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Since the release of her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and her major win at the Grammys last year, all eyes have been on Billie Eilish. But film director R.J. Cutler already had Eilish on his radar even before the album’s release. Cutler followed Eilish during her debut album’s recording process and rise to fame for the documentary The World’s A Little Blurry. Ahead of its premiere on Apple TV+, Eilish offers another teaser of the film with a new trailer.

As seen in The World’s A Little Blurry‘s new preview, the documentary will follow Eilish during the ups-and-downs of her teenage years. But unlike normal teenagers, Eilish has spend her late teens in the public eye. Eilish receives a lot of support from her parents, who think their role in her life is paramount. “I honestly don’t know how any artist of any age is doing it without a parent,” Eilish mom says in the trailer. “It is a horrible time to be a teenager. Kids are depressed.”

Elsewhere in The World’s A Little Blurry, Eilish talks about how she sees her fans going through the same struggles as her. “I look into the crowd and I see every single person in there is going through something, and I have the same problem,” she said. “I was like, ‘Why don’t I turn this into art instead of just living with it?’”

Watch Eilish’s The World’s A Little Blurry trailer above.

The World’s A Little Blurry premieres 2/26 on Apple TV+.

(Spoilers from Marvel Studios and Disney+’s WandaVision will be found below.)

While taking a break from its sitcom setting, WandaVision episode 4, “We Interrupt This Program,” revealed that Teyonah Parris’ Geraldine is actually Monica Rambeau, an agent of SWORD who vanished following Thanos’ Snap in Avengers: Infinity War and returned during the events of Avengers: Endgame when Hulk brought everyone back five years later in an event that’s now called the Blip. During Monica’s debriefing after her return, she learns that SWORD has stopped sending people into space thanks to the half of the Earth’s population randomly vanishing and reappearing, which caused some problems for the organization. In the latest episode of his Fatman Beyond podcast, Kevin Smith theorizes that one of those problems could be how the Fantastic Four is introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Via Comic Book:

“Five years ago she was used to going to space, apparently, and now five years, like after the Blip, they’re not letting people go,” Smith said. “Now, when he said ‘we’re concentrating now on the quantum and blah blah blah unmanned missions’, that smells like Fantastic Four, doesn’t it? It smells like they had shut down like manned missions and now they’re out of it, feels like somewhere in there like the Fantastic Four lies.”

Smith’s theory could have some legs to it. The creative team behind WandaVision has been laser-focused on every little detail of the show, so there very well could be a reason for that specific piece of dialogue. Not to mention, Marvel has confirmed that a Fantastic Four movie is the next project from director Jon Watts after he wraps up his Tom Holland Spider-Man trilogy with the currently filming Spider-Man 3.

(Via Fatman Beyond)

Are you having a terrible day? It happens. However, any day can be made slightly brighter by spending a few minutes enjoying Cher’s Twitter page and realizing that she, too, sometimes has bad days. And she uses those days to make our days a little bit brighter, like while using chicken and tooth emoji like they’re punctuation while describing a terrible time she with the dentist.

Her emoji game is indeed strong, as are her haphazard decisions to capitalize seemingly random words. I like to think that she intends every keystroke, but this probably happens effortlessly. One thing is certain: Cher trusts in Joe Biden, and she’s got a shamrock and a boot-leather analogy to prove it.

None of Cher’s tweets, though, can live up to this next one. Not only is flag emoji is pinch hitting for “America” and “Americans,” but she’s tossing in a double-coffin move to take aim at this past weekend’s anti-vaxxer demonstration (which took place outside of Dodger Stadium) that was apparently organized on Facebook. Cher isn’t afraid to throw down her harsh judgment with every emoji possible. The “” are particularly telling here when she describes how blocking a few thousands of people can have the domino effect of causing many thousand more deaths.

Yep, Cher rarely pulls a punch, but she did so earlier this month with a mystery deleted tweet. “You know I almost NEVER DELETE MY TWTS,” she wrote. “But Sometimes No Matter how you Feel,Better to keep it to yourself.Doesn’t Make any Difference what Others Do,Or Say.There are lines you can’t Cross.” Her replies yield no clues on the content of the tweet she deleted, but with no emoji present, this was a somber affair.

