KW: After watching the film, I was surprised to see that you have so few acting credits, because you did a phenomenal job. And then, when I found out that Ryan and Emma had come aboard, it seemed like a no-brainer for us to get involved. So, it made sense for me to do it, since I was already a fan of his work. Damien thought I could relate to the character, and I felt the same way. But I guess he felt that I could pull it off, because the character had some similarities to my own background as a musician. I hadn’t had a major speaking role in a film before. I said, “Yeah, let’s do it!” I hadn’t done anything like it before. But eventually, he asked me if I wanted to play Keith. He was originally thinking in terms of executive producing and in terms of the music for the character, Keith, and his band, The Messengers. Damien wanted to see if we were interested in getting involved. The script was finished, and they were already in talks with Ryan and Emma to star in it. We finally got a chance to sit down and discuss something creative when he was in the process of preparing to shoot La La Land. My producing partner suggested we connect with him very early on, after we saw a screener of Whiplash. And, obviously, upon the success of Whiplash, Damien was someone we’d love to collaborate with. We love meeting with up-and-coming directors who are doing great things. JL: Well, it really started with meeting him as a filmmaker in my capacity as a producer, because my company, Get Lifted Film Company, has done a few movies and a couple of television shows now. KW: Let me start by asking what made you decide to do this film with Damien ? KW: I’ve tried to land an interview with you for years, so I’m honored to finally have this opportunity to speak with you.
And he talks about his philanthropic work and his new album, “Darkness and Light,” too.
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Here, he shares his thoughts about playing his first, major movie role opposite Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in La La Land, a picture which he also produced. Furthermore, Legend sits on the boards of The Education Equality Project, Teach for America, Stand for Children and the Harlem Village Academies. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award from Africare, and the 2011 Harvard Foundation Artist of the Year Award. He’s received the 2010 BET Humanitarian of the Year Award, the 2009 CARE Humanitarian Award for Global Change, the 2009 Bishop John T. In 2007, he launched the “Show Me Campaign” (), an initiative that focuses on education as a key to breaking the cycle of poverty. Throughout his career, Legend has worked to make a difference in the lives of others. Earlier this year, John won his first Academy Award for “Glory,” a song he wrote and performed with Common for the film Selma. The album landed multiple Grammys, including Best R&B Album, Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Legends debut album, Get Lifted, was released to critical acclaim in December of 2004 by Columbia Records. He added vocals to an impressive list of chart-topping hits including Kanye’s “All of the Lights,” Jay-Z’s “Encore” and backup vocals on Alicia Keys’ 2003 song, “You Don’t Know My Name.”
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Legend’s career started gaining momentum through a series of similar collaborations with established artists. Music imprint and had him sing vocal hooks on some of his tunes. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied English and African-American literature, John participated in a wide range of musical activities while in college.ĭuring that period, he was introduced to Lauryn Hill, who hired him to play piano on her track “Everything Is Everything.” Shortly thereafter, he began to play shows around the Philadelphia area, eventually expanding his audience base to New York, Boston, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.Īfter college, he was introduced to an up-and-coming hip-hop artist named Kanye West. His work has garnered him ten Grammy Awards, an Oscar and a Golden Globe, among others. Ohio-born John Legend is an award-winning, platinum-selling singer/songwriter.