Robert Kojder chats with We Grown Now director Minhal Baig, and stars Blake Cameron James and Gian Knight Ramirez…
Set inside Cabrini-Green 1992, Minhal Baig’s moving We Grown Now acknowledges some harsh realities while focusing on the coming-of-age friendship between best friends Malik and Eric. Played by Blake Cameron James and Gian Knight Ramirez, the boys joined their director for interviews to discuss re-creating such an important piece of Chicago history, why this story felt important to tell now, and acting out a believable portrait of friendship.
One of the better films that played at this past year’s Chicago International Film Festival (the historic Music Box was the appropriate venue for that screening), it was a pleasure to talk with them. It was a personal production for Minhal Baig, whereas the boys seem to have valued learning more about this place and time.
Everyone appears to have enjoyed the collaboration, enthusiastically answering questions and reminiscing on the process of making the film. We Grown Now is absolutely worth seeking out, highlighting a brighter spot in the humanity of Cabrini-Green, with its director and child stars destined to continue the great work. Enjoy the interview below:
Blake, your character Malik likes to tell jokes. Are there any jokes that didn’t make it into the movie you want to tell us?
Blake Cameron James: [to Minhal Baig] Was there any? I think you liked our jokes.
Minhal Baig: [to BCJ] I really liked your jokes. So, the take in the movie, we talked about what jokes you guys would use but you came up with them yourselves. Then there was a couple where you did like more than one or two of them and then I ended up choosing the one that had the best delivery.
BCJ: I’m a professional joke maker, so all mine made it in this thing!
[everyone laughs]
Love that! The film played at the Chicago International Film Festival on opening night. So, can you talk about what it meant to you for the film to play at that festival on opening night?
MB: The film premiered when the actors were on strike. But we had the community come out, and it was incredible. We had a packed audience at the Music Box, and it was a homecoming for the movie. It was really important for us to play there because not only did we film here, there were so many people over the last six years that participated in the film, either as subjects as people who I’d interviewed or had been a part of the crew. The reception was so warm and welcoming. It played really well to audiences here not only because it’s their hometown but because it holds this history and this story holds a special place in their heart.
What was the casting process like for Malik and Eric?
MB: The casting process took almost a year and a half. Blake’s tape was submitted almost a year before we started filming. I think I received it in the summer before. We saw hundreds of kids. We were working with the casting directors Claire Simon and Aisha Coley. It was a challenging process because all the tapes were submitted just through video. So we had to look at auditions through video and the chemistry reads. We did these Zoom auditions, rehearsals, and chemistry reads together. That was all virtually done. Then, I finally saw the two of them in Chicago after that long process. It was a long one. Ultimately, we wouldn’t be making the movie without having found Blake and Gian for the film. They were very much the heart of the film. They’re in practically every scene of the movie. So without them, there was no movie.
When did you know that each of them was right for the role?
MB: There’s a moment in the casting process where Blake talked about wanting an endless supply of a potato chip brand. The question was something like, if you had all the money in the world, what would you want, and [turning to BCJ] you said you would get a lifetime supply of Pirate’s Booty. [BCJ laughs] That’s how I knew that he really had the same qualities as Malik. Gian, you were so little when you first submitted your tape; you were like eight years old. I don’t know if you even remember.
Gian Knight Ramirez: I was like nine.
MB: You were really, really little, though. Then you submitted again, and I was like, this kid has changed so much in a year, and now he’s ready to play this part. I remember you were on a phone too. When I met Gian, he felt like he was from this world. He felt like he stepped out of the movie.
For the boys, did you do any research on Cabrini-Green? Or did you know anyone who once lived there?
BCJ: I did. There is an artist who comes out of Cabrini-Green I like called Polo G. I hear him talk about it in some of his songs. We were on one of his streets. It was Hudson. So, from there, I looked at some of the stuff from that point in time.
MB: And you did research, too, Gian.
GKR: Yeah, before we began to film I did research and watched documentaries on YouTube about the history of Cabrini-Green and how it was back then, how people felt. And also some recordings of people and they talked about how crazy it was back then with the CHA breaking in and all that.
