In the below November 2013 interview, Ruben Santiago-Hudson expresses his strong desire to see a TV mini-series that comprehensively tells the many stories of the Harlem Renaissance. In his words, he’d need about 10 hours total (5 parts, 2 hours each), not a 2-hour movie, for the project, and he essentially challenges the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Denzel Washington, and other black Hollywood elites, to "come together" and make the Harlem Renaissance story a priority project, which, of course, he’d like to be involved in.
He says he’s been trying to get it done for a decade, with no luck apparently, suggesting that it would require a combined effort, with the resources and the connections to make the project a reality.
When asked by the interviewer why this hasn’t already happened, Santiago-Hudson lists a couple of reasons, including what he feels is a "crabs in a barrel" mentality, as well as an unhealthy individualism, and lack of community.
Worth noting in all this is that, a couple of months before this interview with Santiago-Hudson was posted to YouTube (from Arise Entertainment), one of the people he called out, Oprah Winfrey, revealed in a New York Daily News profile of ahead of Lee Daniels "The Butler’s" release, that she had spoken with producer-director George C. Wolfe about a possible miniseries on the Harlem Renaissance. No details to share on that, like how deep those conversations went, and whether much came of them. I’d assume it’s something she wants to act in as well.
I’m not certain whether Santiago-Hudson was aware of this when he gave the below interview to Arise Entertainment.
No word on whether, since the interview, if any movement on any Harlem Renaissance project (whether from Santiago-Hudson, Oprah, Wolfe, or all of them collectively) has happened. I’d assume that now that it’s all out in the open (interest from 3 different parties), it may only be a matter of time before something comes together, and, eventually, there’s a formal announcement of a project.
The Harlem Renaissance provides a wealth of material to look to for inspiration. This mini-series could attempt to paint a portrait of the period, with multiple stories that intertwine (or not); or it could zoom in on the life of a single person (or a hand full of people), through whose story we experience the spirit of the times.
And George C. Wolfe is a director I’d bet on for something like this. And if Ruben Santiago-Hudson is one of its stars, that would be great too! Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry can produce.
Let’s see if anything comes of all this.
Watch the full interview with Santiago-Hudson below; the part during which he talks about a Harlem Renaissance project, and telling our own stories, starts around the 10-minute mark:
