Fresh off the whirlwind success of an Oscar darling such as Moonlight, the world is Ashton Sanders’ oyster. What better way to complement such a feat than by sharing a screen with one of the most iconic black actors in the history of Yorick’s skull?
In his first sequel, Denzel Washington is back as The Equalizer 2‘s community vigilante Robert McCall. This time around, his fight for justice is taken to an entirely different and personal level once his former handler and adviser, Susan (Melissa Leo), is killed. Sanders portrays Miles, a young boy on the brink of a dangerous lifestyle, who finds guidance and companionship with Robert. Antoine Fuqua returns as the film’s director.
Shadow and Act chatted with Sanders on what specifically drew him to Miles’ character, working with legends such as Fuqua and Washington, diving into his other creative ventures and looking forward to his career’s future (Yep, there’s a Native Son mention!).
“Hey, it’s Ash,” uttered the cool tones of Sanders’ voice through the cell phone. His general disposition immediately matched the laid-back allure seen on several red carpets as he posed in the finest threads. After his compelling performance in 2017 Academy Award Best Picture Winner Moonlight, one could only imagine the swarm of scripts thrown Sanders’ way. It’s always interesting to learn what caused an actor to connect with the character they chose to portray — what made them say, “I want to devote countless hours a day to embodying this person.”
For Sanders, it was, primarily, what Miles represents. “He represents hope in the hood,” he mused. “[He represents] a way out of a bad situation. Often in our community, we see boys and young men growing up without their fathers, and [they] lack a sense of togetherness. And they fall into these things whether it be drugs or gang involvement. I believe a lot of young men get stuck in that because they don’t have a positive influence to tell them otherwise.”
Of course, working alongside Washington and Fuqua were the cherries on top of the action and adventurous sundae.
“Wow, I learned so much from that man,” Sanders said of Fuqua. “He’s a creative genius. He knows what he wants. He’s very specific. He works with his actors in the best way, and he gave me a lot of room to explore the world and play scenes with Denzel.”
Getting to play around with Denzel in a creative atmosphere?! Mastercard priceless. “The relationship you see onscreen is actually an extension of how Denzel and I actually are,” Sanders confirmed. He especially enjoyed filming that extra intense scene coming off of the elevator with Washington’s Robert. As Sanders described, Fuqua created this “world within a bigger world” where he and Washington were able to dance, freely. That was particularly important for Sanders who was admittedly “new to this world.”
“Obviously, I’m fresh to this industry, so [Denzel] has been able to give me the right tools moving forward and guided me toward the [right] direction in my career,” Sanders added.
That direction could go anywhere as Sanders’ creative range is certainly boundless. As Sanders also enjoys expressing himself via painting and fashion design, we asked him if he has any advice for fellow black creatives. “Stay true to yourself,” he urged. “That’s actually something both Denzel and Mahershala [Ali] instilled in me. Never doubt yourself. We’re one in a million. There’s not a lot of people like us, so we’re going to stand out in film. It’s important to trust ourselves, our creative process and grow through that. Never lose faith in yourself.”
With his upcoming project, Native Son, on the horizon (which, he calls “amazing” and is very very excited about us seeing), Sanders’ creative spirit is something to look forward to, so we had to ask him what other waters — outside of acting — we can expect him to dip his toes into. “Man, I like to surprise you guys,” said Sanders. “I know what I’m doing when I do that. I’m a mystery. I want to create — you may see me directing something down the line; you may see me producing a film or starting my own [fashion] line. I feel like the options are limitless.”
We do, too, Ash.
The Equalizer 2 wrangles into theaters Friday, July 20, 2018.
