David Whitfield is a 3 time NAACP Award winner of recent years. A veteran actor, gospel and jazz vocalist with a world of experience that made scenes smooth and rich with emotion. His credits include "Murder She Wrote" and "The invisible Woman."His role in the film was that of Uncle Ben, the patriarch of the Hackett family and the Cricket Fence community. His character represents a steadfast standard of hope and resilience that upholds and lifts the Hacketts, various visitors to the Hackett Hotel/Airport/Barbershop/Restaurant (you have to see the movie). Through his rich portrayal of accepting of God's providence over life, the film and the audience have the opportunity believe in the possibilities of faith.
As he shared his craft with each cast member over the shoot schedule, Mr. Whitfield gave pointers, coached a little, lead by example, explored new expressions and was as consistent as any director could ask for.
I recently shot a short film starring David, it's an excerpt from a script and stage play he has written and produced. The short is designed to provide potential investors with a peek at the production. The short will be released this summer.
Special Note:
If you look just to the right of Uncle Benny, there is a pic of JFK on the wall,
well that is part of an hour long discussion about the classic ensemble in most Black homes for decades. I grew up with it, most of my friends had the same reverence paid to these men in various forms -- brass tri-frame, mini-pics in a nic-nac shelf, even framed among family pics on the mantel. This classic combo fit perfectly in the Hackett home/hotel/airport/barbershop/restaurant.Why an hour? Well, we had to determine if Jesus should be Black. The size of each pic was a topic of discussion and the closeness of the pics -- especially who is closest to Jesus.
Eventually, our art director worked out the size, framing and placement issues. I think I only had to give one note about the positioning and it was a ... Hot Set.
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