Inny Clemons’ latest work is channeling Richard Pryor and bringing the iconic comedian to life in in the Apple TV+ historical drama series, The Big Cigar.
His resume as a producer includes Next Day Air, starring Mike Epps and Wood Harris, and the Netflix series Sneakerheads. His 30-plus television and movie credits include memorable roles in Straight Outta Compton and his latest as Richard Pryor.
Now, Clemons embodies the legendary Pryor during his friendship with Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton (André Holland).
“This project called for Richard to be in his everyday mode. Just being with Huey, being a friend, and advising him on what Hollywood is about and just to be present but still be Richard,” Clemons told Blavity’s Shadow and Act in a recent interview.
Clemons revealed his methods of immersing himself in who Pryor was.
“It was a lot of digging for interviews where Richard was not in his heightened state, which is part of the work. It was him being everyday Richard,” he said. “I was combing the internet for those interviews, watching, and even listening to all of his albums so that there’s a certain cadence to his voice, how he talks, and his sense of humor.”
Clemons’ role as a supportive friend to Newton rather than the main attraction accurately showed how Black celebrities often supported activists and revolutionaries during that period.
The actor mentioned one of his favorite scenes in the series, where Newton gets vulnerable and shares his fears and apprehensions with Pryor about who he was being made out to be and the rouse to escape the country.
For Clemons, the rawness of the scene from The Big Cigar was comparable to his role as Officer Rauch in Straight Outta Compton. The race-fueled moment of tension between Rauch and Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) was the catalyst for one of NWA’s biggest hits, “F**k Tha Police.”
He stated that many of the lines and degrading actions within his scene were improvisations, providing an authentic take on what was happening between police and Black people during that time.
“That energy you see in that scene is real; it’s not contrived; it’s not at all fake,” the actor said.
Clemons’ ability to immerse himself in a scene or character can be attributed to his training in the Sanford Meisner acting style. This style is revered for unlocking characters’ authenticity and giving them life.
The Northern Illinois University alum mentioned that his friend and fellow actor, Wood Harris, is also trained in the technique, and together, they have “carried the flag” of Meisner in Hollywood.
Along with his production company, Protest Pictures, Clemons works on several projects, including a modern-day Cinderella story set in the fashion industry and a documentary following a successful Formula 1 racing team.
Despite those projects and several he can’t discuss, Clemons expressed that he is most excited about teaching and coaching future actors through the foundations of method acting.
He said, “It’s something that I’ve dedicated my life to and something I love.”
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