The Broadway veteran and Tony-award winning actor has appeared in hit shows like Scandal and was the first African American actor to step into the lead role in “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway. We had to wear all that gear, the complete uniform with the guns and equipment, running up and down the terrain all day. Set mostly in the present day but with flashbacks to the ’60s, Da 5 Bloods follows Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.), four vets who return to Vietnam to retrieve the body of their fallen brother, Norman, and a bunch of gold they hid during the war. What you saw on camera, that was pretty much the same off [camera].”. And awesome. I know a lot of people are suddenly going, ‘Let’s learn more about the African-American experience in this country, through history.’ This is a movie for this moment.”. Listen 35:27. You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. Some people see the movie and talk about whether history is repeating itself, but it’s not, because it’s always been like this. You can adjust your cookie choices in those tools at any time. As challenging as it all was, that wound up being necessary, for how it added another element of understanding for what the men would’ve been going through.”, More than any physical strain, tapping in to the mindset of a soldier proved the most formidable facet of Lewis’s dissection of his character. The glitz and glamor could never be as important as the work itself, and what it means. It's free. That the wronged Black servicemen still perpetrated a fair share of atrocities on the Vietnamese. At least one valid email address is required. Lee doesn’t bother with subtlety in getting that point across, and as the film winds to its conclusion, that bluntness becomes devastating. (“We’re quarantined, and I do think that’ll mean more people will see it than they would otherwise, with everyone at home with Netflix.”) It would’ve been all-new for him to go with the film to the Cannes Film Festival, a premiere dashed by the pandemic lockdown. And awesome. Norm Lewis performs at The Art Students League's 2019 Gala at The Edition Hotel, Norm Lewis (second from left) in “Da 5 Bloods”. He was the first Black actor to play “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway before recently starring as one of the four Vietnam vets in Spike Lee’s “Da 5 … In the tradition of war pictures past, the guys present as archetypes that Lee gradually complicates, whether that’s the hothead (Delroy Lindo) or the peacemaker (Clarke Peters). In the eye of the storm, it was all about surviving and protecting one’s brothers. Norm Lewis (Photo by Emilio Madrid for Broadway.com) Originally meant to have a theaterical release and play at the Cannes Film Festival, Da 5 Bloods is debuting on Netflix due to the … But we had a great dynamic. He’s attained living-legend status in the theater, having taken the West End by storm as the first Black actor to assay the role of Javert in Les Misérables and wowing Broadway with his Tony-nominated turn in Porgy and Bess. Norm Lewis on “Da 5 Bloods,” Broadway and more! ... Clarke Peters, Isiah Whitlock Jr and Norm Lewis. See details. His latest project is the Spike Lee directed film Da 5 Bloods. After 30 years of acting, Norm Lewis thought he had a pretty good sense of what shape his career would take. I want you to read it and tell me what you think about it.’ Click. July 21, 2020, 2 a.m. CT. But he’s keeping mindful of what really matters, the most thrilling first of all: being at the center of a vital conversation dominating the mainstream. In some respects, Lee isn't far removed from the material he explored in "BlacKkKlansman," his 2018 Oscar nominee, in drawing direct lines from America's past to its still-troubled present. Though their conflicting personalities can result in some volatile reactions, they all share a fraternal closeness forged through action. This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Broadway favorite Norm Lewis is one of the stars of Spike Lee's newest film, Da 5 Bloods. You’d have been looking at the makeup, or the CGI, or if they’d cast younger guys you’d be thinking about who does and doesn’t look like their older self. From Spike Lee. Norm Lewis (born June 2, 1963) is an American actor and singer. “If you tell the story, people will follow you; we didn’t need to do makeup or hair, because that would’ve taken you out of it. Lee comes at these ideas from an expressionistic angle, wending in and out of reality as the company tromps deeper into the wild and deeper into the madness of warfare. 11 Things Quarantine Killed Off That We Hope Never Come Back, The “Oscars of Booze” Just Released Their List of Winners for 2021. Spike must have known.”