Don Cheadle: Miles Davis Biopic Refused Funding Without White Co-Star

Don Cheadle Reads Hollywood For Filth Regarding Miles Davis Biopic

Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty

Hollywood A-Lister Don Cheadle dragged the industry through the mud for being hesitant to fund the Miles Davis biopic without a white co-star, Entertainment Weekly reports.

The actor raised his own funds (through IndiGoGo) to produce the project. The “House Of Lies” star noted that major backing for the movie didn’t come until he signed on a white co-star:

“There is a lot of apocryphal, not proven evidence that black films don’t sell overseas,” he told reporters at the Berlin film festival. “Having a white actor in this film turned out to actually be a financial imperative.”

The budgetary urgency caused him to rework his script, and eventually Ewan McGregor was brought into the mix.

“I think it works great, and particularly the fact that Ewan McGregor is the actor who is in it, I think he is fantastic in the movie. But that was a component of… allowing us to even have a budget to get the film made.”

Nate Parker is another star who recently used his own funds to direct, produce, and star in critically lauded Birth Of A Nation.

At a time where the entertainment industry is under fire for being #sodamnwhite, it’s cool seeing these guys taking control of the Black story, even if it means we have to make some compromises along the way. Hopefully the blockbuster power of these films will show Tinsel Town that our movies are profitable with or without them.

UP NEXT: Audience Member Tells Michelle Obama, “Haaaaaaayyy Girl!”