Why KiKi ticked all the boxes on Beale St

BARRY JENKINS, director of the Oscar-winning film Moonlight, had no doubts about choosing KiKi Layne to star in his film of James Baldwin’s novel If Beale Street Could Talk.

Layne, 27, was the right age to play Tish Rivers, the young woman who, with her fiance Fonny Hunt (Stephan James) is at the heart of the story. But, more than that, ‘she was right for the part’, Jenkins said simply.

Tish and Fonny dream of their life together. But the harsh realities of living while black in America shake them up.

I won’t give it all away here if you don’t know the story, except to tell you that Tish spends a lot of time apart from Fonny while her mother tries to find justice for him.

Initially, Layne (pictured) was nervous about taking on the part. ‘It was Barry Jenkins’s next film . . . after Moonlight!’ she said. ‘And it was my first lead role in a film.’

She mentioned that she’s from Cincinnati. My face fell and she asked what was wrong.

I told her I’d been there once, and had to eat a local delicacy that I didn’t care for.

‘You had Cincinnati Chilli, didn’t you? We put it on hot dogs and pasta. It’s not for every-bod-y,’ she trilled. And that’s a fact.