How Daniel Kaluuya Became Fred Hampton for Judas and the Black Messiah, Rotten Tomatoes

In December of 1969, Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, was killed in an early morning FBI raid; a petty criminalturnedinformant named William O Neal provided the undercover intel that partially led to the attack. The story of Hampton and O Neal forms the basis of Shaka King s Certified Fresh historical drama Judas and the Black Messiah, and some see awards in the film s future, particularly for Daniel Kaluuya, who stars as the charismatic and controversial Black Panther leader. Over the last five years, Kaluuya has amassed an eclectic filmography of acclaimed films by celebrated directors, and in Fred Hampton, he found exactly the kind of complex role that excites him. We sat down with Kaluuya to talk about why it was so tricky but thrilling to channel Hampton, how Bernie Mac and Richard Pryor helped him master Hampton s cadence, and why framing the story as a crime thriller made sense. Watch More: New on RT: