Wentworth Miller Is Bi-Racial
I hope this answers everyone's question about the believability of this actor playing this role.
http://www.einsiders.com/features/interviews/wentworthmiller.php
An Interview with Wentworth Miller
by Jonathan W. Hickman
“But I’m not white,” Actor Wentworth Miller told me by telephone. Miller plays the young Coleman Silk in THE HUMAN STAIN. In this new film from director Robert Benton the near present day Silk is played by Sir Anthony Hopkins.
I had asked Miller how he went about auditioning for the role of a black man. Given Miller’s very light complexion, I had wrongfully assumed that he was Caucasian.
“My father is black and my mother is white. Therefore, I could answer to either which kind of makes me a racial Lone Ranger, at times, caught between two communities.” Miller was very up front about this and given the secret (which has been revealed in almost every review except mine) of STAIN, he seems to be the perfect choice for the role.
STAIN deals with the whole idea of “passing” for a different race than one may actually be.
“I wouldn’t defend his decision to pass but I have sympathy for Silk given the times in which he made his choice—the 1940s in which race imposed many limitations.” Miller told me that he understood Silk’s problem and his decision to deny who he was but that such a decision meant that he had to live a life of fear, guarded.
Not only was Miller expected to take on the racial identity of a black man but he had to take on the persona of Hopkins in younger form.
“I went out and rented every Anthony Hopkins film available. And Hopkins met me halfway, like they put a mole on his left temple like the one I have. Hopkins was able to watch home movies of me when I was younger as well.” Miller said.
Miller has what I think are some of the best scenes in STAIN, for example, kissing Jacinda Barrett.
“We did the kissing scene in as many takes as possible,” Miller joked. “We had the luxury of rehearsing for 2 weeks.” Miller told me he took his scenes very seriously because Steena (Barrett’s character) is Silk’s first love and what happens in this relationship makes you care about Silk later and understand the reason he makes the decision to pass as white.
Miller’s young Silk is a boxer in the film.
“I’m pretty much a couch potato.” Miller admitted. But this role required him to shape up.
“It was a rigorous workout regimen. I worked with the same trainer that worked with Denzel Washington in THE HURRICANE. It was 3 months of training, 5 days a week, 4 to 5 hours a day. This was followed by a month of choreography. So, 4 months of preparation and about 12 hours of shooting turned into about 30 seconds of screen time.”
After staring in DINOTOPIA as David Scott, Miller has had luck finding good roles and great people to work with.
“I’ve been spoiled by this project.” Miller told me praising Veteran Director Robert Benton (KRAMER VS. KRAMER) as a director who loves actors and sees acting as a collaboration with directing.
But THE HUMAN STAIN was very personal for Miller due to the issue of “passing.” Miller told me that while he was making the movie he was reminded of a quote from Toni Morrison’s novel BELOVED: “definitions belonged to the definers--not the defined.”
THE HUMAN STAIN opens this weekend.
Jonathan W. Hickman