Emayatzy Corinealdi is a Caribbean American actress currently starring in BET’s original movie ‘Gun Hill’. Gun Hill, is a 2014 American television action film directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood and starring Larenz Tate. ‘Gun Hill’ is the story of two brothers ‘Trane’ and Bird’. Trane is an undercover agent while Bird is a “recently freed convict”. The brothers’ lives become one upon the untimely murder of Trane and the unlikely assumption of Trane’s identity by his brother Bird. Corinealdi plays the role of ‘Janelle Evans’.
The RCS team caught up with Emayatzy Corinealdi to discuss her acting career, her Panamanian heritage and her role in the BET original movie ‘Gun Hill’.
RCS: Tell me about your name. Its quite unique and I understand your father, who hails from Panama, gave it to you.
Corineadli: My dad, is from Colon, Panama and he wanted to name me after the Panamanian princess Yemate but my mom already had a name in mind, “Brandy”. They came together and he took her mother’s name Ema and put that onto the front of the name he wanted and that’s how Emayatzy was born.
RCS: How do you think your Caribbean and Panamanian background has impacted your life or your career.
Corineadli: Last year I went to the Panama International Film Festival. Its a wonderful film festival and well organized. My film “Middle of Nowhere” was being shown there. (Editor’s note: Writer-director Ava DuVernay became the first black woman to win the Best Director prize at the Sundance Film Festival for the film, which was shot in 19 days on a shoestring budget.) That was the first time that I was able to take something that I had done here and bring it back to Panama. My cousins came and my brother came. It was really, really a special moment for me to have them connect with me and me connect with them in that kind of way and to have the art bring us all together. It was really wonderful and I think in the sense of having that Panamanian background and my mother is from Ohio and having that background and the two of those experiences together coupled with my father being in the Army and us living all over the place, I think all of that has played into my desire to really dissect people and get to know what makes them tick. I’m always curious about that kind of thing and so I think that would be a part of the reason because of all the different people, experiences and worlds I’ve gotten to see.
RCS: Have you been back to Panama since then?
Corineadli: Yes, I have been back and looking to go back soon. Every time I go I cannot wait to go back again. Its such a beautiful place and its a part of my father’s world A part of me that I get to experience when I go back there and that’s what I really like about it. I really enjoy going back, I really do and I get to speak Spanish more. I don’t speak it all the time here and when you go back and you’re immersed in the culture it kind of comes right back to you. That’s always the fun part.
RCS: When did you know you wanted to be an actor?
Corineadli: You know, I was talking to an old high school friend who reached out to me on Facebook and she said “you know you always said that you were going to be an actor” and I said “really?” because I didn’t remember voicing that in high school. In high school I wasn’t in the Drama department — I wasn’t doing plays in that sense. I was doing plays in school but with different organizations. I was president of my NAACP chapter and the president of other groups and we would do plays. I was also in creative writing but for some reason its like I almost avoided being part of the theater program in high school. I think part of it was because I was always involved in everything sports but the other part was like “Acting? You’re not really going to do that”… even though I was acting before that. Probably when I was twelve I was doing summer theater programs and things like that but I don’t think at that time I thought I could pursue it as a career just yet. In high school it was just like a hobby, something I liked to do and I really enjoyed creative writing so I put my energy into that. So it wasn’t until coming up to my senior year and getting ready to graduate and college that I was like “wait a second, I think I want to be an actor…why can’t I do this? I think I can do this”. It was kind of a moment of realization that I don’t want to do anything anyone else wants me to do. I want to be an actor and I’m going to pursue that. That was when the moment came. Then, after graduating high school in Kansas I moved back to New Jersey and when to acting school for a few years and that’s kind of how it started.
RCS: Tell me about your role in ‘Gun Hill’ and how it came about.
Corineadli: I did a chemistry read with Larenz Tate and, of course, was super nervous you know everybody knows Larenz Tate.. it was like oh my God. So I did the chemistry read and just really loved the script. Reggie Bythewood really created this world and created this role with this character and I really connected to it. I liked the idea … trying to navigate which brother is the right brother …. that whole experience. And so from reading it, I was really excited. I remember reading with him and leaving the room feeling great about it. I felt really good about it but you never know… that could mean nothing. You could feel really great and still not get anything. So when I heard I got the part, I could not wait to get started. Once I got on set with Reggie and Larenz, it felt so easy, so natural. We kind of all blended in that sense. Also, working with Reggie’s son Cassius who played my son in the movie was so much fun. He’s a good little actor.
RCS: What was it like working with ‘Gun Hill’ director Reggie Bythewood?
Corineadli: Reggie is really easy going. He has this natural ease about him to where you felt not only safe, but it felt easy…it almost felt like you weren’t on set working. I think also shooting in the Bronx…he just has a way about him to where he’s able to make everyone around him feel very comfortable and that is really a good thing because it doesn’t happen all the time. Sometimes you get on set and your like “oh my gosh, I want to get out of here” but he creates a sense of comfort around you and makes the whole process a lot easier.?
RCS: What will we see you in next?
Corineadli: The next film is called “Addicted” and that’s going to be coming out on October 10. Its stars myself, Sharon Leal and Boris Kodjoe. I’m also getting ready to shoot at the end of this month a film called “Miles Ahead” starring Don Cheadle. I will be opposite him playing his wife. I’m really looking forward to that one.
RCS: When you get on set with an actor like Don Cheadle, do you feel any nervousness?
Corineadli: I haven’t even been on set with him yet and I can say “yes!”. I mean we only had the table read so far but yes, he’s Don Cheadle but I think that’s what I look forward to…walking into a situation with more seasoned actors working with you and leading the charge. You can do nothing but learn and do better and get better. It brings both of you up to your “A” game. I had the same experience even with ‘Gun Hill’ working with Larenz Tate as long as he’s been in this business. And my film before that “Middle of Nowhere”, the same thing with Lorraine Toussaint (Editor’s note: Touissant is also of Caribbean Heritage from Haiti) and Sharon Lawrence. These are women who are veterans in this business. It only just raises the bar that much higher. Speaking of “Middle of Nowhere”, it will be premiering on BET on July 23. I also have a pilot I did with Amazon called “Hand of God” directed by Marc Forster. It should be debuting in August or September.
An encore presentation of ‘Gun Hill’ will air on BET on Saturday, July 12 at 8pm (check your local listings for additional air times). Let’s show our support for the film by tuning in and being social. Use the hashtag #GunHillBET and follow on social media:
