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That’s why I try not to read anything because the bigger the things I do, the more pressure I have on me. The pressure can be very distracting and overwhelming and can keep you from doing well and consume the process. And possibly to a mistake, I might underestimate myself a little [Laughs]. I was ready for anyone to care that I was a part of it. I didn’t think much of it until people on Twitter said, “Excuse me, this is Nia DaCosta’s ‘Candyman’.” “Oh, that’s really sweet,” I said. I’m sure if there was another female director I would have done the same. “Hey, you should probably be talking about the woman who made the movie, not just the more famous man.”
Speaking of the pressure of browsing, I imagine taking on “Candyman” was daunting because fans are so protective about it. Have you had any doubts?
I was really excited that Jordan Peele is co-writer and producer. I felt really safe during this process because I am a huge fan of her. But then, of course, reality kicks in. He even said, “Oh, the fans really want it. …” This is a studio movie. They have what they want to do, which is basically making a trillion dollars and being critically acclaimed. I guess that’s when I said, “Oh, no”. Then you have the community that I did for the movie, which is my community in a macro sense – the Black community. But then, in a micro sense, a community I’m not part of, the Cabrini-Green community. I mean, there are a lot of people you want to do good for and he it can be intimidating. But as a fan of the original “Candyman,” I guess I wanted to end with candor and humility and respect for what we were portraying. I must have faith to guide me to do my best.
What kind of research have you done on Cabrini-Green?
A book that was the first touchstone for me”The Rising: Cabrini-Green and the Fate of American Housing“By Ben Austen. This was really surprising, because I especially like to have some historical perspectives on the plot of the movie – history and what makes history repeat itself, and the history of race. Then we had a great historian and researcher on the film. And definitely getting into the community, starting with just standing and walking around, then talking to the people who lived there and talking to the people who had to leave and listening to their stories.
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