If you’ve ever thought to yourself, I need more Ryan Reynolds, which, let’s face it, we all have at one point or another, then you’ll be pleased to hear that everyone’s favorite self-aware Marvel superhero has his own show coming to Snapchat. And it looks insane (in a fun way!). Sure, absolutely no one asked for a series where a clueless Reynolds tries his hand at ice sculpting, mukbang, nail art, or magic, but that’s what we got and we’re… pleased?

Dubbed, Ryan Doesn’t Know, the 12-part series debuted on Snapchat over the weekend and consists of “actor and stuff learner” Ryan Reynolds meeting a bunch of talented creatives in random fields and trying his hand, usually poorly, at their art.

“You can fill a gymnasium with things that I don’t know,” says Reynolds in the show’s trailer, where we get to see him throw axes, which looks hilarious/ dangerous; gorge himself on crab legs, which looks awesome; wield a chain saw (not terribly proficiently, though he is Canadian), and apply his wry sense of humor to a range of other ridiculous scenarios. Ryan Doesn’t Know joins the ever-growing list of Snapchat Originals, which include shows from the likes of Will Smith, Kevin Hart, and Connor McGregor.

Catch Ryan Doesn’t Know on Snapchat.

This week in the best new pop music saw some captivating collaborations. Selena Gomez teamed up with Puerto Rican rapper Rauw Alejandro, FKA Twigs was tapped by producers Fred Again and Headie One, and Marshmello worked on a joyous tune with Benny Blanco and Vance Joy.

Each week, Uproxx rounds up the best new pop music. Listen up.

Selena Gomez — “Baila Conmigo” Feat. Rauw Alejandro

After officially announcing her Spanish-language EP Revolución, Selena Gomez has shared her project’s second track. “Baila Conmigo” is more upbeat compared to her latest single, featuring hip-shaking, reggaeton-inspired instrumentals and Gomez’s flirtatious lyrical delivery.

Fred Again, FKA Twigs, Headie One — “Don’t Judge Me”

Last year, Fred Again and Headie One released the abbreviated interlude “Told” featuring FKA Twigs‘ vocals, but they decided to revisit the track this week. Expanding on the interlude’s sound, the short track was lengthened into an enthralling single.

Benny Blanco, Marshmello — “You” Feat. Vance Joy

Vance Joy is known for his folksy breakout tune “Riptide,” but this week, the Australian songwriter pivoted to pop. Joining Marshmello and Benny Blanco, Vance Joy belts out a carefree tune which praises the feeling of falling in love.

Anitta — “Loco”

The last we heard from Brazilian pop star Anitta, she was lending her vocals on a playful track with Cardi B. Now, Anitta has returned with all her charm to share “Loco,” her first single of the new year. Over an infectiously rhythmic beat, “Loco” sees Anitta delivering her seductive verses with ease.

Porter Robinson — “Look At The Sky”

Last year, Porter Robinson began teasing his first album in six years. Now, the singer has offered another preview of his upcoming LP Nuture with a joyful single. “‘Look at the Sky is fundamentally a song about hope,” Porter said about the song. “There’s no shortage of fuel for despair, but you can’t take meaningful action to improve things if you don’t have some belief that things might get better. That’s what hope is, and I think it’s an emotion worth nourishing.”

JoJo — “American Mood”

This week, JoJo pivoted from her soaring pop singles to deliver a more folksy tune, “American Mood.” She actually penned the track song a few years ago, but it’s taken on a new meaning as time goes by. In the spirit of giving back, she will be donating all proceeds from “American Mood” to the I Have A Dream Foundation.

Joshua Bassett — “Only A Matter Of Time”

Disney star Joshua Bassett served-up another breakup tune this week with his new single “Only A Matter Of Time.” Speaking about the track, Bassett said: “I wrote this song in the summer of 2020 in a moment in time where social media was bringing a lot of darkness to my life. It was healing to put my phone down, turn off the noise and just write. There’s good that comes from social media, but it’s also become a place where people can say anything about anyone, no matter how false or damaging with no accountability.”

Clairo — “Just For Today”

As quarantine persists, many are struggling with mental heath issues. Clairo knows this all too well, and she wants her listeners to know they’re not alone. Sharing the phone-recorded acoustic track “Just For Today” to Instagram, Clairo said: “not sure about you, but my mental health has taken a major dip since quarantine started- at times I feel like i’ve never felt worse. new medication, hotlines, and one scheduled appointment with a psychiatrist later and i’m feeling more like myself again. I wrote this last night and i feel there’s no real reason I should hold onto it.”

