Not every actor gets to recite Shakespeare in an audition with Denzel Washington before landing their first movie role in a Spike Lee joint; Elijah Wright seems to be one of the lucky ones. We spoke to Wright about working on “Highest 2 Lowest,” how he fell in love with acting, and the short film he’s currently working on.
You grew up around artists, so it might not be a surprise to some that you’re pursuing a career in the arts, but growing up around a particular profession doesn’t automatically mean you’ll pursue it. When did you realize you had a passion for performing?
I did a lot of theater in school. I started doing plays in sixth or seventh grade, and that really instilled confidence in me and excitement for the craft. I did a lot of Shakespeare and acting intensive classes, and I did a play almost every year until I graduated. The community and working with my friends were some of the best moments I’ve had acting, because I was just a kid. That, combined with going on my parents’ movie sets, watching films, and making my own little short films, sparked my curiosity.
Not everyone gets the chance to be part of a Spike Lee joint. Walk us through the audition process for Highest 2 Lowest. What was going through your mind?
The audition was pretty crazy. It was with Spike and Denzel out here in LA, and the casting director for a different project that I was up for was casting Spike’s movie, and she said, ‘You know Elijah you would be great to read for this.’ So she sent me the script and all the information, and Spike just randomly called me one day and was like, ‘Elijah, you’re gonna read with Denzel on Monday, you get ready.’ I wasn’t expecting that. I went in there and it’s funny how things come back around because in school one of the first long monologues that I did on stage in front of a bunch of people was a Shakespeare monologue from As You Like It, ‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players’ and I did that when I was 13 or 14. In the room with Denzel, we did a couple of the lines that were written on the page, but then we started talking about Shakespeare. He was doing Othello at the time, and he was like, ‘Do you have any Shakespeare, because you said you’ve done some,’ and I did the entire monologue from As You Like It. He was like, ‘Okay, wow, this kid’s good,’ so we talked for a little bit longer, and he started saying Othello lines to me; it was very surreal. Spike and Kim Coleman, the casting director, were in the room, so I left. They then called me back in, and I got the role the same day.
One moment, your character, Kyle, is happy-go-lucky, playing basketball, and the next, he is taped up in a bathtub. How did you work through preparing for the emotional highs and lows of the role?
The first scene that I shot I was in that bathtub and then we shot the stuff with Denzel after. At first you’re in that crazy, eerie, dark situation and I had to really get into that mindset, and then the next day I had to film scenes with Denzel that were prior to the bathtub scene happening, so it was honestly a fun process, to wrap my head around. That early scene when the character is introduced to the audience on the basketball court. I wanted this kid to be happy-go-lucky and innocent, he was supposed to be 17 or so, playing him as a happy-go-lucky kid was really important to me. Because you want the audience to feel for this kid and Denzel to do the right thing (pun intended). You want people to say, clearly he had nothing to do with any of this, help him. So I had to have that juxtaposition between being this young guy and then after just someone who’s completely damaged and traumatized.
In the film, the critical revelation of who is behind the kidnapping stems from Kyle reciting the lyrics to “Trunks.” How much time did you get to spend with A$AP’s original music for the movie before filming?
Actually, when I first saw the film at Cannes and the bathtub scene appeared, I was like, ‘Is this a new scene?’ Then I saw myself, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is the scene that I shot,’ because they added in the music later. Honestly, the bathtub scene changed a little bit. Originally, Spike wanted me to be like, ‘Dad, Dad, help! David, help me!’ In the end, they ended up adding the music to that scene, which honestly works better. When I did hear the music, it was for the hospital scene when they’re questioning me and I start muttering the song. I had heard the song at that point, but only about 25 seconds of it.
In the hospital scene, there’s this tension from Paul wanting to be able to comfort and be there for his son while the police keep interrogating Kyle to try to solve the case. Did being in this scene with multiple veteran actors and watching them and their acting choices up close influence your own performance?
Certainly, it was so cool to be in that room and work with Denzel and all these incredible people, and it absolutely informed my performance. The advice they gave between takes, and the genuine conversations we had about acting, were really informative. Denzel had a lot of great stuff to say. I remember I asked him on the day of the hospital scene ‘Do you have a favorite movie you’ve done? You’ve done so many amazing films.’ He was like, ‘My next one.’ He’s always forward-thinking. To me, that was so cool that he still has that excitement and energy for filmmaking.
In addition to acting, you have a burgeoning music career. Did working on Highest 2 Lowest impact your music and creative process?
Yes. Rocky is doing both acting and music in such a great way, and it was inspiring to see him record music for the soundtrack. I’m actually working on a short film right now, and I want to make my own music for that. So, Rocky kind of inspired me to try to combine the two and do both at the highest level, like he is. The songs were also cool because he’s making music that Yung Felon released, and it’s Rocky making music from Yung Felon’s perspective. That song, “Both Eyes Closed,” is very connected to Yung Felon’s story. It’s so cool to see someone create music for a character, which is a trippy concept. He does it in such a creative, original way, and it was really effective for the story. Hopefully, I’ll take that inspiration and add it to my own stories that I’m going to make.
You have a role in the narrative video game Dispatch. Is voiceover work something you’d like to explore further?
I would love to do more of it. It’s so fun. I used to do a lot of impressions, so I feel like I could change my voice a lot for different characters. Doing Dispatch was so cool, and the character was such an interesting idea. It’s this superhero who ages when he uses his powers. It’s this whole insane concept, and I would love to do more. They’re talking about certain ideas that they have for a video game franchise out of this, so we’ll see what happens. But I’m very open to it.
What advice do you have for aspiring actors?
It sounds so generic, but don’t give up. This Spike role came to me when I least expected it, during a time when I was trying to figure things out. That was my first movie role, and I just stuck with it, and it worked out in the end. There’s a lot of rejection in the game, and you have to pick yourself up and keep going because there are so many great opportunities for young people now, and I think if you’re forward-thinking, like Denzel said, that’s the way to go about it. Now, I’m making my own short film. Create your own stories; we need more original stories. There are so many sequels and remakes and all this stuff, and we have tools now to create our own films, so that’s what I’m working on as well. I have so many friends who are actors or aspiring actors and I always tell them to go up for anything and everything, and don’t be too picky. If it’s commercial work, a show, whatever it might be. Getting your foot in the door is sometimes the hardest part, but once you pass that, then people can see what you can do, and it becomes a little easier.