. “I would’ve loved to go do the red carpet with all the flashbulbs, but I think the universe has reminded us what about this film really matters. Luke Parker recently had the pleasure of speaking with Norm Lewis about his experiences working on Da 5 Bloods, including his evolving relationship with Spike Lee, as well as his takes on the Black Lives Matter movement and Lee’s decision to include a Trump supporter as the main character. Lotta bugs, and we had a lot of bug spray, but they didn’t care. The highest was around 112. Director Spike Lee brought some of his longtime collaborators like Isiah Whitlock Jr. together with talent such as Clarke Peters and Norm Lewis to form the band of brothers. The Da 5 Bloods cast and Spike Lee discuss playing war games and combining period drama with topical discussions of race. People are more aware of that now, and that’s fine. Nonetheless, Lewis had advanced to a comfortable working juncture, far from the days of waiting for a big break and content with his space in the entertainment industry. The Elephant Man doesn’t have to have a face full of prosthetics for you to accept that he is who he is.”, Eddie serves a vital purpose to the sprawling saga of the Bloods, connecting their windfall to the sense of social responsibility they must bring back with them. To approximate the crushing weight of the crew’s toted gold, he and his comrades filled their packs with rocks and weights used to secure objects on set. FANTI Podcast hosts Jarrett Hill and Tre’vell Anderson are taking over Bullseye this week! Apparently, Spike Lee didn’t get the memo. Norm Lewis, Actor: Da 5 Bloods. You’ve got people in Japan saying that Black lives matter? Da 5 Bloods shares a story of brotherhood and camaraderie among the Black American soldiers of the Vietnam War, which marked the first time the army wasn’t segregated. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic. David Lee/Netflix Sign up now. Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods begins streaming June 12 on Netflix. He has appeared in Europe, on Broadway, in film, television, recordings and regional theatre. They then lugged that cargo through some of the most forbidding conditions on the planet, and gained valuable insight in the process. Four African-American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide. The Tony nominee spoke to host Tamsen Fadal about starring in … Norm chats with us about creating a realistic portrayal of the impact of PTSD on Black war vets, his work on Broadway and how stage actors are finding new ways to channel their creativity during quarantine. “We were portraying ourselves in a memory, remembered from the present,” goes Lewis’s thought process. (Well, aside from modulating his voice, a persistent hurdle in his forays onscreen. Get InsideHook in your inbox. Isiah Whitlock Jr., left, Norm Lewis, Clarke Peters, Delroy Lindo and Jonathan Majors in the movie “Da 5 Bloods.” (David Lee / Netflix) By Justin Chang Film Critic  Like many sensations of the Great White Way, he’s also filled out his résumé with TV gigs, most notably including a memorable multi-episode arc on Scandal. “In the theater, you have to reach the back of the house, so you have be [adopts rich, stentorian baritone] a little more big with your voice,” Lewis explains. From the prosceniums of New York and London, Lewis was plunged into the jungles of Southeast Asia as Eddie, a member of the Vietnam War platoon that lends Lee’s new military epic Da 5 Bloods its title. Copyright © 2021 InsideHook. This information is shared with social media, sponsorship, analytics, and other vendors or service providers. Delroy Lindo, Norm Lewis, Clarke Peters, Isiah Whitlock Jr and Chadwick Boseman in Da 5 Bloods. There’s no repetition, it’s constant. The story follows four African American veterans, Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), who return to Vietnam in search of the remains of their fallen Squad Leader, Norman (Chadwick Boseman), as well as the buried treasure they found during the Vietnam War. Productions that he has been involved in include Dessa Rose, Miss Saigon, The Wild Party, and several others. “If you know anything about Vietnam vets, they don’t usually want to talk about that time, especially about their PTSD,” Lewis says. As soldiers, they formed a bond and began referring to themselves as Da Bloods. It stars, from left to right: Jonathan Majors, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Norm Lewis and Clarke Peters. Like in theater, you just go with the imagined universe. All rights reserved. Da 5 Bloods. Da 5 Bloods starts out as a thoughtful (although not necessarily introspective) look at how black servicemen perceive the Vietnam War through the lens of the half-century that has passed since its peak. “Not everyone can take Spike’s in-your-face-ness at first,” Lewis says. Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., and Jonathan Majors in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods . But Da 5 Bloods contains bright spots and inquiries into blackness, imperialism, and Vietnamese-communist dissent worth hearing out. Da 5 Bloods is a complex, emotional, blistering, and haunting drama that feels both intimate and epic. For Lewis, an instantaneous global reach is just one of the new aspects in this noteworthy chapter of his career. “But it always happens, that eventually, they listen.” Lewis feels his background makes him uniquely attuned to process some of Lee’s unorthodox methods. But for whatever reason, the world of movies has never really been his domain, aside from scattered bit parts here and there. There were signals that the military would use while in the field, since you don’t want to give away your position. [Spoilers ahead] After stepping on a landmine and getting blown to smithereens, Eddie leaves his share of the loot to his local chapter of Black Lives Matter, cuing up a poignant call-to-action for Black empowerment. You can’t call Da 5 Bloods Spike Lee’s masterpiece, because that devalues the staggering accomplishments of Do The Right Thing , … That’s a