Zuli Jr. — “How To Feel”

Zuli Jr. returned this week to announce his sophomore album Stop It God with the irresistibly-catchy tune “How To Feel.” About the bouncy track, Zuli says he wrote it “about examining the ego from the outside looking in and how that affects the people around you.”

John Splithoff — “Fahrenheit”

John Splithoff is gearing up for his debut album and, judging by his fiery single “Fahrenheit,” it’s sure to be irresistibly smooth. Speaking about the single, Splithoff said: “I wrote ‘Fahrenheit’ from a place of wanting to improve your mental health when you’re stuck in a cycle of trying to fill a void. Producing my new record last year took my mind off the stress of not being able to tour or collaborate. […] It was an amazing feeling to focus on a collaborative, albeit small and masked, group effort after spending so much time on the music in quarantine.”

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The pop world was shocked Sunday to learn of the death of pioneering Scottish producer Sophie. Many musicians and fans alike mourned their collective loss offered their condolences. But those closest to Sophie, including Charli XCX, needed time to process her passing. Charli XCX has now shared a touching statement about Sophie’s impact on her life in a heartfelt open letter.

Sharing a message to social media, Charli XCX said Sophie “completely changed” her life:

“It’s really hard for me to sum up the special connection I felt with such an amazing person who completely changed my life. There are so many memories, so many small details, so many different views and incredible feelings and stories. It’s impossible to summarize the journey I went on with Sophie. Even the most insignificant things felt enormous. I can’t explain how I feel and I can’t encapsulate what a unique person she was in one small social media post. I will honor Sophie in my own time personally, in my grief, through my memories, through my work, through writing things only I will read. But for now, all I can [say] is that I will miss her terribly; her smile, her laugh, her dancing in the studio, her gentle inquisitive voice, her cutting personality, her ability to command a room without even trying, her incredible vision and mind. She taught me so much about myself without even realizing. I wish I had told her more how special she was, not just her music, but her as a person. I love you and will never forget you Sophie.”

After learning of Sophie’s passing, fans tried to console Charli XCX by launching the hashtag #HereForCharli. They shared their love, well wishes, and favorite photos of the singer. However, it didn’t take long for fans of 16-year-old TikTok star Charli D’Amelio to take over the hashtag, and D’Amelio mistakenly thanked her followers for showing her love.

Read Charli XCX’s heartfelt open letter above.

Charli XCX is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Rich The Kid visits a rapper-run burlesque establishment in the video for his Lucky 7 single “Nasty.” Directed by Teyana Taylor — in the guise of Spike Tey, naturally — the video features three of hip-hop’s hottest rising stars in Flo Milli, Mulatto, and Rubi Rose. While Rich gambles at the high-stakes table, the ladies pose as dancers, running through their risque routines and lounging together. At the end of the video, it’s revealed their antics were all a cover for Rich to make off with the contents of the casino’s safe and the quartet escapes in one explosive finale.

Rich had a rougher 2020 than most, riding out a litany of lawsuits from everyone from his landlord to his former managers to Fashion Nova due to his alleged propensity for running off on the plug — the “plug” in this case being anyone he contractually owes money to. All told, he owes several million dollars to a variety of parties, so here’s hoping he lives up to his name.

Meanwhile, the three MCs who joined him on “Nasty” were collectively more fruitful in 2020. Flo Milli shocked the world with her debut mixtape, Ho, Why Is You Here?, while Mulatto landed on XXL’s Freshman cover just before the release of her debut album Queen Of Da Souf. Rubi released a string of singles throughout the year, then closed out strong with her own debut project, For The Streets.

Watch Rich The Kid’s “Nasty” video featuring Flo Milli, Mulatto, and Rubi Rose above.

For weeks, NBA observers were captivated by ongoing trade discussions involving James Harden. While only a handful of teams seemed to have a real chance to land the prolific guard, Harden is one of the best players in the league and, by extension, it is big news when he is on the move. Eventually, the deal transpired in mid-January, with the Houston Rockets sending Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a massive haul of assets. Immediately, the focus shifted to Brooklyn and how Harden would be integrated with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, while only die-hards and Rockets fans centered on the shift transpiring in Houston.

Since the trade, however, the Rockets are on the upswing, and that is especially true in the more recent past. When the Harden trade happened, the Rockets were 3-6 and, with a bit of uncertainty in the immediate aftermath, Houston woke up on the morning of Jan. 21 with a 4-9 record and an uphill battle to come. Fast-forward to Monday evening, and Houston scored 48 (!) points in the first quarter, knocking down 11 three-pointers in the opening period and blowing the doors off the Oklahoma City Thunder. That is just one game, of course, but the Rockets now hold the NBA’s second-longest winning streak of six games.

During the stretch since the trade, the Rockets lead the NBA in defensive rating, allowing only 102.6 points per 100 possessions. Houston is deploying an athletic, flexible defense and, while there is some regression from opponent shooting in the offing, the Rockets aren’t a fluke defensively. All told, Houston is eighth in the NBA in net rating this season while sporting a 10-9 record, and the team’s defense is No. 3 in the NBA.

It would be fair to suggest that the Rockets can’t keep up their torrid recent pace but, at the same time, Houston’s roster does have considerable talent. Christian Wood is perhaps the front-runner for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, averaging 23.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game while shooting 56 percent from the floor and 39 percent from three-point distance. Victor Oladipo is performing at a high level, averaging more than 20 points per game in his new home, and John Wall has recaptured some pre-injury magic, averaging 17.8 points and 5.8 assists per game. Finally, Eric Gordon seems to be revitalized, putting up 20.4 points per game and shooting 41.4 percent from three-point range since the trade.

Houston is an interesting case study in many ways, including just how much of a “bump” they are benefitting from simply because Harden isn’t there and the team is galvanized as a result. The long run will be more telling but, for now, Stephen Silas is doing tremendous work and the Rockets feel like an actual contender to make the postseason, even without their long-term centerpiece.

Where does Houston fall in our DIME power rankings this week? Let’s take a glance.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (16-6, Last week — 1st)

The Lakers just completed a grueling, seven-game road trip with a 5-2 record, capped by a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. Most of the drama in that particular game centered on a bizarre fan interaction, but the Lakers took care of business on the court. That is more than enough to keep them in the top spot, even if the No. 2 team technically has a better record.

2. L.A. Clippers (16-5, Last week — 2nd)

As discussed in depth last week in this space, the Clippers are absolutely rolling. Their current run includes 10 wins in 11 games, with an elite offense, an improving defense and plenty of star power.

3. Philadelphia 76ers (15-6, Last week — 6th)

Philly is 6-1 in the last seven games, including a 3-0 mark in the last week. Their point differential isn’t quite as dominant as their 15-6 mark indicates, but once again, the 76ers are just dominating at home with a 10-1 record. In a season in which homecourt advantage doesn’t mean as much, you would have a hard time convincing Philadelphia.

4. Milwaukee Bucks (12-8, Last week — 4th)

Milwaukee suffered two losses in two days this week, landing on the wrong end of a back-to-back on the road. Did that keep the Bucks from rising up the board this week? Perhaps. Does that scare me too much? Nope. Milwaukee still leads the NBA in offensive rating and net rating. Until the underlying metrics wobble, there isn’t much to fear.

5. Denver Nuggets (12-8, Last week — 8th)

The slow start seems to be a thing of the past in Denver, with the Nuggets winning six of the last seven games. Nikola Jokic might be the MVP of the league right now, keying a top-five offense, and the Nuggets picked up a very impressive home win over Utah in their last outing.

6. Utah Jazz (15-5, Last week — 3rd)

Speaking of Utah, the Jazz are still playing at a high level, but the Nuggets prevailed in the head-to-head battle. Still, Utah just won 11 straight games and they are 4th in the NBA in net rating through 20 games. If anything, this might be a little bit low.

7. Brooklyn Nets (13-9, Last week — 5th)

The Nets have allowed 123 points or more in seven of the last eight games. In that eight-game run, Brooklyn is yielding nearly 1.19 points per possession to the opposition and, well, that isn’t going to work. Everyone knows how good the Nets already are on the offensive end, but they have to improve at least a little bit on defense, or nothing matters.

8. Memphis Grizzlies (9-6, Last week — 9th)

Memphis may never lose again. The Grizzlies won five in a row, then had five straight postponements, only to come back and win their first two games. Both wins were on the road against a competent Spurs team, which is also impressive. Memphis likely isn’t a top-10 team in the grand scheme, but they haven’t suffered a loss since Jan. 7. I mean, come on.

