Mario Van Peebles Wanted ‘Alternative Role Models’ for Young Black People in ‘New Jack City’
thewrap.com2023 Tribeca Festival, director Mario Van Peebles opened up about his directorial debut, 1991’s “New Jack City,” alongside Fab 5 Freddy, Vanessa Williams and Michael Michele with an at-capacity crowd at the SVA Theater for an illuminating 35 minutes full of joy, surprises and honesty.It can’t be understated how jovial Van Peebles—the son of prolific Black filmmaker Mario Van Peebles—was from the moment he stepped on stage to quickly introduce the film, which chronicles the rise of a ruthless drug lord in the dilapidated slums of late-1980s New York City.
By the time the opening credits began to roll he was encouraging a major clap-along in the audience to the groove-worthy opening track.
His energy, which stayed high until his final goodbyes at the end of the night, was infectious.The filmmaker, who directed “New Jack City” from a script penned by Thomas Lee Wright and Barry Michael Cooper, was eager to talk about the film and quickly opened up about the movie’s assertion of “alternative” role models aside from the flashy gangsters at the picture’s center.“When I got the script on ‘New Jack City,’ the problem was it read like a Black ‘Scarface,’” Van Peebles explained. “And I was like, ‘Oh shit,’ because most of the gangster movies were made after Prohibition ended so they could say, ‘Well, they were Italians, and that was long ago.’ And it was white folks who had a lot more representation than us.
But the thing with ‘New Jack’ was, ‘Well, crack is still a killer in the community today.’ So the trick was in most gangster movies you emotionally connect up with the gangster.
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