TORONTO (AP) 鈥� Fifty pages into Cord Jefferson knew he wanted to adapt it into a movie script. Halfway through, he began to see Jeffrey Wright playing the book's academic protagonist, Thelonious 鈥淢onk鈥� Ellison. By the time he was finished, he knew he wanted to direct it, too.
As quick as that, Cord Jefferson 鈥� the 41-year-old TV writer of 鈥淪uccession,鈥� 鈥淢aster of None鈥� and 鈥淲atchmen鈥� 鈥� began working toward his directing debut, And just as speedily, following its premiere at the , 鈥淎merican Fiction鈥� became a breakout hit of the festival, launching Jefferson as a major new voice in movies.
In the film, Monk (Wright), is a frustrated author who's agent (John Ortiz) tells him his books 鈥� the latest of which is a reworking of Aeschylus鈥� 鈥淭he Persians鈥� 鈥� aren't 鈥淏lack enough.鈥� 鈥淚'm Black," he responds, 鈥渁nd this is my book.鈥�
Monk, played with acerbic perfection and delightful disgust by Wright, writes as a drunken lark, a book intended to parody the kinds that sell and cater to white audiences' view of Black people. Under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh, he dashes off a manuscript of thug life trauma porn titled 鈥淢y Pafology鈥� that 鈥� surprise 鈥� immediately sells and gets bought for movie rights.
鈥淎ll the conversations that the book was having were conversations I was having with my friends and had been having for decades,鈥� Jefferson, who was an editor for Gawker before transitioning into TV, said in an interview.
鈥淚 worked as a journalist for eight or nine years before working in television," he added. "I was having the exact same conversations with Black colleagues in both professions: Why are we always writing about misery and trauma and violence and pain inflicted on Blacks? Why is this what people expect from us? Why is this the only thing we have to offer to culture?鈥�
鈥淎merican Fiction,鈥� which MGM will release Nov. 3 in theaters, is a funny, jazzy riff on Black representation in books and films that delights in mocking both stereotypes and identity politics while pleading for something more nuanced 鈥� something like 鈥淎merican Fiction.鈥�
鈥淥ne of the main themes is the way we see ourselves as unique, specific individuals, and the way the world tries to put us into little boxes and sand away all the things that make us unique and special,鈥� Jefferson said.
At the TIFF premiere, Jefferson took a moment to note that he loves movies like 鈥�12 Years a Slave鈥� and 鈥淣ew Jack City.鈥� But Jefferson, lamenting 鈥渁 poverty of imagination when it comes to what Black life looks like,鈥� said other films on the spectrum should exist, too.
鈥淚 feel like Jewish people get 鈥楽chindler鈥檚 List鈥� and 鈥楢nnie Hall,'鈥� said Jefferson.
While Woody Allen's film may be a reference point to 鈥淎merican Fiction,鈥� direct comparisons are harder to come by for such a breezy but biting commentary. Tracee Ellis Ross, Sterling K. Brown and Erika Alexander co-star, along with Issa Rae, who plays the author of a book titled 鈥淲e鈥檚 Lives in Da Ghetto.鈥�
鈥淥ne of the most exciting things has been in test screening when we ask people, 鈥榃hat does this film remind you of?鈥�" says Jefferson. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been several people who can鈥檛 name a comedy or a film it reminds them of.鈥�
Jefferson, who grew up in Tucson, Arizona, wrote on some of the issues his film touched on in a 2014 piece titled In it, he described the importance of writers from marginalized groups bringing individual perspective to journalism, but the difficulty of not being defined by it. Jefferson, who also wrote essays about donating a kidney to his father and being biracial, became a writer for 鈥淭he Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore鈥� before transitioning into drama and comedy series. He won an Emmy for penning the episode of 鈥淲atchman鈥� episode with Damon Lindelof.
Directing a film, Jefferson says, wasn't necessarily a lifelong ambition. He hadn't gone to film school, so he didn't think it was in the cards until he spoke with a friend directing an episode of 鈥淢aster of None" who had studied business, not film.
鈥淚 realized all you need to do is have a vision and be able to articulate it other people,鈥� says Jefferson.
That 鈥淎merican Fiction鈥� is hard to categorize, he says, might mean he's on the right track.
鈥淭his being my first movie, I鈥檓 eager to find what my voice is,鈥� Jefferson says. "I don鈥檛 really know what my voice is yet, but I鈥檓 trying to achieve that. Having people say that the movie feels unique makes me think maybe I鈥檓 on to finding my voice somewhere along the path."
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Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
