WHAT MAKES EACH OF THESE MEN A GENIUS?
Gina Prince-Bythewood Executive producer
Their genius was their ability to make people listen. They were rising to the heights they rose to at a time when Black people were not being listened to, were not being valued and were not being respected, and they broke through that in different ways. They inspired people to stand up in the face of imaginable cruelty and violence, and they did that in different ways, too. For Dr. King to inspire people to face all that, with courage and strength, yet not match that violence with violence – that is incredible. And for Malcolm X to inspire pride and have people believe it in a way that they hadn’t believed it before, to understand that you deserve to be here, that your rights are not something you should have to fight for, but that they are automatic – it was an incredible thing. The fact that even to this day, all these years later, you hear these speeches from these men, and you stand up straighter, you’re leaning in. That’s what we wanted to really put out. As Reggie has said, we did not want this (series) to feel like a museum piece. Their words, their inspiration, are as relevant today as they were then.
Channing Godfrey Peoples Director, executive producer
Working on this series gave me a chance, by really digging into the research, to actually see their humanity, their origin stories, how their philosophies came to be and how their genius came to be. I don’t even know that you can quantify their genius. I always felt more moved by their love for humanity and people in general and how that really informed the men they came to be.
Damione Macedon Showrunner, executive producer
What we wanted to do was inspire people to look at them as geniuses but understand that they’re no different than any one of us, and you can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it, if you have that kind of foresight and strength within your goals, in your conviction. So at least for me, it was just getting behind the veil and the curtain, which was eye-opening.
Todd Fjelsted Production designer
For me, MLK’s genius came from his warmth, his love of his fellow man and his willingness to be a pacifist in the face of a lot of turmoil. And then for Malcolm, what I’m most impressed with, and what I’ve learned over the past several months, is that he came from nothing. He grew up in a small farmhouse with a very poor family. His father was very instrumental in the civil rights movement of the ’30s, so he learned from him, but he had no way to bring himself up. He had no education and no money; he was arrested as a teen and thrown in jail. So, his rise, I think, is incredibly impressive because not only did he come to a place of vast knowledge, but he was also able to focus his attention on improving people’s lives through his own kind of commitment to Islam. And I thought that was very fascinating because most people who come from nothing have a very hard time achieving anything, let alone something of this stature.
Reggie Rock Bythewood Executive producer
Both of them had the ability to speak to large crowds of people, and everybody would feel like he was talking just to them. They were able to pull people in and help them believe that change was not just important but tangible. That it was inevitable, and that put our destiny in the hands of us, of the people . ... That there were actionable things that we could do to improve the conditions of Black people. Part of Malcolm’s genius was not just intellectual but also his emotional perseverance. He followed his conscience even though, as you know, there were so many detractors in his life, and he was constantly threatened. And with Martin, his power to communicate his message and the urgency of now to Black people – and to white people – and being able to deliver that message in such a way that it inspired people to want to be better versions of themselves. What a gift, what a genius to be able to do that.
Jayme Lawson Actress, portrays Betty Shabazz
The show is doing a really good job at it, isn’t it? It shows their genius in the same way, if that makes any sense. They’re not too different when you get down to the core of it. Same age, yep. Fathers of girls, yep. Men of faith, yep. Yeah, there are dalliances, and women are throwing themselves. But they were men who, no matter how prolific they were or regarded by their community, still understood the heartbeat of the people. And they never – neither one of them – allowed their platform to corrupt or taint their mission, which we don’t find too much these days.
Weruche Opia Actress, portrays Coretta Scott King
They believed in their causes to the point of death. They gave their lives; they’re martyrs. And they knew this was what they were going to do. The purpose, the cause, was more important than anything else.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. Actor, portrays Martin Luther King Jr.
