The star power and power of storytelling showed up on the Paramount lot as stars Mark Wahlberg, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ethan Embry, Nicole Beharie, Alanna Masterson, director Elegance Bratton, songwriter of most of your fave soundtracks Diane Warren and more gathered at the iconic Paramount lot for the By Any Means premiere.
Cameras flashed as stars walked the carpet for the buzzy new film, loosely based on true events. The premiere gave the film a legendary backdrop.
“There’s also this experience that’s happening right now on the Paramount lot, in this particular theater,” Mark Wahlberg shared exclusively with me on the carpet. “This is kind of as magical a Hollywood experience as you can have, having a premiere on the lot.”
(Photo: The Knockturnal)
“I’ve made 8 or 9 movies here and I feel like it’s my first time on the lot. Couldn’t be more excited. Elegance Britton did an amazing job bringing this amazing screenplay and this incredible true story to the big screen. Yahya is a superstar. And the cast is obviously incredible. And it attracted such a great cast because of the material so very excited,” Wahlberg added.
Wahlberg also talked about what drew him to the film. “Elegance and his vision. I flirted with doing a Greg Scarpa biopic in the past. I was familiar with his story, but I knew nothing about him working with the FBI and his part working with them on these cases.
The film marks another ambitious project for director Elegance Bratton who spoke to me about what might surprise the audience in the theater.
“This movie actually feels good, as much as it’s about important things. It pulls no punches. And takes no prisoners and makes no apologies for it,” Bratton said.
“This movie’s going to be a feel good movie. And you’re going to feel like you’re going to take on the world. And hopefully, you’re going to look to the person to your left and your right and say ‘maybe we can do it together.’”
(Photo: The Knockturnal)
Indeed, it does focus on serious topics. Greg Scarpa, the real life person Wahlberg plays in the film, is alleged to have found the bodies of Andrew Goodman, James Cheney, and Michael Schwerner — one Black man and two Jewish men who were civil rights workers and murdered in Mississippi in 1964. Scarpa then allegedly helped the FBI on the murder case of Vernon Dahmer, a civil rights movement leader who is played by Giancarlo Esposito in the movie.
The movie goes from there, with the two leads teaming up to investigate and track down those responsible. The story is powerfully filmed and told with a frank seriousness that also finds humor.
Check out the film when it hits theaters this Friday.
