“Can we just talk? Talk! Talk to each other. Talk. Because we don’t,” passionately said pre-eminent actor Paul Campbell during a telephone conversation from his Miami residence. “I don’t know what it is that has changed us in such a drastic way to make us think that,” he said, pausing to conjure up the right words to paint the picture. “I mean, I hear people say, ‘Oh, Jamaicans think they are all that! They think they are all this!’ Then, ‘Trinidadians think they are all that…Barbadians, they’re all this.’ And in the meantime, we from the Caribbean region are separated while the rest of the world goes on.”
Campbell, by far the most popular star of the screen in the Caribbean Diaspora, sees film as a conduit to bring the region together. As such, he is on a mission, which “is to help make something happen for Caribbean folks in whatever way we can, to make movies and tell our stories.” This is exactly what happened with the new “Jamerican” independent film, “Out the Gate” (Far I Films, 2011), in which he stars.
Recalling how he got involved with the film, Campbell disclosed: “I had gone to Los Angeles to shoot a film called ‘Machete Joe’ [which is out now on Video on Demand and Comcast Cable], and I ran into this young man, Everton Dennis, who [was selling] CDs and DVDs right beside a shop there in the area I was in. He stopped me and said, ‘Mr. Campbell, can I talk to you? I know I only sell this stuff, but I would like to shoot a film.’”
Campbell was instantly drawn to the young man’s candid openness and the determination in his face. “So we sat down and we spoke.” Campbell then told Everton what he would need to do to make his dream a reality. “When I left him, I said, whenever you can get this together, by all means give me a call.” The young man did just that. “A few months later, my phone rang and it was Everton. He told me he had a partner and everything. And that was that.” “Out the Gate” became a reality.
The buzz was hot when “Out the Gate,” which was shot in Los Angeles and Jamaica, premiered in Los Angeles. By the time it opened in New York on May 13, New York’s Caribbean-American community was ready with rave reviews after attending in high numbers.
According to Keith Lewis, the film’s producer, “[It was] the first Caribbean-American film since the 1990s to have a multi-theater opening in New York City.” Strategically targeting the AMC Bay Plaza Cinema 13, the Whitestone Multiplex Cinemas and Linden Boulevard Multiplex Cinemas, the audience in these heavily populated Caribbean communities came out in large numbers during the two-week run of the film. As such, according to Lewis, “during the first weekend, ‘Out the Gate’ came in at No.13 in the nation on a per screen average of 112.”
Pulling them in to see the action-drama was the Jamaican star power of Campbell and Oliver Samuels, the legendary comedian, both of whom are recipients of Jamaica’s esteemed Dr. Bird Award (Jamaica’s Academy Awards).
Campbell, the star of Chris Blackwell’s Jamaican-themed films “The Lunatic” (1992), “Dance Hall Queen” (1997) and “Third World Cop” (1999), has also appeared in “Shottas” (2001) and “Machete Joe” (2010). Other credits include “Wide Sargasso Sea” (Showtime). Campbell’s body of work also includes numerous TV shows in Jamaica and stage productions in the United Kingdom, United States and Jamaica.
Samuels (Uncle Willie), a household name in Jamaica, is widely recognized for his legendary television shows and stage productions in his homeland, as well as the United Kingdom, United States and Canada.
Rounding out the talent in the film are Shelli Boone (“Holla,” “Southland”) and newcomer Everton “E-Dee” Dennis, whose real-life story drives the film, which is helmed by the Village Brothers, R. Steven Johnson and Qmillion, who make their directorial debut with “Out the Gate.”
Campbell unveils the storyline: “It’s Everton Dennis’ story…a story that’s similar to that of so many immigrants, many of whom will identify with it.” “Out the Gate” unfolds after the death of Everton’s mother in Jamaica. Consequently, 13-year-old Everton is sent to Los Angeles, where he is quickly abandoned by the family who were supposed to be his guardians. He lives in the streets, sleeps in the gutters and tries every which way to stay alive. Eventually, he is led to the “big man,” Mr. Graves/Batz (Campbell) in Malibu. This story is more or less about Everton’s rite of passage into manhood.
“It’s a story that leaves you on a high, leaves you feeling good,” says Campbell.
Reverting back to his theme regarding the need for Caribbean people to talk, the renowned actor states: “This film happened because people spoke and came together. And this is why we have to talk.” Abruptly, Campbell divulged, “I had cancer in ’06 and I was dying.”
Campbell feels he was given a second lease on life to help move the Caribbean film industry along. “If we talk to one another, we can make it happen…Someone might have a camera.” Campbell’s vision and enthusiasm is catchy, as the time for a homegrown Caribbean film industry has come.
“Another person knows how to write a script. We have so many stories to tell-stories that will feed the people. We have to open up this industry, create and spread the jobs, so that there is no one person solely being the fat cat, but all of those working in industry can eat from it.”
Embracing his life purpose, Campbell laughs heartily. “This is what I am talking about!” Brimming over with life, Campbell hurries on to catch up as his renewed soul races “Out the Gate.” “This is my quest. This is what’s written on my shield and my sword,” he says.
And as the credits roll, a Casting Pearls Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to Mr. Paul Campbell, actor-visionary-humanitarian, for his body of work and his vision in moving the Caribbean film industry along on the world stage. Bravo! Bravo!
The “Casting Pearls” series pays tribute to the brilliant professional talent of stage and screen, such as Mr. Paul Campbell, Jamaica’s leading man of films, with whom I worked (as his manager) in the late 1990s.