'Judas and the Black Messiah' star Dominique Fishback penned the powerful poem that becomes a standout moment in the film
- Insider spoke to Dominique Fishback about playing Deborah Johnson in "Judas and the Black Messiah."
- The actress revealed she penned the moving poem her character shares in the movie.
- "I got to put...my spirit, my truth, and my own words to help elevate it," she said.
Dominique Fishback is shining bright and showing the world it's her time.
The 29-year-old actress, poet, and playwright has been putting in work for quite some time and caught the attention of Shaka King, who's directing the much-awaited new film "Judas and the Black Messiah," produced by "Black Panther" and "Creed" director Ryan Coogler.
The film, set in the late 1960s, deep dives into the story of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, and the undercover FBI informant William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield) whose betrayal led to his murder.
Fishback was King's first pick for a key role that he wrote specifically for her, playing Deborah Johnson, the activist and pregnant fiancé of Fred Hampton.
"When I first met Shaka...he wanted me to read the script and let him know what I thought," the actress told Insider earlier this month. "I sent him a long email about everything that I loved and said, 'I have two notes, but I don't want to overstep, so let me know if you want to hear them.' He said, 'Oh, you'll be playing her, you can't overstep.'"
It's why King asked the actress, who's also a spoken word artist, to pen a poem her character says to Hampton during one of the film's most powerful and intimate scenes.
"For him to think, maybe she has a direction that I'm not going to be able to think of and she is a poet, let me give her that opportunity, I'm so proud," she said. "I got to put not only my voice and my likeness, but my spirit, my truth, and my own words to help elevate it."
"I felt empowered because he allowed me to take up space in that way. And therefore, I could do my best to represent these women. So, it's an honor," the Brooklyn native added.
While "Judas" isn't a romantic film, (it instead focuses on the deceitful relationship between Hampton and O'Neal) King's film still provides softer glimpses of the slain activist when he's with his onscreen lover. We see the devotion between Hampton and Johnson, who is now a writer that goes by the name Akua Njeri.
But what's really refreshing is to see Johnson's fortitude and strength alongside Hampton's presence and leadership. Johnson holds her own.
"Even though it's not a story of the romance, it's a story that has all of these other aspects, I was able to tap into those quiet moments and really bring myself," Fishback said.
To ensure the film's authenticity, Black Panthers frequented the set, wanting to make sure each of the cast members followed through with the mission of the film. Fishback said the cast and producers also "flew out to Chicago to meet the family before we filmed."
Johnson also visited the set multiple times, and nearly immediately gave Fishback her stamp of approval through a hug.
"It was a weight off of my shoulder because up until then, I was really going based off of my instincts and journaling as a character. There wasn't a lot of footage from her at that age. So, I really had to make worlds," she said of that moment.
"That's why writing the poem, writing poems for every moment that they had together...allowed me to tap in," Fishback added.
"Judas and the Black Messiah," also starring Ashton Sanders, Algee Smith and Martin Sheen, is out in theaters and HBO Max Friday.