‘The Book Of Clarence’ Star LaKeith Stanfield & How ‘The Lion King’ Helped Him Find His Roar: The Film That Lit My Fuse

LaKeith Stanfield stars in his second straight film with The Harder They Fall writer/director Jeymes Samuel. He moves from an old West gunslinger to a false prophet who finds faith in the days of Jesus Christ in The Book of Clarence , the Legendary Entertainment film just released by Columbia Pictures.

The film is a meditation on religion and faith, as Stanfield plays both the title character, who fakes miracles to raise money to pay off a debt, and also Thomas, one of Christ’s Apostles in 33 A.D. Rome. Stanfield got his first major break in Short Term 12 , the student thesis film by Shang Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton that also marked the debut of Brie Larson.

The film won the Jury Award at Sundance and a feature length version won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW, with Stanfield nominated for an Independent Spirt Award. He’s been working steadily since, with films that include The Purge: Anarchy , playing civil right activist Jimmie Lee Jackson in Selma , Snoop Dogg in Straight Outta Compton , a supporting role in Jordan Peele’s breakout Get Out , the lead in the dark comedy Sorry to Bother You and co starring in Knives Out .

He was Oscar nominated for Judas and the Black Messiah , playing the FBI informant William O’Neal, who betrayed the Black Panther party leader Fred Hampton. He also co starred in Donald Glover’s acclaimed series Atlanta . In this exceptional segment, Stanfield discusses the road that took him to Samuel and The Book of Clarence , and the lessons that have made him one of the brightest young stars in Hollywood..