“If we can’t get through this take, we’re cutting some gang members,” the director says. He doesn’t yell; he doesn’t have to. It’s the tone a coach uses just before someone gets booted off the squad. As if sensing some recalcitrance, the director adds, “You should thank me for stopping it. A year from now, you’re gonna be watching this at the premiere, and you’re gonna have your friends and family there. And I don’t want you looking silly.”
The “director” in this scene is Memphis’ own Craig Brewer, whose work with some gang members in Nashville trying to make a movie is the Nashville Scene’s cover story this week. Suffice it to say, our homeboy looks good while doing good works.