9. Houston Rockets (10-9, Last week — 17th)

It will be interesting to see if Houston can keep it rolling. The Rockets have four of the next five on the road, but the schedule is also relatively friendly in terms of opponents.

10. Phoenix Suns (11-8, Last week — 11th)

Phoenix just swept Dallas in a two-game set on the road after soundly beating Golden State at home. That’s a nice three-game run, even when acknowledging the Mavericks’ recent struggles.

11. Boston Celtics (10-8, Last week — 7th)

Since a stretch of three postponements earlier in January, the Celtics are just 3-5. Amusingly, Boston actually has a +3.7 net rating in those eight games, with close losses and blowout wins. It’s tough to really figure out what’s going on with the Celtics, though, and they need Marcus Smart healthy.

12. Indiana Pacers (11-9, Last week — 10th)

Maybe some trouble brewing? Indiana’s defense is allowing almost 1.15 points per possession in the last eight contests. They have some roster availability questions, but the Pacers can’t thrive while deploying a bottom-tier defense.

13. Atlanta Hawks (10-10, Last week — 14th)

The Hawks are just pretty solid. Atlanta is 5-3 in the last eight games, and the three losses came to Milwaukee, Brooklyn and the Lakers. To be fair, the wins came against very favorable competition, so the takeaway might be that Trae Young and company just did what they were supposed to do the last two weeks.

14. Toronto Raptors (8-12, Last week — 15th)

Within the confines of this week, the Raptors were 1-2 with two home losses. That isn’t ideal but, in zooming out, Toronto is 6-4 in the last ten games with a top-10 net rating. That qualifies as “baby steps” on the way back to a solid overall baseline, but the Raptors quite obviously aren’t as bad as they were to begin the season.

15. Golden State Warriors (11-9, Last week — 13th)

The positive takeaway is that Golden State is 3-1 in the last four games. The more skeptical takeaway is that the three wins came at home against the Wolves and Pistons. The actual takeaway? Business as usual.

16. San Antonio Spurs (11-10, Last week — 12th)

There is no great shame in losing to Memphis at home, even when it comes on both ends of a two-game set. San Antonio was throttled in both match-ups, though, and that hurts a little bit.

17. Portland Trail Blazers (10-9, Last week — 16th)

We can (and should) discuss the fact that Portland isn’t very good right now, even if explainable due to injuries. Today, though, it is worth mentioning that 2019 lottery pick Nassir Little had the best game of his career on Monday, scoring 30 points in a loss to Milwaukee. It would be helpful if the former North Carolina forward could emerge.

18. Charlotte Hornets (10-11, Last week — 23rd)

Charlotte is riding a three-game winning streak, and that explains the uptick in this space. However, LaMelo Ball is the big story, punctuated by a 27-point, nine-assist, five-rebound explosion in a win over Milwaukee on Saturday. He’s the best prospect in the rookie class.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-11, Last week — 20th)

This is more of a nod to their ability to hang around at 10-11. Metrically, Cleveland is worse than this (24th in net rating) and they’ve lost four of the last six. Hey, at least they’re competitive.

20. Sacramento Kings (9-11, Last week — 27th)

It would be silly to ignore the season-long disaster that is Sacramento’s defense. With that out of the way, the Kings are 4-1 in the last five games and they are only allowing about 1.1 points per possession. That is a huge step up and, at that level, they can survive and potentially even thrive.

21. Chicago Bulls (8-11, Last week — 22nd)

The Bulls are pretty much hovering in the range that most expected. However, Lauri Markkanen just scored 30 or more points in back-to-back games, and that is something to closely monitor. They need him to be aggressive and good.

22. Miami Heat (7-13, Last week — 19th)

Jimmy Butler is back, and that should help. Miami is still 3-9 in the last 12 games, though, and they are not playing at nearly the level they found in the Orlando bubble. Some of that can be explained by roster woes… but not all of it.

23. New Orleans Pelicans (7-12, Last week — 29th)

The Pels stabilized with two home wins to begin the week, only to give it back with home losses to Houston and Sacramento. Fortunately, the Rockets and Kings are just playing better basketball right now, but New Orleans is still underachieving. The trade winds are blowing and the roster just doesn’t work the way it should right now.

