Yahoo Movies Kelvin Harrison Jr: Aaron Sorkin was 'conducting a symphony' on 'Trial of the Chicago 7' (exclusive)
Kelvin Harrison Jr. has compared writer-director Aaron Sorkin to a “conductor orchestrating the best symphony” after working with him on crime drama The Trial of the Chicago 7.
The 25-year-old portrays senior Black Panther Party figure Fred Hampton in Sorkin’s take on the story of the prosecution of a group of anti-war protesters in the 1960s and 1970s.
The movie will be acclaimed writer Sorkin’s second directorial effort, following Molly’s Game in 2017.
Read more: Harrison Jr. on how his music roots helped The High Note
Harrison Jr. told Yahoo Movies UK that working on the movie was an “incredible experience” in an interview promoting his new film The High Note.
Harrison Jr. said: “What [Sorkin] understands is language, more than most. He understands language and drama.
“Just watching him articulate that every day was like a conductor orchestrating the best symphony.
“And I can't believe I got to play the triangle here. It was really wonderful. I'm doing great triangle work in this movie.”
Read more: Sorkin on how Facebook changed The Social Network
The Trial of the Chicago 7 features an enviable ensemble cast, including Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Sacha Baron Cohen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Harrison Jr. described working with such a crowded roster of A-listers as “a dream”.
He added: “I finished this movie [The High Note], I went to do press and then I said: ‘Hello, how're you doing Sorkin? And Eddie Redmayne and Mark Rylance and Sacha and Jeremy Strong? How are you guys? How are we doing today?’
“I was like 'how am I here?', but it was an incredible experience.”
In The High Note, Harrison Jr. portrays aspiring singer-songwriter David, who connects with Dakota Johnson’s Maggie and learns she’s a music producer.
Unfortunately for him, she’s actually just the personal assistant to music icon Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross) and is pretending to have a lengthy list of other clients.
Read more: The High Note director on telling stories of unappreciated women
The rest of the cast includes Ice Cube, Bill Pullman and comedian Eddie Izzard.
The High Note is available to rent at home from 29 May on Sky Store, Amazon Prime Video and other digital retailers.
