“The most transparent way is the truth.”
Tarell Alvin McCraney is telling me about the circuitous journey that led him and longtime collaborator Tina Landau to the real-life character of Ms. Joan Jett Blakk. That’s “two t’s, two k’s,” as she reminds us during her run for president at Chicago’s famed Steppenwolf Theatre, where McCraney and Landau are both ensemble members.
The two have worked together since 2004 and initially planned to reunite to remount McCraney’s 10-year-old play Wig Out with McCraney starring, only to find that the moment had somewhat passed them by.
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“Ten years ago, when we were looking at Wig Out, the language around gender and nonconformity and transitioning were so different; so much so, it was hard even casting it then,” McCraney tells The Root. “And now, I’m 38 … there were no roles in it for me anymore—which is great, because now, we can put a whole bunch of new, amazing talent in it when we do it.”
For those unaware of McCraney’s acting prowess, it’s likely because he’s best known as the amazing talent who co-authored the screenplay for Barry Jenkins’ groundbreaking 2016 film Moonlight, based on his semi-autobiographical play, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. The gorgeously wrought narrative garnered Moonlight the 2017 Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay statuettes for McCraney and Jenkins (and landed both on the 2017 Root 100).
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