Jay-Z has said it was important to ‘see us represented’ as he discussed his producing role in his new film about Black cowboys.
The music superstar, real name Shawn Carter, serves as producer on The Harder They Come, which is based on real-life figures from American history, such as Rufus Buck, Treacherous Trudy Smith, and Stagecoach Mary.
Arriving at the world premiere on the opening night of the BFI London Film Festival, he said: ‘Just to see us represented, you know, with a lot of films we didn’t see ourselves in westerns, as if we didn’t exist.
‘It is almost odd, people think that it’s like a caricature, that they are playing roles, but they’re not playing roles.
‘These names like Stagecoach Mary, all the actors in this, they really existed in this time, so just see us represented and see that we have voices.’
Idris Elba, who stars in the film as Rufus Black, says he hopes to draw attention to the real historical figures who inspired the movie.
He told the PA news agency: ‘It’s really interesting that these characters really existed one time. No one ever knows about them.
‘Any western fan would be like “Really? I never heard of Rufus Buck” but he was a real guy so it’s very special.’
His co-star Jonathan Majors added: ‘It’s righting wrongs and it’s also uncovering a little bit more of what the truth is… everybody had a hand in the building of the west so they belong in a western so it’s a home for everybody.
‘It’s not just a step forward, it’s a leap forward.’
The BFI London Film Festival runs until October 17. The Harder They Fall is released in select cinemas on October 22, and on Netflix from November 3.
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