Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Griffin Matthews plays Bayard Rustin closer to Pittsburgh in Nat Geo’s ‘Genius: MLK/X’
Bayard Rustin was once more closely associated with eastern Pennsylvania than the Pittsburgh area. Hollywood, however, has seemingly been doing everything in its power to change that perception.
Last year, Netflix released the biopic “Rustin” starring Colman Domingo as the March on Washington architect and West Chester, Pennsylvania, native. That film was shot in Western Pennsylvania, which stood in for 1960s New York City and Washington, D.C. Domingo was recently nominated for best actor at the 2024 Academy Awards for his turn as the jovial but tortured activist.
Rustin is already back in the cultural zeitgeist thanks to “Genius: MLK/X,” as part of the fourth season of National Geographic’s anthology series chronicling the personal and professional journeys of wellknown historical figures. This one follows the parallel paths Martin Luther King Jr. (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre) took to become the two most influential (and philosophically opposed) leaders of the civil rights movement.
“Genius: MLK/X” premiered last week, and subsequent episodes will air every Thursday through Feb. 22 before they premiere the next day on Hulu and Disney+. Starting in the show’s third episode, viewers can witness how McCandless native Griffin Matthews tackled the assignment of conjuring Rustin’s jubilant spirit, deep-seated anger and insatiable thirst for justice.
“I imagine he would be very tickled by this moment,” Matthews said earlier this week of the real-life Rustin. “Honestly, I think he wanted attention . ... He was pushed into the background. I think he’d be so proud of Colman, and I hope so proud of me.”
The Post-Gazette’s last chat with Matthews was centered around his role as superhero costume designer Luke Jacobson in the Disney+ show “SheHulk.” He’s still floored by how it was “such a non-event” on set when director (and fellow Carnegie Mellon University graduate) Kat Coiro casually told him to move a box containing Daredevil’s helmet, thus signaling the imminent arrival of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock.
“Genius: MLK/X” is Matthews’ first major onscreen role following the conclusion of 2023’s concurrent SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes.
“Everything has been very slow to get back,” Matthews said, as productions that were forced to stop in the middle of filming get prioritized over newer projects. At least Matthews is preparing to shoot a movie next month and is still contractually able to appear as Luke in other MCU films and shows.
He will not, however, be playing Shane Evans on “The Flight Attendant” anytime soon after Max opted not to renew its once-buzzy thriller for a third season. Matthews clarified that “The Flight Attendant” crew was ready to take off again before “life things” like the strikes and star Kaley Cuoco’s pregnancy changed their plans.
“There was a choice not to come back,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll never not come back, but we weren’t canceled.”
Matthews may never have been cast in “Genius”
if not for Domingo’s encouragement. They met for lunch during Matthews’ audition process, and he professed to the newly minted Oscar nominee that he didn’t feel right for that part.
Domingo disagreed, telling Matthews that “you are absolutely the right guy” and “it’s absolutely the right time for you to” embody Rustin on the small screen.
“It was wild, because I feel like he unknowingly passed the torch to me,” Matthews said. “I do comedy, I’m too young, I was just thinking all those things. I so appreciated the conversation with him because he reminded me that we’re more than the things we’ve done before, and we are ready.”
Image DescriptionMcCandless native Griffin Matthews, left, poses for a selfie with other actors and extras on the set of the National Geographic series “Genius: MLK/X.” (Griffin Matthews)
Rustin, who was born in Chester County, was a Black gay man who faced constant bigotry even as he became one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most trusted advisers. Matthews related to that struggle and made a point to portray Rustin’s intelligence, passion and simmering anger in equal measure. His goal was to leave no questions about why a Black Southern preacher of that era like King would “want to partner with an openly gay man.”
This was Matthews’ first crack at playing a nonfictional character. He was paired with voice, dialect and acting coaches to help him capture Rustin’s unique vocal cadences and larger-than-life personality. The “Genius” makeup department also worked tirelessly to transform a then-bald Matthews into the slightly older and well-coiffed civil rights leader.
“I wanted to get the spiritual space of who
he was and what he was after and really try to bring forward his joy,” he said. “He was a really charismatic guy. One of my mantras on set was, ‘Griffin, do not shrink!’”
Since “Genius” is essentially two shows merged into one, it wasn’t shocking to hear Matthews explain how filming was split between two starkly disparate sets. He spent most of his time on the King set, which was a more relaxed environment than the intense concentration he experienced while shooting a scene with Pierre’s Malcolm X. Matthews felt that dichotomy was indicative of how “those actors and men in life had very different approaches.”
Matthews appreciates “Genius: MLK/X” for thoughtfully dramatizing its protagonists’ respective roads to historical prominence while also ensuring viewers know that “there were a lot of people behind the scenes holding them up.” He doesn’t blame anyone for being unfamiliar with the achievements of folks like Rustin, Ralph Abernathy (Hubert Point-Du Jour), Coretta Scott King (Weruche Opia) or Betty Shabazz (Jayme Lawson).
“We’re not taught it in school,” Matthews said. “The history has been so erased that we don’t know it. I went in not knowing it and letting myself learn it.”
He “felt liberated” while watching “Genius: MLK/X” and is just happy this series and “Rustin” are now available for mass consumption.
“For me, I’m just so thrilled that it now exists and people can come to it, learn when they’re ready and hopefully be entertained when they’re ready,” Matthews said. “That’s the biggest accomplishment for me.”
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxelburgh.