? Oh, boy. Who’s going to be your client? architect? Who’s going to be your client? So the audacity- as our president said- the audacity of hope. How dare you dream of doing something like that, being a sommelier. But because my grandfather struggled, because my father struggled, I have an option. As Mamoudou said, I have an option to dream. I’m working in as they say a spirit store and I have the option to be able to. My boss is a sommelier and he’s been telling me about it. I think I may want to pursue that. I mean, how would you even know that was even a profession unless you worked in and around wines or in around restaurants at five-star restaurants is where you’re gonna find a sommelier. You’re not gonna find a sommelier at Denny’s, you ain’t gonna find a sommelier at neighborhood restaurants, it’s got to be somewhere nice. That means you got to work there. So the fact that he was working somewhere where his boss was a sommelier was extraordinary. And as a parent, you know, that’s not our reality. So we don’t trust it. My sons gonna be hurt, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. So that’s the natural parental response to something that we don’t understand and I had to get to a place where I said, ‘son, this is your dream, how can I help?’
The Knockturnal: Have you met or know any sommeliers in your personal life and can you speak about that experience?
Courtney B. Vance: Well, I don’t drink, but my wife enjoys wine. So we’ve done Napa Valley and done wine tasting tours and things like that. I just find it fascinating going to various vineyards and the science of wine. It’s just like the science of food. I’m a foodie in that I know that food makes you feel a certain way and it’s a different taste and all. And we’ve sat at the chef’s table in various restaurants and seeing the kitchen, how it runs and works and it’s spotless back there. We’ve been in Charlie Trotter’s kitchen in Chicago. God rest his soul. They didn’t use butter or dairy, but it still tasted like there was butter or dairy in there. How do you do that? It’s a science. The wine is the same way. How do you do the pairing of grapes and timing things to make certain kinds of champagne or certain years are better than other years? It’s a science. If we look at it outside, what does it take [like] 10 years before you can actually get a grape that will produce something? You need help to do that, it’s collaborative. Louis, was like what is that? Somalian what is that [like] in Africa. And he’s like no dad it’s a sommelier. (Never mind that). All of that drama trauma that we just don’t know what it is. And he’s got to tell us what it is and that it is a world that is a world onto itself and it is a very complicated world that I come to find out. And I’m like ‘Oh, my goodness. Son where am I? You gotta sniff it to know what it is. How do you do that? You know, you’ve got to develop your palate. Oh, and that’s when I started to see that this is amazing. My son is amazing. How do you know this stuff?’ You know, and getting that appreciation for who [he is] it’s like seeing my son for the first time. And that’s what the audience starts to see, the coming together of these two men. So very beautiful.
The film hits Netflix this Friday.
