didn’t quite know what he was getting into when he received a somewhat cryptic email from filmmaker Boots Riley early one morning during the 2020 pandemic with the subject line “13-Foot-Tall Black Man in Oakland,” but it was enough to make him jump out of bed. “For any actor to get a personal message from a director whom you admire saying, ‘I want you for a role,’ it’s a dream,” says Jerome, who plays Cootie in Riley’s fantastical series . The actor was then two years removed from production on his Emmy Award-winning role as Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay’s 2019 Central Park Five miniseries , and carefully weighing his options for his next part.
“I’m always looking. I’m just very selective, having been so blessed early on in my career and spoiled in a way with and ,” he explains. “I’m a bit more specific and cautious with what I choose, which is a risk because it could take some time.
” Jerome was more curious than worried about how Riley would pull off the series, with his commitment to using practical effects like forced perspective to tell the story of a literal 13-foot-tall, 19-year-old Black kid in Oakland who, after being sheltered by his adoptive parents, LaFrancine (Carmen Ejogo) and Martisse (Mike Epps), ventures out to experience the world for himself. So strong was his interest that jumping headfirst into the mythical odyssey as the series lead and an executive producer didn’t feel like a risk at all for him but, rather, an opportunit.