What was the most challenging aspect of recreating Cabrini-Green?
MB: Definitely the set because that place doesn’t exist anymore. One of the challenges for the production designer was to really make it feel like that’s the place. There were the interiors of the apartments, but also this breezeway that connects to the outside world. It was about trying to find a way for that to feel seamless with the locations we were filming on. But then it ended up being really convincing in the execution because we were able to find a blueprint of an existing apartment and then adjust for the film. We also made this backdrop that sort of connected the breezeway to the interiors of the apartments. It was very close to the real-life apartments in terms of its size and its construction.
For the boys. what are some things that helped you convey such a believable friendship on screen?
BCJ: The rehearsals helped [Gian nods in agreement] and the chemistry reads Ms. Minhal put together.
MB: I made you all do some weird stuff. I made you like carry heavy boxes.
BCJ: I remember that!
MB: For preparation, I was like, you gotta carry this box since you all were laughing the whole time. You’re not gonna be laughing when we’re filming.
GKR: I forgot her name. She was in Hyde Park, and she had friends.
MB: Myra?
GKR: Yeah! She had us doing those workouts where she was like ten, nine… [jumping jack motions]
MB: She would make you all do jumping jacks, right?
BCJ & GKR: Yeah!
MB: You all were put through a rigorous boot camp!
BCJ: And we had to learn how to do handstands on the wall.
MB: That was interesting. You all did that really well. I was worried the first time that we had rehearsals because I told you all to look at each other in the eyes, and you were just laughing the whole time. I was like, how are we gonna film that movie if you’re just laughing the entire time? It was fun, a good time.
BCJ & GKR: It was.
Why was this story important to you, and why did you tell it now?
MB: By the time we were filming it, it had actually been 30 years since Dantrell Davis was killed. That wasn’t something that I was thinking about when I started working on the film because I didn’t know when we would be filming, but it really felt like, and this is quite unfortunate, but what happened to Dantrell was something that rocked the neighborhood and was a very big transitional moment in Cabrini-Green’s history and Chicago history.
It felt like a piece of this moment in time that hadn’t really been captured before, especially not from the perspective of kids. And that story of friendship and what a home means to a community that’s displaced was a story that really resonated with me as someone who was returning to Chicago after a very long time of being away. It’s a personal film for me; even though it’s not autobiographical, it really was drawn from the lives of people who actually lived there and who generally very generously shared their time with me.
You did a great job capturing all of that. Before we go, real quickly, can each of you tell me your favorite place in Chicago?
GKR: Could it be a store?
Sure! Anywhere.
GKR: I’ve been to plenty of places in Chicago. I would say my favorite place in Chicago is this candy store. I forgot what it was called, Sugar-something, but they sell giant gummy bears and worms. One time, I had got one, [laughing through his response] and I had brought it to school, and we had no knives, so we had to use those little plastic knives they give you for lunch. We would cut it up. It would be so hard to cut it, but we would and give pieces to each other.
[I believe the store he is talking about is IT’SUGAR located at Navy Pier]
MB: So, that’s your favorite place? What about you, Blake, since you are not from Chicago?
BCJ: The Bean is cool, but I would say my favorite place is Giordanos.
MB: [jokingly] Are you serious?
BCJ: Literally, I was eating whole boxes of that pizza. It was so fire. My gosh!
MB: What is my favorite place? It’s probably a tie between the Art Institute and the lake. I live in Hyde Park, and the lake is really close. So, I love that place. There’s nothing really like it anywhere else.
GKR: Oh, I have two favorites actually. An artist called Murakami. It’s like an art exhibit where you walk around, and it’s very colorful.
MB: Oh, yeah, I know what you’re talking about.
GKR: Yeah, I’ve been there a few times, and I love going there. It’s pretty cool.
Thank you so much for your time. I’m going to have to look out for that candy store; that sounds good. It was nice meeting you all.
Them in unison: Thank you, you too!
Many thanks to Minhal Baig, Blake Cameron James and Gian Knight Ramirez for taking the time for this interview. Read our review of We Grown Now here.
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
