Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Bill Dukes 1992 filmDeep Coveris a time capsule, but it is also timeless.
Complications, as they say, ensue.
How did you come to directDeep Cover?Well, first of all,Deep Coverwas a book.
It was written by a drug-enforcement agent, Michael Levine.
He had been going after people in the neighborhood.
Theresa 1991 profile of himwhere he says, There is no drug war.
No other nation in the world has a drug war.
The rest have addiction problems.
Because its a toy, a grab bag with a lot of big hands in it.Yeah.
Theyre not shipping it.
Theyre not doing any of that.
And so he decided he was going to investigate all that.
Michael Levine is a white man.
The movie changes the protagonist to a black man named Russell Stevens, Laurence Fishburnes character.
He read the book and the script and he loved it, so thats how that all came together.
In terms of what he did and did not [do], it doesnt change much.
And in terms of the heros street presence, thats something we added to.
The script added a lot.
The black community was seen as the horror station of the universe, you know?
In those days, the drug infection in our community was just overwhelming.
Were also talking about the public-school educational system totally broken.
I could go on and on and on.
[Laughs] Thats right!
You know, just follow the dollars, you know what Im saying?
If you follow the dollars, it simplifieseverything.
What sorts of conversations did you have with Laurence Fishburne in terms of performance?
And of course, another huge part of it was, this character is a black man.
Do you remember that scene?
How can anyone forget that scene?
Vividly.What did he say?
You really want me to say it?
[Laughs] Go ahead.
A n - - - - - is somebody who would answer that question.Thats exactly right.
And thats when he started doing cocaine.
Charles Martin Smiths character, Carver, says on more than one occasion, I am God.
Theres even an exotic dancer dressed like a nun in the background of a conversation in a club.
How do you put the moral compass of a film within a context?
Im thinking about my own reaction toDeep Coverwhen I saw it in theaters when it came out.
He doesnt give anything less than 100 percent, ever.
But that was also for Clarence, for all the actors.
They gave 100 percent.
I define acting when Im teaching my students as falling into darkness backward.
Theres got to be somebody there to catch you.
Thats what directors are supposed to do.
It makes the movie better.
It makes it something other than an ego trip by the director.
It makes it a collaboration.
He gets slapped on the hands and then across the face.
In the script, that scene was not quite as you saw it.
It was more of a straight build to the hand-slapping.
But as the actors got into it, they felt and saw something in it that was more brutal.
When we talked about it, I really felt that what they wanted to do was incredibly right.
And thats how you get Jeffs rage welling up and him getting slapped across the face.
And thats what sets him down the course his character goes on through the rest of the movie.
I dont think in the original script there was a slap in the face.
The character was supposed to be much more submissive.
The slap, that came from working out the scene with all the actors.
The defiance, the rage, that comes from Jeff.
Thats what makes it a scene that people remember.
I mean, how did they see things?
Something changes in you.
How you perceive yourself and the world around you changes.
I wanted to put in some subjective elements: not just objective but subjective elements also.
Some of my favorite films are really old-school.
Im a big fan of Federico Fellini, for example.
Also Steven Spielberg, George Lucas.
I could go on and on and on.
I like silent films because thats the peak of that kind of filmmaking.
Thats what I wanted to do with this movie.
[Warning: Spoilers aboutDeep Covers ending below.]
[Laughs] And Jeff says, What are you talking about?
You shouldnt have done that, David.
I love that scene!
He was sobbing, you know what I mean?
He says, Screw that!
Lets take the money and go!
Its almost like that final line fromSome Like It Hotwhen Jack Lemmon in drag says, Im a man!
and the guy who wants to marry him says, Well, nobodys perfect.Love it!
Is it okay if we talk about some other highlights of your career?Certainly.
He passed much too soon.
I had gone through what my character had gone through.
I mean, if youre tall and dark and black, youre seen as angry and hostile and dangerous.
No one talks about your humanity.
I had the opportunity to speak to that young mans humanity.
I hear you exactly, brother.
Listen, man, how much has changed?
Know what Im saying?
How much has really, really, really, really changed?
[Laughs] Theseprotestsare about something.
People are sick and tired of being sick and tired!
Theyre just saying, No more.
No more, no more, no more.
Since were getting into this and why shouldnt we?
Theres a lot of different things to be mad about.
People are emotionally disgusted with thedirection in which our society is moving.
Not just black people.
Look at the number of races that are out there protesting.
Different ages, different colors.Lookat it, man.
People are trying to make this a black angry mob thing.
Its much, much more than that.
The most important thing to remember is that it is an emotional response.
But in the long term, an emotional response without strategy leads to frustration.
I dont see that strategy yet, but I think that theres something fascinating going on.
But now its in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica have you seen this?
These kids are fearless!
They dont care if you live in a rich neighborhood.
He said, What do you call a critical mass of people who feel they have nothing to lose?
Are you asking me?Yeah, I want to get your response to it.
What word would you use?
Earlier in my life, I would have said mob.What would you say now?
I would say revolution.
Theres no message yet.
Its a series of questions and statements.
What are you going to do with me?
What are you going to take away from me?
My life is so miserable, I dont care.
Is there any hope?Did you see the numbers of people on the street in different cities?
The size of this thing?
And it keeps getting bigger.There is no police department that can control all these people!
Theres no army that can control all those people!
Okay, so you have a thousand policemen and 500 army folks in a given city, right?
Well, suppose theres 5,000 or 10,000 people marching!
What are you gonna do, shoot everybody?
That aint gonna happen.
And then theres another thing the people going after these protestors tend to forget.
You know what that is?
Tell me.you’ve got the option to find it in the story of Marie Antoinette.
Maries like, Okay, how about cake?
Let them eat cake!
That confirmed how insensitive she was to the issues the peasants were mad about.
The peasants start rushing towards her, and the guards raised their swords and their guns.
I have a choice of shooting Cousin John or letting the queen get her head chopped off.
Guess what happened next?
I didnt go to the American Film Institute until a number of years [afterCar Wash].
But being on-set with the two of them and watching how they both worked together was instructive.
It was like being in school.
Michael knows how to tell a story, but hes also a very efficient and effective director.
[Laughs] Steven Soderbergh, as you know, is a genius.
I worked with him again two years ago on a film calledHigh Flying Birdthats on Netflix now.
Each time, you learn from him as you work with him.
OnThe Limey, you know, he hires actors that he trusts and turns them loose.
Working with Terence [Stamp] as you know, hes brilliant was wonderful.
And thatscene …
[Duke trails off and laughs for ten seconds straight.]
I cant help it.
Im sorry, Im sorry.
That is just funny stuff.
Ask me about something else!
What is the most important thing that you learned about yourself while makingDeep Cover?Never be satisfied.
Excellence is not something that you accomplish easily.
When I went to watchDeep Coverwith audiences after wed finished editing, people cheered and loved the film.
Id sit in the back row of the theater and watch my movie.
What could you have done better onDeep Cover?I dont know.
And thats why its my favorite of everything Ive made.
