[MUSIC] Hi, I'm Cori Murray entertainment director at Essence magazine and we're here for a special Essence debate with the cast and director of Straight Outta Compton. Director F. Gary Gray, Jason Mitchell, and my namesake, Corey Hawkins. I must say, love Loved the movie. Like, very serious. I'm calling it. It's the best movie of the summer. Oh wow. [LAUGH] I mean, from the music, the acting, to the nostalgia, to the timeliness of this is sad of the attack of black people by the hands of police. This movie just encapsulates everything that's happening in America now although it's a story about something that happened 20, almost 30 years ago. That's right. So my first question is to you, Gary. At the height of NWA, there was a lot of national coverage about black-on-black crime, gang violence, and here you are filming this today. And even going back to Rodney King, cuz when that was caught on tape, it seemed like an anomaly. It was like it was just this one- It was. Random thing. But now while you were filming I'm sure while you were editing three black men have been killed at the hands of police and they were caught on camera. Mm-hm. So how did that shape you while you were filming, editing this movie? You know what's interesting we've I've been involved with this project for four years. So when all of the headlines and our production kind of intersected it was somewhat of a coincidence You know we put a lot of the stuff as it relates to law enforcement in the script. years before this started to become an issue or years before it became headlines. And so when we started editing the picture, it just started happening more and more and more. And again. It is sad, it is really sad that we're not really talking about, oh remember back in the day when NWA kind of blew up and back then when cops used to treat us this way. You know, we felt a certain way about it for sure, you know? Now was there ever a part where you felt like. Let me put in something extra because of what's going on now or this is really just that story? No. You know, my job is to serve the story first. That's my job as director. And it's unfortunate that if there's any type of political statement in the movie, We were making that well before these headlines. Before Cincinnati. Before Baltimore. Before August at Ferguson and so, I remember when I started to talk about how important it was to put it in a movie, years ago. Because it's what shaped NWA. Compton in Los Angeles is the 6th member of NWA and that city at that time and how dangerous it was is what forged the group. It's the reason why they wrote those lyrics and so it is unfortunate that we wake up after having edited the movie and We're speaking about the same stuff that was happening 30 years ago. That is heartbreaking. But you portrayed it beautifully. [CROSSTALK] Well, thank you. Jason and Corey, when you were filming that scene where you're coming outside of the recording studio in Torrance, it gave me chills. What was that like filming that scene with the police attack you Call you gang bangers and you guys are like we're recording music. What was that like for you? Well it's funny that you actually bring that up because I remember that day clearly. And after a while, the tension started to build so much that we kinda needed an ice breaker. So we were like everybody act natural. We had to call the huddle. Everybody act natural. And when one of the police cars pulled up we just took out running. You know what I mean. It had a great huge laugh because it was like everybody kinda had to, after a while it got real serious. You know because there was a lot of things that, as a actor you kinda don't know your freedom at first right? So you know we did a couple takes and It wasn't as free for the cops. And we we kind of already in sync. And I remember when that burger got slapped out of my hand, how I felt. Cuz that was all real. Like Gary, I don't know what he told em', but when they came back and slapped that burger out of my hand I was like like. Wow. You know just to think about the pressure. Like a lot of that was real. Like when I went to get up off the ground, all that was real. You know that, he really pushed me back down. It was all real. It felt like, I need a break after this. You know what I mean? That was real anger. Yea. I felt, I don't know I felt humiliated. I felt a piece of my pride. We were there. The group was there working. They were working on the album. And they just happened to be standing outside. And just happened to be, I've been stopped and frisked. I live in New York. I've been stopped and frisked several times. Once in front of my apartment in Harlem while I was taking my trash out. And when they approached me I didn't know what to say. Like, I was shocked! So I look crazy. So it's a weird thing, the sort of dynamic between the police and the community. And we just gotta hold each other accountable and hold them accountable and they have to hold each other accountable as well. What did you think about scene? Well it was interesting because it made me commiserate with what black men deal with all the time. Right. And yes, you think NWA started with drug money, okay. Fine. But here it is, they clearly, these guys were trying to make a better life for themselves. Sure. And being attacked and that the black cop. Oh my god. Andy you have to go come here for two seconds. Hurry up, hurry up take your head phones off. Come here real quick. This is the black cop. This guy, come here for two seconds. You guys have to remember this face. When you see one of the, I think the strongest scenes in the movie, This is the guy who attacked NWA [LAUGH] Yeah, yeah. No but he's a great actor, [UNKNOWN] Thank you. And I just had to bring him in here because he just made you feel a certain way, and we didn't make it about race, because a lot of people thought that we were gonna default to. Exactly. Oh it's just white officers attacking black people. It's people in a position of power abusing their power. And we didn't make it about race. And this guy arguably did one of the best things in the movie. [CROSSTALK] Well, two things, one, when you delivered that line, and you were like, you know, why you standing up when these a bunch of gangbangers. And I was like okay, I can see where he would think that, because it's probably what he deals with on a daily basis.>> Sure. But I was like, here are these, you're not giving these guys the benefit of the doubt. It was so, and that was chilling. And also- What would you do that? [LAUGH] Well, it was a lot of fun to play the role. And Gary, his style of directing is pretty masterful. He didn't let the guys in on a lot of things that we were doing to them so that it was a very natural. It was a very natural moment. It was a lot of fun to see the responses from the guys, including Paul Giamatti. He was He was pretty in the moment. Yeah. Right. Yeah he's spitting in your face. He spit on my lip. [LAUGH] I was so upset. You know that right. That I took it out on him. Lick it. Next cut I said okay all right. But it was a lot of fun. The movie is incredible and I'm just very fortunate and blessed to work on it. So thank you for coming out. [LAUGH]