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Entertainment NewsCelebritiesDon Cheadle: I Was FORCED to Hire a White Co-Star

Don Cheadle: I Was FORCED to Hire a White Co-Star

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Don Cheadle said his passion project about Miles Davis would not have gotten off the ground without crowdfunding and a white co-star.

The 51-year-old actor and producer, produced, co-wrote and starred in Miles Aheada movie depicting the life of Miles Davis.

Getting financing had been a huge problem and was only solved after he only raised about $360,000 on Indiegogo, which allows artists to collect donations for projects, and hired Scottish actor Ewan McGregor.

He said it was “one of the realities of the business that we are in” that films with all-black casts are thought to have little chance of distribution outside the United States and thus don’t attract investment.

“There is a lot of apocryphal, not proven evidence that black films don’t sell overseas,” he told reporters at the Berlin film festival. “Having a white actor in this film turned out to actually be a financial imperative.”

Cheadle said it forced him to rework the script, which focuses on a period in the late 1970s in which Miles Davis fell into a creative slump.

“I think it works great, and particularly the fact that Ewan McGregor is the actor who is in it, I think he is fantastic in the movie. But that was a component of… allowing us to even have a budget to get the film made.”

Miles Ahead hits theaters on April 1st.

What do you think? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!

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Megan Diane
Megan Dianehttps://www.projectcasting.com
Hi, I'm Megan Browne, the Head of Partnerships at Project Casting - a job board for the entertainment industry. As Head of Partnerships, I help businesses find the best talent for their influencer campaigns, photo shoots, and film productions. Creating these partnerships has enabled me to help businesses scale and reach their true potential. I'm excited to continue driving growth by connecting people with projects they're passionate about.

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