If you’ve ever wondered how sexy model and reality TV host Tyson Beckford would fare playing the role of an ex-con in an inspiring period piece, then you must check out Kings of the Evening. In the movie, Beckford plays Homer Hobbs, a man who finds himself homeless when he’s released from prison after a two-year stint. He moves into a boarding house and despite its sharp-tongued owner Gracie (Lynn Whitfield), he quickly settles in.
Homer falls for a shrewd seamstress named Lucy Waters (Linara Washington) and in his quest to survive financial troubles and overcome feelings of failure, he enters an all-male fashion show, which is an homage to the South African tradition of Oswenka.
Kings was co-written by filmmaker Andrew Jones and his father, Robert Page Jones. The younger Jones shares his vision and inspiration to create the film, as well as his background and why casting was one of his favorite projects for this film. –yvette caslin
What is your background?
I have been in the business for 26 years and have worked in a variety of aspects of the film and television industry. I actually started in special effects and have worked in all aspects from writing, filming and producing to costuming. I attended film school at San Diego State, but the best training I got was on-the-job training. I worked on really big commercials with some of the biggest directors in the world. I watched Stephen Spielberg direct Hook from the sidelines.
What inspired you to write this film?
My father shared an article with me from a South African newspaper and we thought [Oswenka] was an interesting tradition that had not been explored in American cinema. My father grew up in the South during the Great Depression [so] we merged [these ideas] to create the backbone of our story.
How did you go about selecting the cast?
Casting was one of my favorite parts. A lot of times as I’m writing, I think of certain actors who should play [a] part. In Kings, there are a couple of examples of that. Lou Myers, he read the script, liked it, came out and did the part in one day. I kept speaking to my casting director about who I wanted. Other than that, we had unknowns that came in — all different ages and different types. Linara Washington was the last person we saw and she got the part. We were lucky to have really accomplished actors play these parts.