massive, societal shift. “It feels like we filmed this movie the week before it was released,” Lewis says. Da 5 Bloods Friday, March 5 - Thursday, March 18, 2021 From Academy Award® Winner Spike Lee comes a New Joint: the story of four African-American Vets — Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) — who return to Vietnam. It’s free. Still, Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods'" is a career-defining role. He appears in the new Spike Lee film “Da 5 Bloods” about a group of lifelong friends and Vietnam vets returning to the country after … “Spike called me one night early last year,” Lewis tells InsideHook over the phone from his home quarantine, “and he said, ‘What’re you doing right now? “We got there and basically just started hanging out with each other, us being the foreigners on foreign land,” Lewis says. News, advice and insights for the most interesting man in the room. The exhaustion was real. Tony Nominee Norm Lewis talks about starring in Spike Lee’s new film, Broadway and more. Every bead of sweat you see was real. Four African American veterans return to Vietnam decades after the war to find their squad leader's remains — and a stash of buried gold. First up, we have Jarrett’s interview with Norm Lewis. “The lowest it ever got was 94. After 30 years of acting, Norm Lewis thought he had a pretty good sense of what shape his career would take. It was, on average, around 97 degrees,” Lewis says. He appears in the new Spike Lee film Da 5 Bloods about a group of lifelong friends and Vietnam vets returning to the country after decades to fulfill a pact. It's about a group of Black Vietnam War vets, now approaching their golden years, who … Da 5 Bloods is one of Lee’s most complete films. How Many Times Do Men Actually Need to Shower Per Week. He is an actor, known for Da 5 Bloods (2020), Scandal (2012) and Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (2018). 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We went through about two or three weeks of that, and that alone will bond a group of people together. With Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis. Before long, Lewis and his castmates could relate. As is customary for a new Spike Lee Joint, his bolder creative strokes have yielded some mixed reviews, which will undoubtedly be scuttled when we brand his latest effort a masterpiece 10 years down the line. “It was just as hot as it looks. The sharp … Lee’s sharp direction and biting screenplay, co … Sign up for InsideHook to get our best content delivered to your inbox every weekday. We were learning how to hold a gun, how to take one apart and reassemble it, learning terminology from the time period. He’s got a charming story about getting told to take it easy while being directed by Carl Weathers.) He’s attained living-legend status in the theater, having taken the West End by storm as the first Black actor to assay the role of Javert in Les Misérables and wowing Broadway with his Tony-nominated […] Norm Lewis, … Norm Lewis was born on June 2, 1963 in Eatonville, Florida, USA. Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Norm Lewis discuss making Spike Lee's Vietnam War movie 'Da 5 Bloods' and its relevance to the ongoing protests against … They saw us, and just thought, ‘Alright, new stuff to eat!’ They forced their way through the bug spray layer. Directed by Spike Lee. Renowned for his acting work onstage and screen (most recently in the Oscar-nominated film "Da 5 Bloods"), fans of musical theater best know Norm Lewis… If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. In one such divisive choice, Lee takes no prosthetic or CGI measures to de-age his actors for their scenes in the shit. Lee gave his actors copy of the book from which the film has been adapted, and even brought a real-life vet to share his own story. It’s not timely — it’s timeless. 2020| R | 2h 35m| Military Dramas. “But these guys opened up as much as they could, in the hopes that the characters would ultimately be more truthful.”. The newest episode of Broadway Profiles includes an interview with Norm Lewis. There’s a dialogue beginning, instead of monologues getting screamed at each other. “Spike’s a prophet, man. Eddie’s the one who’s changed over the decades, rolling back into Ho Chi Minh City as a self-made millionaire flashing his black card. Do You Actually Know Your Own Implicit and Explicit Sexual Boundaries? “I was jumping up and down on the inside,” Lewis recalls, “but of course, trying to be cool in front of Spike.”. Starring:Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters. F ew other filmmakers have risen to this crisis-ridden moment with the sorely needed compassion and urgency that Spike Lee has shown over the past few weeks. The film jumps back and forth between their original tour of duty and a follow-up mission in the present, as the brothers-in-arms return to the battlefield decades later to retrieve a cache of gold stashed back in the day. During the shoot in Vietnam and the thickets of Thailand, Lewis was stricken by just how much of Lee’s process involved keeping it real, relative to the finely honed artifice of theatrical productions. “We got to know each other during a boot camp, where we had to learn the tactics that the military was using at that time. That the psychical scars left from these events still ache if poked. 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