Starring TARAJI P. HENSONC. and SAM ROCKWELL.
Starring TARAJI P. HENSONC & SAM ROCKWELL
Civil rights activist Ann Atwater faces off against C.P. Ellis, Exalted Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan, in 1971 Durham, North Carolina over the issue of school integration.
Starring TARAJI P. HENSONC, courtesy of Taro PR and Elevation Pictures
TARAJI P. HENSON
(Ann Atwater), an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actor, writer and producer, quickly rose to fame after her breakout performance in the critically acclaimed Hustle & Flow. Nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for “Outstanding Performance by a Cast,”the film also brought Henson BET’s “Best Actress”award.Henson currently stars as Cookie Lyon in Fox Television’s hit musical drama “Empire,”which has brought her three Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe Award, a Critic’s Choice Award and three BET Awards. Prior to “Empire,”Henson had recurring roles on “Person of Interest,”“Boston Legal”and “The Division.”In 2017, Henson portrayed NASA mathematician Katherine G. Johnson in the Academy Awards-nominated film Hidden Figures. Henson and her fellow actors received the Screen Actors Guild Award for “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.”Henson’s credits also include: Tyler Perry’s Acrimony and The Family That Preys; Proud Mary; Think Like A Man and Think Like A Man Too with Kevin Hart; Talk To Me, opposite Don Cheadle; Smokin’ Aces, with Ben Affleck and Alicia Keys; Hurricane Season, opposite Forest Whitaker; No Good Deed, opposite Idris Elba, which opened #1 at the box office; Larry Crowne, with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts; Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story, for which Henson earned an Emmy Award nomination for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie;” and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, with Brad Pitt, which brought her an Academy Award nomination for “Best Supporting Actress.”Henson lends her voice alongside Sarah Silverman, John C. Reilly and Gal Gadot in Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck It Ralph 2, and stars in Paramount’s 2019 comedy What Men Want from director Adam Shankman. In October 2016, Henson released her New York Times bestselling novel Around the Way Girl, a memoir about her family and friends, her determination to make it to Hollywood and the importance of living your own truth.
BEST OF ENEMIES
In Around the Way Girl, she reminisces on the world-class theater arts education she received at Howard University, and how she chipped away at Hollywood’s resistance to giving women, especially women of color, rich and significant roles. With her iconic humor and honesty, Henson shares the struggles and disappointments of an actor’s journey and shows audiences that she is ever authentic.Henson recently launched the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in honor of her late father.The organization will provide scholarships to African-American students majoring in mental health, offer mental health services to youth in urban schools, and work to lower the recidivism rates of African-American men and women.A Washington, D.C. native, Henson currently resides in Chicago.
BEST OF ENEMIES
SAM ROCKWELL
(C.P. Ellis), an Academy Award winner, has established himself as one of the most versatile actors of his generation with an array of emotionally searing and complex roles defining his body of work. Rockwell won the Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics Choice and Independent Spirit Award for “Best Supporting Actor”for his performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, opposite Frances McDormand. He was also additionally nominated for, or won, more than 37 critics groups awards globally for his brilliant portrayal of Officer Jason Dixon, a bad cop who stumbles towards redemption as he tries to help Mildred (McDormand) avenge her daughter’s tragic murder. Rockwell can currently be seen in director Adam McKay’s political drama Vice,opposite Christian Bale and Amy Adams. Rockwell portrays George W. Bush, with Bale and Adams in the roles of Dick and Lynne Cheney. Next year, he can be heard in the animated The One and Only Ivan, opposite Angelina Jolieand Bryan Cranston. Rockwell also starsin FX’s “Fosse/Verdon”limited series opposite Michelle Williams with Lin-Manuel Miranda producing. The eight-part series is based on the lives of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon and their romantic and creative partnership.Nicole Fosse, daughter of Fosse and Verdon, serves as co-executive producer.