24. New York Knicks (9-13, Last week — 21st)

New York is still eighth in defense right now, but the slippage has set in. The Knicks weren’t going to be able to maintain a top-five defense without some very good fortune and, on the other end, New York is 25th in offense. They are still pretty competitive on the whole, which is better than many expected.

25. Washington Wizards (4-12, Last week — 26th)

Things are pretty hideous from this point forward. Washington did out-dual Brooklyn in their last outing, but they needed 149 points to get a three-point victory. That says a lot about the Nets defensively, but it was also a victory that kept the Wizards out of the bottom five this week. Make no mistake, they’re still struggling.

26. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-11, Last week — 24th)

After an encouraging start, reality is setting in for Oklahoma City. They are 3-7 in the last ten games, with a ghastly defensive rating of 117.9 over that span. They did beat Portland Phoenix on the road last week, but followed it up with two (very) lopsided defeats in a row.

27. Orlando Magic (8-13, Last week — 25th)

Orlando has been the worst team in the league over the last 13 games. The Magic are 2-11 in that stretch and, more damningly, Orlando has been outscored by 13.1 points per 100 possessions. The team’s 6-2 start is still making the season-long numbers appear more respectable, but yikes.

28. Dallas Mavericks (8-13, Last week — 18th)

No, Dallas isn’t actually this bad. The Mavericks do have the longest losing streak (six games) in the NBA, though, and they are struggling in a mighty way. It’s been really ugly.

29. Detroit Pistons (5-15, Last week — 28th)

Granted, Anthony Davis didn’t play in the game, but the Pistons beat the Lakers by 15 points this week. That actually happened, and there has never been a bigger endorsement for the weirdest season imaginable.

30. Minnesota Timberwolves (5-15, Last week — 30th)

The Wolves are 3-15 in the last 18 games. That kind of says it all, but the theory of Minnesota’s potential sleeper status this season centered on a high-powered offense. At this moment, the Wolves are dead-last in offensive efficiency.

For years, gamers have begged for EA Sports and the NCAA to come together and make a new college football video game, something that has not happened since NCAA Football 14 due to legal issues that have popped up over licensing issues that stem from using amateur athletes without any sort of compensation.

College football has popped up in games in recent years, most recently with some team likenesses being available in Madden, but on Tuesday afternoon, EA Sports announced that it will get back into the college football game. In a tweet that didn’t leave all that much room for interpretation, the company announced that “college football is coming back,” and said that doing this was for the fans who “never stopped believing” that a college football game would return somewhere down the road.

EA Sports also announced that this series will get its own Twitter account, which shared the message.

The series of games is beloved among gamers, regardless of whether or not they love the wonderfully strange sport of college football. And with the last game coming out nearly eight years ago, a number of folks took a victory lap to celebrate the years of begging EA Sports and the NCAA to figure out a way to turn this into a reality.

There are tons of questions about the game — release date, if EA Sports will use a lot of the same mechanisms that are used in Madden or make this its own unique game, how close it will feel to previous versions of the game, whether real players will be in the game and compensated, etc. — but answers to all of that will come somewhere down the line. For now, those who have been wanting a college football game for years are finally seeing one of their biggest wishes come true.

LaKeith Stanfield has emerged as one of the best actors working today. Hands down. No doubt about it. When he’s on the screen, he’s got … well, he’s got “it,” whatever “it” is. He’s got an acting style that we might have seen in the ’70s, when auteurs ruled the screen, with a unique grit and gravitas that’s impossible not to notice. Think of a movie like Knives Out (when I bring this movie up in the interview, Stanfield immediately says how much he wants to work with director Rian Johnson again), where there’s an entire all-star cast, by design, hamming it up for the camera. Yet there’s Stanfield, as the erstwhile detective, just doing what he does, laying the groundwork of a character we could all latch onto, surrounded by eccentric weirdos. It’s remarkable how he still stands out, even in a hyper-stylized situation like that. (TL;DR: No matter how good your movie might be, if you want your movie to be better, put LaKeith Stanfield in it.)

