André Holland on Why Getting Financing for ‘Love, Brooklyn’ Was the ‘Hardest Thing He’s Ever Done’

variety.com:

Angelique Jackson André Holland is bringing Black romance to Sundance with his latest independent film “Love, Brooklyn.” Directed by Rachael Abigail Holder (in her feature debut), it’s a charming story about a man named Roger (Holland), who is suffering from writers’ block while he attempts to pen a story about the changing landscape in Brooklyn.

As the plot plays out, it becomes clearer that Roger’s creative impasse is linked to his indecision about his romantic relationships — as he toggles between a friendship with his ex, Casey (Nicole Beharie), a fine-art gallerist, and a situationship with Nicole (DeWanda Wise), a single mother with a young daughter (Cadence Reese).

Holland tells Variety he was attracted to the role because he could relate to Roger’s “romantic confusion” on a personal level. “It was an opportunity to get into an emotional state that I feel familiar with and that I wanted to explore and understand better, and to tell a larger story about what it means to try and be an artist making things today against the backdrop of a changing landscape,” he explains.

However, the original script, from screenwriter Paul Zimmerman, wasn’t conceived with Black people in mind, but all that changed once Holder then Holland got on board.