Isaiah Washington in "Blue Caprice"
Isaiah Washington Digs Deep to Portray DC Sniper in Blue Caprice
by DuEwa Frazier
Former “Greys Anatomy” star Isaiah Washington transformed as an actor to play the role of D.C. sniper John Muhammad in the film “Blue Caprice.” Washington who has been relatively out of the spotlight since his departure from “Greys Anatomy” says of the time right before the “Blue Caprice” role was offered, “I had been traveling abroad, extensively working on my interests in West Africa in this wonderful nation that I believe in, Sierra Leone. I was in a place where if something came in I was fully in control of what I wanted to do as an artist.”
Washington prepared for the role by reading two sources given to him by the film’s director Alexandre Moors - Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Notes from the Underground and the memoir of John Muhammad’s ex-wife, Scared Silent. The readings helped put him in the pain filled mental state he needed to be in order to play Muhammad. Washington says of his preparation,“I read Scared Silencein like two days…I said ‘I get it you want me to really be in that place, but if I go any further…I’ll be like the roach in Kafka’s Metamorphosis.’”
The film depicts the psychological and emotional disturbance of John Muhammad the man who manipulated a young teenager from Antigua, Lee Boyd Malvo, to kill and injure dozens of people across the Beltway area. Washington was initially on the fence about taking the role saying, “I pick up the phone and call producer Isen Robbins, he gives me the whole spiel. I’m feeling it. Then he says we’re doing this story on the D.C. sniper. I say ‘You got the wrong guy’.” But after more talks with the film’s producer and director Alexandre Moors, Washington found that the project would give him the opportunity to connect with his need to “make art” and tell a story. Washington talks of what sold him about the role, “I read this wonderful missive that he [Moors] wrote to me. It reminded me of the artist that I always wanted to be when I was working with Spike. Reminded me of the days of “Clockers” and “Get on the Bus” and “Girl 6”.”
The role was not about making a Hollywood comeback for Isaiah, but rather who he could become as an artist through the project. Washington says of his transformation, “I was emancipated on many levels because of this film. I was emancipated as an artist. I was emancipated as a human being. This is probably the most challenging, the most difficult endeavor I have ever embarked upon.”
Director Alexander Moors discusses why he made the film. “It is not a biopic. I felt I needed to do something to bump my head against this thing that troubles me…how people choose to embrace violence in such an easy way. I needed to understand why we choose violence as a means to an end.”
Isaiah Washington hopes that people will support the film, but “not for me.” “This isn’t a black movie, or just about black people…this is a human story,” says Washington. He believes the film will serve to make people think critically and embrace in depth depictions of human experiences in film. Washington says of his journey as an actor, “I’ve been fortunate to have some extraordinary opportunities.”
“Blue Caprice” opened on September 13th and will extend through October. Visit https://www.facebook.com/bluecapricefilmand www.bluecapricefilm.com for a complete listing of screenings.
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