As you’ll read below, Stanfield struggled with playing William O’Neal in Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah (which premiered at Sundance this week). The movie is casually referenced as “the movie about Fred Hampton” (played by Daniel Kaluuya), but that doesn’t tell the full story. The movie’s main character is William O’Neal, the man who infiltrated Hampton’s Black Panthers as an FBI informant (an option given to O’Neal instead of jail time for a crime he committed), later giving the feds the information that would get Hampton killed. Stanfield personally found O’Neal’s actions “reprehensible,” but still found a way to give the character some empathy. Stanfield scoured old interviews with O’Neal and, believes, he found the man to have remorse. Also, as Stanfield points out, the fact O’Neal later committed suicide on the night a documentary about his actions aired is a telling sign that he was battling the demons. But what if Stanfield is wrong? What if there wasn’t remorse? What if he’s giving some humanity to a man who doesn’t deserve it? Stanfield admits this question haunted him and made this one of the toughest roles he’s ever had to play.

And that’s the thing that makes Stanfield great. He’s such a thoughtful actor. It’s obvious how much this responsibility weighed on him, which we see in his electric performance. By the end, I’m left a little awestruck, basically just asking, “Hey, man, why are you so good?” Of course, there’s no good way for an actor to answer that, but I couldn’t help myself. It’s just remarkable what he can do. Again, if you want your movie to be better, put LaKeith Stanfield in it.

What is your personal opinion of William O’Neal?

I didn’t know the man when he was alive. I mean, he died in 1990, right before I was born.

Right.

But I never could have known him, so I really can’t say my actual opinion about him fully. My opinion about some of the things that he did, I find him reprehensible. Although, in my studies, I’ve become a little bit more empathetic to the human being than I was before. I sort of opened up my awareness and allowed myself to view him more as a human being instead of casting judgment based on some actions that he’s done. I guess I should have just kept this short and said I ended up feeling sorry for him a little bit. It’s really tragic thing the way his story ended and the way that it unfolded for him. I want better for my fellow humans, all of them.

That’s why I was really curious what your position on what he did, because there is some empathy there in your performance. I kind of got the sense it’s hard to say you feel empathetic for someone who did what he did. But at the same time it does feel like they put him in a situation where there were not a lot of good options.

Yeah, it made me reflect on what I might do in that situation. It’s easy to say I’d take 10 years. I’m not going to put someone like Fred Hampton in a compromised position. But the way things unfolded, you may not even have known that’s the decision he would end up having to make. It was a snowball effect, apparently, where he made a couple bad decisions and now you have to continue along this line or things just get worse for you. So you have to do more and more extreme things. This may very well have been the case. My interpretation was that this was how it went down. Now, I can’t be completely sure about that, even given the information that I had because it’s just simply not enough to know whether or not this is how it went down. In my mind, that’s the only way I could rationalize it.

Right.

So, I tried to put that on the character. So, that way, it could make sense to people and make sense to me. Because I couldn’t understand the character that just would be just a complete villain who is just like, “Fuck these people.” Okay, I’ll put it this way: There’s no way you can sit at a Fred Hampton speech and not be moved by the words that this guy was saying unless you’re just a complete lizard. And I don’t think that William O’Neal was that. Because I saw his interview, Eyes on the Prize, full-length interview. You could see, even though he was attempting to try and be tough and not let his interior show, you could see, in little slivers in-between, what he didn’t say that he felt very guilty about what he did. You could see it in the interview! “I felt bad about it, but I had to continue to play the role.” The fact that he felt bad about it, that’s all I needed to know. Now I know that he’s a human being and, okay, now I can play you. I can’t play anyone that’s just not a human. But if you’re a human, I can play you.

But if he is this villain, you don’t want to portray him as something who’s sympathetic. Did you worry about giving him too much credit?

You know what? That’s exactly right. No one’s even asked me that. But yeah, I did worry about that. I was on set the whole time, I kept asking Shaka, “Am I doing this right?” I didn’t want to do it too much. I definitely did not want to do that. So I was trying to find the balance, but it was really difficult. So I was telling Shaka every day, I would be like, “Is the tone okay? Am I keeping steady? I’m trying to keep balanced. I need perspective.” It was really tough to try and find a balance. Shaka would reassure me all the time, “Okay. Boom, boom, this and this.” Try to help me find the right energy balance, but it was really hard. I didn’t want to make him too sympathetic. And because I don’t know if he was at all, it’s a risky thing. But I was just like… I don’t know. I don’t know.

It looks like a hard needle to thread…

I saw it in the interview in the moment and I just wanted to take that and expand upon it. I thought that, at certain points, that it might be beneficial for the story for me to play him as his tough exterior. But I knew that he wasn’t acting like that every day, the way that he was acting in the Eyes on the Prize interview. He’s not acting like that every day. This is after he’s much older and he’s had time to sit with things and come up with his responses for the interview and put his suit on and the lights are on. So I wanted to tap into the unseen parts, the part that people didn’t see in him and bring that to life, if that makes sense.

