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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 25 OctOber 2019
Hollywood said 'no' to Deon Taylor, so he made his own path

By LINDSEY BAHR latest, "Black and Blue ,"
Associated Press Taylor opened up his wal-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Deon let and paid Spinotti him-
Taylor doesn't take no for self. And when he realized
an answer when it comes the press schedule for his
to filmmaking. And it's a racially themed action film
word he hears all the time. didn't include places like
When no one wanted to Dallas, Cleveland, Detroit
make his first film, he made and his hometown of Gary,
it himself and even per- Indiana, he made his own
suaded Rutger Hauer to be plans to reach those mar-
in it. When the studio said kets.
they couldn't afford Oscar- Taylor knows that some
nominated cinematogra- people think he's crazy for
pher Dante Spinotti for his all the extra things he does.

This image released by Sony Pictures shows Naomie Harris, left, and Tyrese Gibson in a scene from
"Black and Blue," in theaters on Oct. 25.
Associated Press
But that refusal to be dis- Germany. It was freezing he didn't in low-budget film-
suaded was the only way there and he didn't speak making and that's when he
this kid from Gary, who the language so he spent developed a love for cin-
never had any formal film- most of his free time watch- ematographers and all the
making training, was going ing the boxes of DVDs that craftspeople that make a
to become a director. And his girlfriend would send film look and sound good.
after 15 years of doing it his him, learning about the "I'm looking at it like basket-
way — independently— craft from the commen- ball now. You go like, 'Who's
Hollywood is finally taking tary tracks. It was there he my shooter? Who plays de-
notice. came up with an idea for fense? Who rebounds?'" he
This year Taylor has two a horror movie, wrote what explained. "I started look-
films being distributed by he thought was a script ("It ing at film like a sport like,
a major studio, Sony Pic- was a novel") and when 'Oh, you got to go get a
tures' Screen Gems: "The he got back to California team.' And I start searching
Intruder," a thriller with Mi- decided to fully commit to for stars in that world."
chael Ealy and Meagan becoming a filmmaker. Movies changed Taylor's
Good that became a solid "I completely went like an life. As a kid whose family
hit in May, and "Black and Aquarius after this dream didn't have enough mon-
Blue," a fast-paced po- and forgot everything I was ey to travel, he learned
lice corruption tale starring doing in my former life," he about places and people
Naomie Harris and Tyrese said. "I became consumed through films. "Boyz n the
Gibson, that opens nation- by film." For six years, he Hood" showed him Los An-
wide Thursday night. It's knocked on doors first try- geles. "Do the Right Thing"
something he's just starting ing to get someone to did that for New York. And
to process himself. make his film and then try- he started thinking about
The 43-year-old is a bundle ing to get money to make it his own projects as a way
of enthusiasm on a recent himself. On the journey, he to educate his 14-year-old
afternoon in Los Angeles discovered that there were self. "As I grew as a filmmak-
in his Hidden Empire Film some "lines" in Hollywood er I started to think: What
Group offices where he's that people weren't pre- are you saying? There are
on speaker phone fielding pared to cross just yet. so many filmmakers out
interview questions with "I had a horror movie, and here, black and white,
Gibson and Harris from I'm a black director," Tay- who aren't saying (exple-
smaller websites (another lor said. "I would walk into tive)," Taylor said. "Adversity
of his initiatives). His office rooms and they'd be like, became the center of my
is covered in posters of his 'What do you got? 'Boyz films."
movies, storyboards for n the Hood?' And I'm like, With "Supremacy," he
his next project, "Fatale," 'No I've got this great horror tackled a real life case of
which is due out next year movie' and they're like, 'No a white supremacist who
from Lionsgate, and even a no, slow down.'" takes a black family hos-
basketball hoop. Along the way he met Rob- tage; In "Traffik," it was sex
The last item is a nod to ert F. Smith, the billionaire trafficking in the United
Taylor's professional bas- philanthropist, and they States. And, for Taylor, it's
ketball career, where his started Hidden Empire Film all been building up to this
filmmaking ambition re- Group, which they run moment with "Black and
ally started to develop. In with Taylor's wife Roxanne Blue," which he helped in-
1998 he found himself play- Avent. He learned on the fuse with themes about po-
ing under contract in East fly what he liked and what lice distrust and justice.q