>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE LABOR 
UNIONS AND THEIR BOSSES REALLY 
HATE ME.
THAT SDNTS MATTER, BUT I KNOW 
I'M NOT IN THEIR UNIONS.
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE 
AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE, BUT I KNOW
THEY KEEP ME IN THE GHETTO.
I DON'T KNOW IF THE BOARD OF 
EDUCATION HATES BLACK PEOPLE, 
BUT I KNOW THE TEXTBOOKS THEY 
GIVE ME CHILDREN TO READ AND THE
SCHOOLS WE HAVE TO GO TO.
NOW, THIS IS THE EVIDENCE.
YOU WANT ME TO MAKE AN ACT OF 
FAITH, RISKING MYSELF, MY LIFE, 
MY WOMAN, MY SYSTEM, MY 
CHILDREN, ON SOME IDEALISM WHICH
YOU ASSURE ME EXISTS IN AMERICA,
WHICH I HAVE NEVER SEEN.
>> THAT IS JAMES BALDWIN IN THE 
OSCAR NOMINATED "I AM NOT YOUR 
NEGRO."
OF WHICH YOU ARE THE NARRATOR.
HOW DID YOU BECOME PART OF THIS 
PROJECT?
>> THE DIRECTOR WENT TO SCHOOL 
WITH SPIKE.
AND FOR SOME REASON, HE THOUGHT 
MY VOICE WAS THE VOICE OF JAMES 
BALDWIN.
>> Jimmy: YOU MUST GET ASKED TO 
DO SO MANY -- 
>> A FEW.
BUT THIS WAS SPECIAL, BECAUSE 
JAMES BALDWIN IS VERY SPECIAL TO
ME IN TERMS OF MY DEVELOPMENT AS
A YOUNG BLACK MAN GROWING UP, 
READING HIS WRITING AND HEARING 
HIS VOICE.
AND THE THING THAT HE TALKS 
ABOUT IN THIS FILM WAS TAKEN 
FROM A NON-PUBLISHED BOOK THAT 
HE STARTED WRITING, ABOUT HIS 
RELATIONSHIP WITH MARTIN LUTHER 
KING, MALCOLM X, AND 
[ BLEEP ] -- OLD MAN THING'S 
KICKING IN.
AND HE TALKS ABOUT HIS 
RELATIONSHIP TO THEM AND THEIR 
DEATHS AND WHAT THEY MEANT TO 
HIM.
AND WHY HE HAD TO STOP BEING AN 
EX-PAT IN FRANCE AND COME BACK 
TO AMERICA TO DO HIS PART FOR 
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
AND IT'S VERY RESONANT IN TERMS 
OF WHAT HE TALKS ABOUT AND WHAT 
HASN'T CHANGED.
AND WHAT'S GOING ON NOW.
AND WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN IN 
TERMS OF WHO WE ARE, HOW WE NEED
TO REACT TO IT, AND HOW FAR 
AMERICA HAS NOT COME IN THE 50 
YEARS SINCE HE WROTE THESE WORDS
THAT ARE THERE.
AND I JUST HAPPEN TO BE THE 
VOICE.
RAUL HAD TO COME A VERY LONG WAY
TO GET ME.
I RECORDED THIS IN BULGARIA.
>> Jimmy: OH.
>> I WAS SHOOTING A FILM WITH 
RYAN REYNOLDS.
>> Jimmy: YOU DIDN'T DO IT JUST 
TO MAKE IT DIFFICULT ON HIM?
>> NO, NO.
>> Jimmy: LIKE, LET'S SEE HOW 
MUCH HE WANTS THIS.
>> HE WANTED IT THAT BADLY, SO I
SPENT A DAY WITH HIM IN BULGARIA
RECORDING THE VOICE.
BUT IT'S A WONDERFUL FILM, BUT 
IT'S MORE THAN JUST JAMES 
TALKING AND ME SAYING HIS WORDS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF FILM 
REFERENCES, A LOT OF BOOK 
REFERENCES, THE PEOPLE YOU'LL 
RECOGNIZE.
IT'S INTERESTING WATCHING FILMS 
LIKE THIS SOMETIMES, BECAUSE YOU
SEE THE PEOPLE, LIKE THERE'S ONE
SHOT OF THIS GIRL WHO'S 
INTEGRATING THE SCHOOL AND ALL 
THESE ANGRY FACES BEHIND HER, 
YELLING AND SCREAMING STUFF AT 
HER.
AND I WONDER IF THOSE PEOPLE WHO
WERE TEENAGERS WHEN SHE WAS 
TRYING TO DO THAT, BECAUSE I WAS
A TEENAGER BACK IN THAT DAY TOO,
IF THOSE PEOPLE LOOKING AT THAT 
FILM OR WILL SEE THAT FILM AND 
RECOGNIZE THEMSELVES AND SAY, 
WOW, WHAT AN [ BLEEP ] I WAS, 
OR, I STILL FEEL THAT WAY.
