Interview with André Holland, star of the TV series The Big Cigar

The Big Cigar is the upcoming thriller and drama miniseries. The series chronicles the manhunt for Huey P. Newton, the founder of the Black Panther Party, who seeks the help of film producer Bert Schneider as he tries to escape to Cuba.  André Holland is the main character.

There's a lot that comes with portraying an iconic, enigmatic man like Huey Newton, especially bringing him to life on screen. Was there anything you learned about yourself as an actor, or as a man in general, from this role? 

André: That's a good question. Well, I learned a lot about Huey. First of all, things that I didn't know about him, about his childhood, for instance. I didn't know that he was hugely shy. I had this impression that he was bombastic and happy to be out in public speaking, but he actually was really, really shy, struggled with a bit of a speech impediment in his youth as well, and didn't really want the spotlight.

 And yet, he found the courage to step into that spotlight, and as I said before, to speak the truth. And ,so I think for myself, I learned a lot, I think, about my own sensitivity. I found that the sensitivity that I had for the younger version of Huey surprised me.

What was the relationship with the father?

The relationship between Huey and his dad surprised me, and it definitely impacted my own relationship with my father. I think it shaped the way that I continued to communicate with my father after having done the series.

So I learned an enormous amount, and also I think about courage. Working on the part and learning about Huey has taught me to be perhaps more courageous, or to strive to be more courageous anyway, and to use my own voice as best I can to speak my own truth. So yeah, this part, like many others, has taught me a whole lot.