It does make sense.

I know it was risky, but I thought it might be worth it.

And for a lot of people, this will be one of the records of what happened. So it does make sense why this was tough. Like you said, this is really difficult.

Yeah. But also isn’t it informed by the way he went out?

I wanted to bring that up. That’s a good point.

And we can speculate about why he committed suicide. But if you look at his record, even outside of Fred Hampton, he went on to continue working with the FBI and being their footman for locking up a whole bunch of different people, getting a lot of people in a lot of trouble, and hurting a lot of people. If this didn’t mess with his psyche? And the way that he went out was so violent, running into traffic. To do something like that, you have to be in a mental state of just disarray completely. So you can’t convince me that he was a stone-cold lizard that didn’t feel anything.

Because it was the night the documentary aired, right? And he watched it, and this is just me guessing, but it’s almost like didn’t even realize all of the terrible things he did. And then it was just spelled out to him and then he ran out into traffic. Am I over-reading it?

That’s a good interpretation. That’s just as valid as anyone else’s speculation at this point. One thing is for sure, he was going through something. And the fact that he did it on that night meant that maybe it was that he didn’t even want to deal with even watching it. Or the fact that it was aired to millions of people and that he knew in that interview he was lying about saying, “Oh, I did whatever I needed to do. My kids, they’ll be fine with it.” He knew that wasn’t the truth, and he couldn’t stand, perhaps, one more lie. It was like, “I’m not going to do this.” Actually, he had tried to commit suicide several times before that, and it was thwarted by his cousin. I read in a book, actually, he tried to do it many other times. So he had been going through mental trauma and stuff for years and you can’t battle with those things if you’re just a straight lizard. You just don’t care. But I think, yeah, there was something there. So I got an indication of that in the interview and wanted to use it. I hope that we found some nice little balance with it all.

Because there are definitely moments in the film where he’s like, “I just don’t give a fuck about what you’re talking about.” He’s like, “I don’t care about the Black Panthers.” Or, “What are you talking about? The Martin Luther King guy? I guess. I don’t know.” There are those moments, because I don’t think everybody back at the time who was Black was either like, “I’m a Black Panther,” or like, “Fuck Black people.” You know what I mean?

You mentioned the scene with you and Jesse Plemons when he asks, “What did you think when Dr. King was assassinated?” and you as William basically says he was sad, but that’s about it. That’s an interesting scene. The FBI feeling him out if he’ll be a good plant or not. At least that’s how I interpreted it.

Exactly. No, exactly. That’s my interpretation as well. He was just, yeah, trying to feel him out. Once he realized that he wasn’t connected to this in this way, it’s perfect. All right, good.

Since the pandemic started I’ve watched a lot of ’70s movies. A lot of Altman actually. And your acting style reminds me of some of the acting styles from those types of movies. What are your influences? What are you doing that is so unique? I know that’s probably an unfair question.

Well, thank you very much, first of all. Very kind words. I appreciate it so much. I love this. I love doing it. I’ve done it all my life in one way or another. I love it, man. I love telling stories. It’s my thing. I don’t know. I don’t know. I love it. I don’t know what else to say. I love it. I work hard at it.

Well, you’ve always got this kind of blunt, unique, to the point style. It’s always something I look forward to.

Thank you very much, man. I really appreciate that. I try to give it my all every time I go in. There’s a unique ensemble of people that it takes to make a movie, and I’m just one part of that. I just love doing it, so I appreciate you for appreciating the work.

I know with the next Knives Out movie it’s supposed to be Daniel Craig’s character going on different adventures. But I feel you could come back? Hopefully someday? Or is that it?

I love Rian Johnson. It was really fucking cool working with him. I’d love to work with him again. Who knows? It’s the story makers, story writers and stuff. I’d love to come back. That’d be cool.

This is weird, but he and I are on a Pokemon Go thread. Next time some Pokemon Go thing comes up about Kyogre or whatever I’ll sneak in a, “Hey, also, put LaKeith in another Knives Out.”

[Laughs] Yes! I appreciate you, bro.

Okay I’ll do that.

Hell yeah.

‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ opens Feb. 12th in theaters and on HBO Max. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.