19. He first heard about Judas and the Black Messiah from director Ryan Coogler while they were doing reshoots on Black Panther. Ryan was a producer on Judas. He knew that Lakeith Stanfield was already attached to the project, and once he read the script, it resonated with him.
20. Before portraying Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah, Daniel sat down with the Hampton family for an eight-hour meeting and called it “really intense in the best way.” He said that he was able to “[appreciate] and [understand] the emotional stakes for them.”
21. To prepare for the role in Judas, Daniel read the majority of the Black Panther reading list, which he describes as “a six-week program in order to be a full member.” He also “sewed himself” into the time by speaking to ex–Blank Panther members and reading “dissertations about the time, about Chicago, about the Black Panthers, about the Oakland chapter, [and] about the Illinois chapter.”
22. One of his most powerful lines in Judas is when Fred chants, “I am a revolutionary.” When asked by Entertainment Weekly how Daniel interprets that message, he said, “Having agency over your life, in spite of psychological warfare. It’s that I am everywhere, I am in power, I am in charge of who I am and how I see myself and how I believe in myself.”
23. Daniel told the Independent that after his role in Judas, he’s looking for something with “vibes,” like a romantic comedy. He also wants to “discover roles that continue to challenge him.”
24. Finally, in an interview with CinemaBlend, Daniel said that directing is most likely where he’s headed. He said, “Everyone’s been saying I’m a director since I was young because in order to write, I have to see it. That’s probably why it takes me so long to write…but I just haven’t got around to it. There’s just so much to do.”
