‘None of them have let me down’

Best believe Delroy Lindo, the Academy Award-nominated thespian, knows commanding scene partners all too well.

Still, it isn’t his former Hollywood co-stars Denzel Washington, Idris Elba or Charlize Theron that have Lindo rhapsodising about acting range at this very moment.

Capturing his deep admiration is the collective of Jamaican talent – all handpicked by Lindo – for his feature-film directorial debut, Jabari’s People, which wrapped filming here last weekend.

Shernet Swearine, Rolando Alberts, Sule Thelwell and Zoe Daniele ChingSang are the chosen four from The Rock who have left the big-screen veteran thoroughly impressed.

“What is beautiful about it is that none of them have let me down,” an emotional Lindo told The Gleaner in an interview at 10a West Kings Road on a balmy Friday afternoon. “They have all filled the spaces I needed them to fill and manifested the story.”

His voice tremulous and eyes misty, he continued, “Each of these guys have done their part, and then some, in terms of assisting me with the vision I have for this film, and what I want to say about Jamaica and Jamaicans.”

Reconnecting with Jamaica

The British-born Lindo is the offspring of Jamaican parents who migrated to the United Kingdom among the Windrush generation.

Seventy-plus years later, the celebrated actor who was up for an Oscar back in March for his supporting role as blues musician Delta Slim in the blockbuster film Sinners, now finds himself reconnected to his island roots with the family drama he shot in the Blue Mountains.

Seated in a canopied St Andrew courtyard in the middle of his film’s youthful cast for this group sit-down – including the film’s titular star, Briton Seyi Andes-Pelumi, who is of Jamaican descent – Lindo sings their praises.

“They have corroborated something for me that I know about Jamaica, the fact that there is such a wealth of talent here that needs to be given opportunity and access,” shared the filmmaker, who also pulls double duty as one of the film’s stars.

“When I step on set and communicate with them, and they process what I am saying as an actor, as a director and, in some instances, as a scene partner, they have stepped up and met the challenge of doing the work every single time.”

Hearing Lindo dissect and honour their work publicly, Thelwell feels validated.

“This process has been oodles of fun,” he shared of the film’s month-long shoot.

“It’s been very balanced because it’s been very serious at times, with needing to focus and getting a particular thing done in a particular time. But it is also the levity of it, the fun and laughter and in-between moments. The moments inside of the scene and inside of the space where we are able to just play and listen to each other,” said the rising actor who was recently a cast member of the West End production of An Ideal Husband in London and co-starred in the Netflix romantic comedy series, XO, Kitty.

For ChingSang, who came to the project with musical theatre experience and experience working on web series and short films locally with The LAB Studios, delivering on her feature-film debut carried a weight of importance.

“I have been working in production for six years, so I knew the process already, but to be in front of the camera for a film is a completely different experience. I felt it was definitely a bigger responsibility. You know you are being relied on for your part; everybody was, but this felt more like I needed to be seen,” she told The Gleaner.

Lindo politely interjects at her introspective candour to recall an on-set moment between them.

“Zoe and I had a conversation a few days ago. I had communicated with her how to approach a certain scene and deconstruct the material and infuse that in the work in real time. She did it in a way that illuminated the scene and also illuminated my perception of her as an actor,” he divulged.

Connecting with the character

For 17-year-old lead actor Andes-Pelumi, playing Jabari marked his first feature-film role. Like his fellow young cast members, he drew on elements of his own life to connect with the character.

“The allure for me in playing Jabari, he has trauma internally. I think I’m a person who keeps a lot inside, so I think it’s interesting to explore those parallels. I think it’s quite hard sometimes because to kind of be outwards with that can be quite vulnerable. I think Delroy’s sensitivity allowed me to be vulnerable and play with the rest of the cast. There was never a point where I felt embarrassed, or I was going to be shouted at. I always felt comfortable,” shared the actor who hails from London, whose creative output includes roles in theatrical productions, as well as the CBBC comedic drama Lagging and the BBC limited teen series Crongton.

Filming Jabari’s People marks the teenager’s maiden voyage to The Rock.

“I came first for the chemistry read and then for the shoot. I had wanted to explore my culture and heritage. Jabari is from Brooklyn and comes to Jamaica for the first time, and he is doing that. So, whilst filming, it’s almost as if I am learning at the same time,” Andes-Pelumi shared.

He made the shortlist from a multitude of recorded submissions.

“I saw tapes of all the actors, which is not a good way to assess work. Of the tapes I got from England, I saw two in particular that caused me to say ‘ohhhh’, so I got on a plane and went to London, and I saw him and one other actor,” Lindo recounted.

Andes-Pelumi hit the jackpot.

“Not only was it clear to me from the tape and meeting him in London, but then what he has brought to the process, it’s been affirmation after affirmation,” raved the director of his on-screen talent.

As for the expected release status of Jabari’s People, Lindo hasn’t stated specifics.

With prolific Jamaican-American producer Robert Maylor as his partner on the film, Lindo, the director and star, said: “We are not sure, and I don’t want to speak out of turn. There is a Toronto International Film Festival connection that we are trying to nurture, but my hope is that it will be released in 2027.”

entertainment@gleanerjm.com