“Life of A King” is the unlikely true story of Eugene Brown and his one-man mission to give inner-city kids of Washington D.C. something he never had – a future. The Source Magazine sat down with the film’s star Cuba Gooding Jr., who discussed why this was such an important film for him to be part of. 

While filming “Life of a King,” you were also filming another movie. Tell us about that.

Well, actually here is how it went down. I was supposed to finish “The Butler” in Sept. 2012 and then go into another movie two weeks after…the first week of October. Now, what happened is the hurricane hit New Orleans and pushed everything three weeks. So, when I actually finished “The Butler” I went directly into the other movie I did called “Carry Me Home” in New haven Conn. Now I have five weeks to shoot before my christmas vacation, which would’ve been the day after thanksgiving. That movie had to push three weeks. So then when I got this script my agent said they want to do this in fifteen days between Thanksgiving and Christmas I was delirious! But, I read the script and I had to do it and when I read this story, I had to do it!

How was it working with director Jake Goldberger?

Jake Goldberger impressed me so much, the first time when I read the script because, lets face it; it’s a story about a guy who goes to prison and affects these inner city kids…We’ve seen that before. But when I read this there was something so true about the writing. It was so raw and open and it really felt like it was from the voice of this man “Eugene Brown.” Not from a writer from hollywood glamorizing his life. There was a real rawness to it – it reminded me of when I read “Boyz n the Hood” back in the day you know, but on top of that shooting the actual movie, the way he had the camera move, it made chess exciting you know when they said it’s a movie about chess and I was like “What?” but when you see the movie its not like you’re watching a boring movie about chess it feels like you’re actually engaging with these characters and I think that’ s what makes it stand out.

Did you actually meet the real Eugene Brown? Did he give you any pointers or advice?

The first thing I’ll tell you is they were filming when I actually showed up on the set so there was no time to meet him prior to filming and becoming him. Then, he finally shows up on the last day of filming. The Last Day! So, I had to create this character based on the impressions I got from the script and what Jake Goldberger told me. But , when I met him I saw a real nobility in his character, I saw the love he had for what he had done and the lives he had changed and how he turned these young black men and women into chess champions, I mean you can feel that from him. I felt the same way I felt about him as I felt after meeting ” Master Chief Carl Brashear” When I had met some of those Tuskegee airman for the first time. I mean I had the same energy that emanated from their presence and I think that’s kind of what had informed me when I was piecing together the character Eugene Brown.

Did you have to learn how to play or were you already a chess player prior to the movie?

I still don’t know how to play chess (laughs)! I mean I play just enough to know how the pieces move…but I don’t know the mindset that you have to be to strategizing or be dominating in the game, but you know the fact that you have to think about what the other player can do before you make a move is really a brilliant analogy of life, specifically in this inner city with so much of the gang violence the repercussions of your actions can be a ripple affect it can affect your family for generations to come and those things are really a nice parallel.

In the movie your character had a tough relationship with his children, how important is to you to have a strong Father son/daughter relationship?

You know when I grew up my father was always on the road, lead singer of ” The Main ingredient” he was maybe home a total of three weeks out of the year. But when he was around, I wanted to do anything that he did. I wanted to be what he was. I wanted any little ounce of his attention, you know and I recognize that raising kids, that they are a sponge that is the first and foremost thing and I think that I try to emulate an example that would encourage them to be focused on whatever it is that they decide to do. I don’t want them to be a boxer even or anything that will bring them in harm’s way. I don’t want them to have to go fight overseas, but if they do those things they will be the best or be focused on being good at what they do and I they know that. They know that I support them in everything that they do.

In the movie, there was a charity that your character formed, “The Big Chair Chess Club ” it helped keep the teens off the street. What activities did you do as a young man to stay off the street?

Well, I was always into organized sports. I was into football, baseball, soccer and I had coaches in my life, real coaches that would never let me get away with any mess and I think that’s why my kids are a all into organized sports because you know it’s one thing for someone to tell you not to do something and another thing to tell group of people not to do it and that group listen, because people want to be excepted by their friends and everybody gets yelled at by their parents, but if you’re friends are doing something, you want to do something.

Speaking of “The Big chair chess club” charity organization. Do you have any charities that you would like to highlight?

Yes! I have a bunch of charities I’m on the board for ” The Boys and Girls Club of America” who when I was break dancer back in mid to late 80′s we used to practice in “The Boys Club” that was a safe haven back then and the only one rule was you had to do your homework and once that was completed you could practice your moves and I think that’s important for kids to have that outlet, the idle mind is the devil’s playground and I think a lot of these kids, don’t have anything else to do, so you might as well just go hang out on the corner you know and in any of these institutions and these organizations we also support women’s abuse shelters because we were traveling around and having to stay in these shelter because we didn’t have places to live. When I was going to high school, we were living in a hotel at one point because we just didn’t have the money to get an apartment or a house, eventually getting an apartment, but so now I try to lend my name to these organizations that help aid these families, homeless families that are looking for shelter.

In the movie, you played as an ex-con trying to make a better image of yourself. What advice can you give to some of the young men who have been incarcerated and for others who are looking for a way out?

When I talk to the young men who are incarcerated, it always breaks my heart when you see that they have this defeatist attitude about things and the excuse that you’ll sometimes hear is “Well, I didn’t have nothin,’ so there was no other choice, but to steal” and I think that there is a lack of education of where they come from, you hear the broad strokes of them being slaves, but you don’t hear about the “Ben Carsons” or the “Master Chief Carl Brashears” you don’t hear about these men and women who were positive influences on society and American history. It’s like I keep saying, when I used to go to Europe all the time and they’d say, “Well how is it that you have a black president in such a racist nation” and my response is “Well, if you knew our history you would know it was just a matter of time.” You know and thats what I tell them. You have to find the examples of role models within your community there are men that are still taking care of their kids, and ex cons who are doing positive things for the community and for young black men in the community. So you aren’t the first to try to attempt that, it has been done successfully.

What upcoming projects can you share?

I did a slave musical not a comedy it’s musical. We filmed it within this crazy hectic period of last year so, I’ll come back and talk about that one once we figure out what the distribution pattern is for that it and I wrote a screen play that I’m looking to direct but also star in so, we will see how that unfolds.

“Life of A King” is now playing.

-Jasmine Clarke

Videography Credit: Paul Obrochta