Photo: Meron Menghistab
My COVID-19 quarantine continues. I’m now basically symptom-free, and so have been up and about my attic apartment – reading, cleaning and organizing, re-potting some plants, and catching up with a number of Netflix series, including Grace and Frankie, Sex Education, and the rebooted Lost in Space.
Passing is a very well-made and thought-provoking film; I definitely recommend it. One reason I appreciated and enjoyed it so much was that it features one of my favorite actors, the talented André Holland. He plays Irene’s husband Brian.
There is an undercurrent of homoerotic desire in the film, one that I picked up on and which the following from Wikipedia insightfully explores in relation to the film’s source material, Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel.
Scholars have identified a homoerotic subtext between Irene and Clare, centered on the erotic undertones in Irene’s descriptions of Clare and appreciation of her beauty. As scholar Deborah McDowell’s writes, “the idea of bringing sexual attraction between two women to full narrative expression is [. . .] too dangerous a move, which helps to explain why critics have missed this aspect of the novel.” In that interpretation, the novel’s central metaphor of “passing” under a different identity “occurs at a surprisingly wide variety of levels,” including sexual. This suggests that there are other forms of “passing” that take place in the novel that is not just based on race. Larsen has a clever way of “deriving its surface theme and central metaphor-passing,” disguising the plots “neatly” and “symmetrically.” The apparently sexless marriage between Brian and Irene (their separate bedrooms and identification as co-parents rather than sexual partners) allow Larsen to “flirt, if only by suggestion, with the idea of a lesbian relationship between [Clare and Irene].”
. . . The character of [Irene’s] husband, Brian, has been subject to a similar interpretation: Irene’s labeling of him as queer and his oft-expressed desire to go to Brazil, a country then widely thought to be more tolerant of homosexuality than the United States was, are given as evidence. It is also shown that Brazil is considered to be a place with more relaxed ideas about race. Irene begins to believe that Clare and Brian are having an affair to hide or distract from her own feelings for Clare. McDowell writes, “the awakening of Irene’s erotic feelings for Clare coincides with Irene’s imagination of an affair between Clare and Brian.” Although she had no reason to accuse him, Irene did so to protect herself from her own sexual desires.
In promoting Passing, André Holland was recently interviewd by Stefan Pape of the movie website, HeyUGuys. In this interview, Andre talks about his personal connection to the film and his admiration for director Rebecca Hall’s work.
André was also recently interviewed by Kimberly Truong of In Style magazine. Following (with added images and links) is an excerpt from Truong’s November 10, 2021 article. Enjoy!
To hear André Holland describe it, he discovered acting by chance, and has been “stumbling forward ever since,” but his filmography has been anything but accidental. The 41-year-old actor has been intentional when it comes to taking on roles, resulting in a KonMari’d CV that’s as interesting as it is unpredictable, ranging from Stephen King horror (Hulu’s Castle Rock) to historical drama (Selma). Perhaps not so coincidentally, Holland has been in two Broadway plays both written by August Wilson: a 2017 production of Jitney and a 2009 staging of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.
“When I’m reading something, first of all, I want to make sure that it doesn’t do anything that denigrates my culture,” he says. He has other questions, of course: is it a project that moves him, something that gives him an opportunity to do things he hasn’t before? Does he believe in the people he’s working with, and in their vision enough to work with them for 12 to 14 hours a day? But at the end of the day, it comes back to his main priority.
“After I’ve gone through all of that, I come back and revisit the question of, is there anything here that denigrates my culture?” he says. “I was just reading this book today called Colorization by Wil Haygood, which is about the history of Black people in Hollywood, and the first chapter is about D.W. Griffith and [the 1915 silent film] The Birth of a Nation, and the damage that film did to Black people. And so I just want to make sure that we’re telling stories that highlight the beauty, the complexity, the joy, the anger – all of the things that we are – but in a real, actual way.”
To that end, Passing, based on Nella Larson’s 1929 novel of the same name, ticked essentially every item on Holland’s list. The Netflix film [which premiered on] November 10, follows Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Clare (Ruth Negga), two light-skinned Black women in 1920s Harlem, the latter of whom has chosen to live and “pass” as a white woman.
Holland says that having grown up in the South, he was familiar with the idea of passing, and heard stories from his parents and grandparents about people they knew who had passed. As Brian, Irene’s husband, he enlivens the screen opposite Thompson, their chemistry coming to a head in a scene in which Brian and Irene argue over whether or not to talk to their children about the dangers of the racial discrimination they’re bound to face.
“It felt like a conversation that I had with my parents, it brought back memories of that,” he recalls. “It also felt like a conversation that people are having today and sadly will likely be having tomorrow. I’m not a parent yet, but I hope to be one day, and I felt a lot of sadness around what it must be like to be having this debate about how to keep your Black children safe in this country.”
The film is actress Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut, and Holland says the experience of working with her in this new capacity was revelatory for him: "Seeing her on set as a writer and as a director revealed to me that I also have an appetite to write and direct my own stories," he says. “Seeing her in action made me think, 'OK, not only can I do this, but I also feel like I have to do this.'”
Holland already has experience working behind the scenes, having produced High Flying Bird, the 2019 sports drama he also starred in [right]. Through his production company, Harper Road Films, he’s working on over a dozen different projects, one of which he’s directing, and a slew that he’s slated to star in as well.
“Storytelling was a part of my tradition growing up, I love stories maybe more than acting,” he explains. “Producing, I think, has made me feel as though I have more agency over the kinds of stories that I want to tell. It's given me the opportunity to learn things about history and about culture that I didn't know before. It's been really, really thrilling.”
