Kristina Roberts
Spike Lee, a very famous movie director from the US, has chosen rapper A$AP Rocky to act in his latest film. This decision was made after Spike saw a funny meme on Instagram. The meme compared A$AP Rocky to actor Denzel Washington and said they looked like father and son. This comparison had been going around on social media for a few years, and many people found it interesting and funny. Even Spike Lee thought it was clever and it gave him an idea.
Spike Lee’s new movie is called Highest 2 Lowest. In this film, A$AP Rocky acts alongside Denzel Washington, who has already won an Oscar for his acting. Spike said he first thought about casting A$AP after seeing the memes that joked about the rapper being Denzel’s son. This shows how things like memes and social media can now have a big effect on how movies are made, even by serious directors like Spike Lee.
“What’s funny is that I was looking at Instagram four or five years ago and people were saying that A$AP looked like he’s Denzel’s son. I seen those memes and then in the film we used that,” Spike Lee said on the podcast 7PM in Brooklyn. This podcast is popular and is often where directors talk about how they make movies and what they are working on next.
Spike also had good things to say about A$AP Rocky’s acting skills. “A$AP, man, he fire. I mean, there’s some scenes where him and D [Washington] head to head – he ain’t backing up. Like: ‘I’m here too.’ So very, very happy with the way the film turned out and looking forward to sharing it with the world.” He sounds very proud of how the film turned out and excited for everyone to see it. People who have seen parts of the movie already say that the scenes with Denzel and A$AP together are very powerful.
A$AP Rocky first acted in a movie in 2015. That film was called Dope. After that, he kept doing music but also continued acting. Earlier this year, he appeared in another movie called If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Slowly, he has been making a name for himself not only in music but also in movies.
Highest 2 Lowest is based on a very old and famous Japanese film made in 1963. The original movie was called High and Low and was directed by Akira Kurosawa. It was about a rich man whose driver’s son is kidnapped by mistake. The kidnappers thought the child was the rich man’s own son and asked for a ransom. The film showed how this mistake affected everyone involved. It became known as one of the best films ever made, so it’s a big deal that Spike Lee decided to tell the story again in his own way.
Spike’s version is not exactly the same. He said it is not a remake but a new version. In his film, the story happens in today’s world, not in the 1960s. This time, Denzel Washington plays a music business leader who is also pulled into a crime. This lets the story talk about things happening today, like the difference between rich and poor and what rich people should do when someone needs help. But even though it’s modern, the story still follows the same basic idea as Kurosawa’s version.
Spike Lee explained this clearly in an interview. He told Deadline.com, “This is not a remake, this is a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s great film. In Kurosawa’s film, Toshiro Mifune is a shoemaker. In our film Denzel Washington is a music mogul with his own label and his reputation as the best ears in the business. So, this is the fifth film with the dynamic duo [himself and Washington].” Spike wanted to show that he is not just copying the old movie but making something new that respects the original.
This new film is also very special because it is the fifth time Spike Lee and Denzel Washington are working together. They have done many great movies before like Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man. These movies are well-known and respected, and their team has helped shape US cinema. So, people are excited to see them working together again.
Adding A$AP Rocky to this team makes things even more exciting. He comes from the music world and brings new energy to the movie. This mix of old and new talent shows how Spike Lee likes to bring together different parts of Black culture, like music and film, and make something strong and meaningful.
A lot of people who usually work with Spike Lee also helped make this film. That means the movie will still have the same kind of look and style that his other movies have. The way the movie is written also changes some parts of the old story so it fits better with life in the US today. The film talks about big topics like power, class, and doing the right thing, which are all very important in today’s world.
The movie will be shown for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival in France in May. This festival is one of the most important events in the movie world, so being picked to show the movie there means people think it’s going to be very good. After Cannes, the film will be shown in movie theaters for everyone to see. A lot of fans are looking forward to it.
Many people in Hollywood have noticed that more and more music stars are now acting in movies. A$AP Rocky is part of that trend. He’s not the first rapper to become an actor, but people are really watching to see how well he does. His fans from music might come watch the movie, even if they’ve never seen the old Japanese version. This could bring in a younger audience and help them enjoy a story that is many decades old but still feels fresh.
This movie is a good example of how old stories can be told in new ways. It also shows how something as simple as a funny meme on Instagram can turn into a serious acting job in a big movie. Spike Lee used his creativity, Denzel Washington brought his talent, and A$AP Rocky added his unique style to make this film special. Everyone is now waiting to see how Highest 2 Lowest will connect with people when it is released later this year.