The show is set to launch in 2019. Rockwellis known for his standout leading performances in an array of noteworthy films, including George Clooney’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which brought him the Silver Bear Award for “Best Actor”at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival; Ridley Scott’s Matchstick Men; and Seven Psychopaths,opposite Woody Harrelson, Colin Farrell and Christopher Walken, which earned him a 2013 Film Independent Spirit Award nomination for “Best Supporting Male.”This was followed bya 2014 Critics’ Choice nomination for “Best Actor in a Comedy”forhis heartfelt performance in Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s coming of age comedy The Way, Way Back.Rockwell has also appeared in critically acclaimed films including Ron Howard’s Academy Awardâ-nominated Frost/Nixon,opposite Frank Langella and Michael Sheen; Andrew Dominik’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,alongside Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck; as well as Frank Darabont’s Academy Award-nominated drama The Green Mile,opposite Tom Hanks.Recent credits include Susanna White’s 19th century period drama Woman Walks Ahead,opposite Jessica Chastain; Gil Kenan’s remake of the 1982 horror classic Poltergeist,opposite Rosemarie DeWitt; Paco Cabezas’s Mr. Right,opposite Anna Kendrick; Jared Hess’s Don Verdean,opposite Will Forte and Danny McBride; Joe Swanberg’s Digging for Fire,alongside Jake Johnson and Rosemarie DeWitt; and Lynn Shelton’s Laggies,opposite Keira Knightley. He has additionally appeared in several groundbreaking studio pictures including Jon Favreau’s Iron Man2; the high-octane film adaption of the original 1970s television series Charlie’s Angels; and Steve Barron’s blockbuster Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Other notable film credits include Favreau’s Cowboys & Aliens,alongside Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig; Tony Goldwyn’s Conviction, opposite Hillary Swank; Kirk Jones’s Everybody’s Fine, alongside Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore and Kate Beckinsale; Hoyt Yeatman’s animated film G-Force, alongside Bill Nighy, Will Arnett and Zach Galifianakis; Garth Jennings’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; the Russo Brothers’caper comedy Welcome to Collinwood, alongside William H. Macy; Duncan Jones’s Moon; David Mamet’s Heist, alongside Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito; Dean Parisot’s Galaxy Quest,alongside Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman; Michael Hoffman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream,alongside Kevin Kline and Michelle Pfeiffer; Woody Allen’s Celebrity; Saul Rubinek’s Jerry and Tom, opposite Joe Mantegna; John Duigan’s Lawn Dogs,opposite Mischa Barton; and his feature film debut in Victor Salva’s slasher Clownhouse.
BEST OF ENEMIES
Not only is Rockwell a star on screen, he has owned the stage in a number of theatrical productions, including his most recent Broadway performances in the 2014 revival of Sam Shepherd’s Fool for Love, alongside Nina Arianda. Additional stage credits include Martin McDonagh's critically acclaimed Broadway production of A Behanding in Spokane,opposite Christopher Walken; the world premiere of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman; and the off-Broadway production of Mike Leigh’s fiercely comic Goose-Pimples. His love for theater began at the Williamstown Theatre Festival where he performed in productions including A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by David Cromer; The Dumb Waiter,directed by Joe Mantello, and the revival of Lanford Wilson's long-running off-Broadway hit Hot L Baltimore
ROBIN BISSELL
(Director/Writer/Producer)makes his debut as a screenwriter and feature film director after more than 20 years as a film producer. Bissell was based at Universal Pictures for 12 years as producer for writer-director Gary Ross. The filmmakers’collaboration began before they settled in at the studio, with the Oscar-nominated 1998 film Pleasantville, starring Tobey Maguire, Joan Allen and William H. Macy, and continued after they left with the release of Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games, starring Jennifer Lawrence in 2012. Bissell executive produced the 2003 Depression-era drama Seabiscuit for Ross, alongside Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. With a cast including Maguire, Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Banks and Jeff Bridges, the film received seven Oscar nominations, including “Best Picture.”Bissell also re-arranged and performed Seabiscuit’s end title song, “If I Had a Million Dollars.” He spent two years executive producing the 2008 animated comedy The Tale of Despereaux (written by Ross), with an all-star voice cast including Macy, Emma Watson, Sigourney Weaver, Dustin Hoffman, Stanley Tucci and Matthew Broderick. Bissell began production on The Hunger Games along side producers Nina Jacobsen and Jon Kilik in 2011. The 2012 action-adventure blockbuster starred Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson,Woody Harrelson,Wes Bentley, Banks and Liam Hemsworth. Bissell’s film career began when Ross hired him as his assistant during pre-production for Pleasantville in 1996. Ross promoted him to associate producer during post. Bissell also wrote and performed two of the film’s background songs and met his wife Krista on the Pleasantville set.
Bissell came to Los Angeles in 1991 to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter and toured and recorded with his band for four years. He began singing at an early age and started writing songs while studying at the University of Maryland. He also spent a summer semester at Oxford University, studying English and theater. Raised near Philadelphia, he attended German town Academy, and was a member and president of The Belfry Club, the oldest high school dramatic society in the U.S.Bradley Cooper is also an alum of The Belfry Club at G.A.
STX films presents an ASTUTE FILMS production in association with RAMBLER ENTERTAINMENT THE BEST OF ENEMIES Written and Directed by ROBIN BISSELL.
Inspired by true events chronicled in THE BEST OF ENEMIES: RACE AND REDEMPTION IN THE NEW SOUTH by OSHA GRAY DAVIDSON
Produced by DANNY STRONG, p.g.a.FRED BERNSTEIN Produced by MATT BERENSON, p.g.a.ROBIN BISSELL, p.g.a, DOMINIQUE TELSON, TOBEY MAGUIRE, MATTHEW PLOUFFE. Executive Producer RICK JACKSON
Executive Producer JEREMIAH SAMUELS films TM.
Director of Photography DAVID LANZENBERG
Production Designer JEANNINE OPPEWALL
Editor HARRY YOON
Costume Designer J.R. HAWBAKER
Music by MARCELO ZARVOS
Sound Design and Supervision by LON BENDER
Co-Producers HARRISON POWELL and IAN CALIP