Holland hopes to elevate stories he believes in, and to make space for new voices to come in. He talks excitedly about a meeting he had earlier in the day with a writer, telling me, “This amazing brother was a scholar, teaches African American history, and we were just kind of riffing on all the story ideas we both have and realizing there are so many stories in our community, in our culture, that are yet to be told, you know what I’m saying?”
In a sense, he’s now in the position of opening doors for others the way Moonlight did for him. The Oscar-winning film, he says, allowed him to meet filmmakers he thinks he otherwise wouldn’t have met, and to be sent scripts and opportunities he remains grateful for.
Above and below: Andre Holland in Moonlight (2016).
“Moonlight made me feel hungry to have more experiences like that, where you make something that feels important, relevant, that has something to say,” he says. “But the truth is that projects like those don’t come along every day, you know? In some ways, there was a little bit of disappointment, I think, on my part, just because I had such a wonderful time working on Moonlight and I wanted to recreate that experience.”
He might have that chance now that he’s re-teamed with [Moonlight director] Barry Jenkins for a new follow-up season of The Knick, which Jenkins is picking up from the series’ previous director, Steven Soderbergh. But otherwise, Holland is taking things into his own hands.
Right: André Holland in The Knick (2014-2015).
“That’s where producing feels like a lifeline because it’s like, well, maybe rather than waiting for something like [Moonlight] to come along again, what about getting in there and trying to figure out a way to make those things happen, to put those projects together?” he says. “So that makes me feel a little less anxious and yeah, it makes me feel excited.”
To read Kimberly Tuong’s interview of Andre Holland in its entirety, click here.
I must admit that the prospect of The Knick returning is something I’m very much looking forward to. I enjoyed this series, and André’s character was my favorite. He played Dr. Algernon Edwards, an African-American assistant chief surgeon at a fictionalized version of the Knickerbocker Hospital (the Knick) in New York during the early twentieth century.
Algernon manages a secret after-hours clinic in the basement for African-Americans, who ordinarily are turned away from the hospital. He also encounters constant racism from white doctors and patients, all the while engaging in a clandestine relationship with Cornelia Robertson (Juliet Rylance), head of the Knick’s social welfare office and daughter of Captain August Robertson (Grainger Hines), a prominent member of the Knick’s board of directors.
Above: Juliet Rylance and André Holland in The Knick (2014-2015).
Above: André’s Dr. Algernon Edwards in a rare relaxed moment.
Above: A more typical look for the beleaguered Dr. Edwards.
Above: Clive Owen as Dr. John Thackery and André Holland as Dr. Algernon Edwards in The Knick (2014-2015). Reports Rodrigo Perez: “Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh’s turn-of-the-century medical drama ran for two seasons on Cinemax from 2014-2015. Director Barry Jenkins and The Knick co-star André Holland are discussing the idea of reviving the series for a third, or brand new season now starring Holland’s Dr. Edwards character (Clive Owen’s lead character died at the end of season two).” Perez also notes that the show’s original creators, Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, have written a pilot episode for the third season.
I conclude this post with a 2014 interview with André in which he talks about his character in The Knick.
For more of André Holland at The Wild Reed, see:
• Vulnerability Is Power
• Stephen A. Russell on Moonlight
Related Off-site Links:
André Holland Is Taking the Reins – Kimberly Truong (In Style, November 10, 2021).
André Holland: “I Grew Up Feeling Afraid of White Folks” – Dan Einav (The Financial Times, October 21, 2021, 2020).
We Need to Give André Holland His Flowers – Ineye Komonibo (Refinery 29, May 8, 2020).
Steven Soderbergh Details The Knick Original Six-Season Plan and Teases “Very Promising” Season 3 – Zack Sharf (Indie Wire, February 25, 2021).
André Holland Says The Eddy Isn’t a Musical, But Tells a New Narrative Through Music – Kristen Lopez (IndieWire, May 6, 2020)
The Eddy’s André Holland: “I Still Have a Lot to Learn, and a Lot to Offer” – Maxine Wally (W Magazine, May 4, 2020).
André Holland Talks Netflix’s High Flying Bird and the Racial Politics of Sports – Andy Crump (Thrillist, February 21, 2019).
Interview: André Holland on High Flying Bird – Scott Siman (NPR News, February 2, 2019). High Flying Bird: André Holland Explains How He Pitched a Movie to Steven Soderbergh – Tambay Obenson (Indie Wire, February 8, 2019).
André Holland Is Working on a High Flying Bird Sequel – Tyler Hersko (Indie Wire, May 19, 2020).
Actor André Holland Explores: “Where I Fit, How I Fit, If I Fit” – Fresh Air (August 22, 2018).
Othello Review – Mark Rylance and André Holland Get to the Heart of the Play – Michael Billington (The Guardian, August 2, 2018).
Here’s What Critics Are Saying About Hulu's André Holland-Led Stephen King Series, Castle Rock – Monique Jones (Shadow and Act, July 25, 2018).
André Holland Shines in Moonlight – Jerry Nunn (ChicagoPride.com, November 4, 2016).
Moonlight’s André Holland Talks About His Unforgettable Performance – Bené Viera (GQ, October 26, 2016).
The Knick’s André Holland: “I Don’t Want to Be 'the Black Friend'” – Sarah Hughes (The Guardian, October 13, 2015).
UPDATE: André Holland to Lead Apple TV+ Historical Black Panther Drama Series, The Big Cigar – Joshua Meyer (SlashFilm.com, April 7, 2022).
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