I think Martin’s genius was in his ability to communicate. I think he really knew how to read a room. I don’t know Malcolm as well. I didn’t study Malcolm as much during this process. But I could gather that he’s very much an instinctual man of passion and directness. Malcolm is a straight talker. Martin’s a little bit of like, “Who are you first? OK, that’s interesting. Well, now let me see how I can connect with you. And how do I get you what you want? Because I have a feeling we want the same thing.” And that is brilliant to me.
Aaron Pierre Actor, portrays Malcolm X
To hear about the things that Malcolm X did, to hear about the things Coretta Scott King did, to hear about the things Betty Shabazz did – you’re blown away, but you may not quite take on the enormity of it. The things that they did were enormous. They would be enormous at any time, but particularly the time and environment they were living in. In my view, personally, they’re the epitome of what a genius is.
Carolyn Bernstein
Executive vice president of Global Scripted Content and Documentary Films at National Geographic and executive producer on “Genius: MLK/X”
There are certain qualities that we always look for in our subjects (for “Genius”). They didn’t necessarily have to tick every box, but they had to be innovators in whatever their field was. Their work, whatever the subject was, must not only stand the test of time well beyond their deaths but also still feel relevant to the world we live in today. And the subject has to be brand-relevant: science, adventure, exploration, all these things. These two subjects fall more into a still very Nat Geo category of culture. They’re also really globally iconic, and that’s another thing we’re always looking for: Does this person have global relevance?
Trevor Forrest Cinematographer
They’re both great teachers. I think that might be one reason they’re geniuses: They’re public teachers. And MLK is just the most incredible orator. But both men are human and definitely stumbled. MLK had women throwing themselves at him; there’s this sort of sexiness to his incredible orator skills. And Malcolm went to prison – luckily for him, really, because he became the man he was after that. He had this monastic life in prison where he could read about Islam and learn about the teachings. And develop this bloody single-mindedness as well, like, “OK, this is what I’m doing. This is what I feel is right.”
Kristie Suffield Set decorator
They both stood out amongst their peers and rose to popularity in their respective religions. And we’re able to carry on that legacy even today. We still talk about them, reference them and name streets after them.*
Raphael Jackson Jr. Showrunner, executive producer
Being able to hold onto their beliefs, and not be moved off them, and keep working to achieve those beliefs and to spread them to everyone they encountered – that, I think, is inspiring. That, at least for me, was something I can look at as being genius. In doing the show we always talked about, “Man, if I had come up again to that, that’s where I would have checked out. If I would have come up against my house being bombed, I would have stopped. If I would have come up against the racist phone calls, that’s where I would have stopped.” The fact that both of them, in spite of all of that – at 20-some-years old – kept blowing through those stop signs over and over and over and over again is fascinating to me. Even today, I’m still blown away by it because the main thing we wanted to do was show the world that they weren’t always the older men that we remember. They were kids when they started this.
Mercedes Cook Costume designer
MLK’s vision and unwavering commitment to nonviolent resistance, coupled with his powerful oratory skills, allowed him to mobilize masses and push for civil rights. His ability to articulate the dream of equality in a way that resonated deeply with people – that was truly genius. On the other hand, Malcolm X’s fearlessness, intellectual depth and transformation from a troubled past to a symbol of empowerment for many marginalized communities showcased a different form of genius. His courage to challenge the status quo and advocate for self-defense added a significant dimension to the civil rights movement. Both men’s genius was manifested in their realization that the light that sparked inside them was not solely for them. And in the absence of their presence, we gained a reverberating echo. That echo will always exist. The echo is the genius.
Jessi Dean Head of hair department
Their genius was in their ability to change minds in the way that they did. And we will see through the series that they had their challenges, they had their moments, but they persevered. There was no giving up. They visualized the vision and never stopped.
Jeremy Dell Head of makeup department
They were very headstrong in their eagerness to grow and to move people to change. That’s what made them geniuses because a lot of people don’t think about everyone. Not everyone can have that concept. But if you’re able to move a great mass of people, to change their thought process or their way of thinking, I think that that is genius in itself.