Lakeith Stanfield: ‘As a black man, I don’t want to be on the front line every single day’

Lakeith Stanfield thinks actors take themselves too seriously. It’s why he says he “loved” watching Ricky Gervais skewer the crowd at the recent Golden Globes, imploring the winners to “accept your little award, thank your agent, and your God, and f*** off”.

“It’s nice to just knock everybody off their pedestal,” says Stanfield, laughing. “Nothing gave me more joy than seeing them all squirm. It was very entertaining.”

The California-born star of the brilliantly absurdist Sorry to Bother You generally believes everyone needs to calm down. About awards shows especially. Hollywood’s finest, he says, are always “acting like everything is so deep. It’s all so sensational and political.”

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That Stanfield has mixed feelings about awards ceremonies is understandable. On the one hand, Knives Out, the riotous whodunit in which he plays a diligent cop, is up for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. On the other, Uncut Gems, the film he’s promoting today, has been cast aside by the Academy completely. “We didn’t do [Uncut Gems] for awards,” he says. “I imagine there are a lot of politics that I’m not aware of and I don’t really care to think about.”

Of the many injustices to arise from this year’s nominations, though, Uncut Gems’s snub is among the most egregious. A nerve-shredding odyssey through New York’s Diamond District, Josh and Benny Safdie’s film never stops moving, lurching from scene to scene on the vim of Darius Khondji’s frenetic camerawork and Daniel Lopatin’s twitchy, synth-driven score. It’s feral and skittish, with Adam Sandler – all gaudy outfits and neurotic impulses – delivering a flat-out tremendous performance as jeweller and gambling addict Howard Ratner.

Shape Created with Sketch. 19 films to look out for in 2020 Show all 19 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. 19 films to look out for in 2020 1/19 Queen & Slim An intoxicating and romantic drama about lovers on the run, Queen & Slim marks the first feature film from Melina Matsoukas, the director responsible for music videos including Beyoncé’s “Formation”. Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith are the unlikely couple thrust together on a go-nowhere blind date, only for tragedy to transform them into folk heroes roaming across the USA searching for shelter. It’s a spellbinding debut. (Adam White) Released 31 January Universal Pictures 2/19 Parasite Guaranteed to be one of the major players in next year’s Oscars, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite works better the less you know about it. What you should know is that it is a devilishly inventive deconstruction of class, brimming with energy, dark humour and nervous tension. (Adam White) Released 7 February Curzon Artificial Eye 3/19 The Invisible Man Rising from the ashes of the aborted Universal Monsters multiverse, which was due to star Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise, this rebooted Invisible Man uses the iconic branding to tell the smaller and far more intriguing story of a woman on the run from her invisible ex. Elisabeth Moss is the domestic violence survivor convinced that her supposedly dead boyfriend has merely mastered the art of invisibility. Leigh Whannell, who directed 2018’s wonderfully inventive sci-fi thriller Upgrade, is behind the camera. (Adam White) Released 28 February Universal Pictures 4/19 A Quiet Place: Part II A Quiet Place would surely have been better off as a standalone film, but the financial success of writer-director John Krasinski’s B-movie-style horror tale put paid to that. This isn’t to say there’s no more story to tell. In fact, Krasinski made no secret of the fact he had a whole universe he could one day explore, and sure enough, joining returning stars Emily Blunt, Millicent Thomas and Noah Jupe (so brilliant in Honey Boy) are new additions in the form of Cillian Murphy and Djimon Honsou. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 20 March Paramount Pictures 5/19 No Time to Die While Daniel Craig’s Bond tenure has been marked by severe whiplash in terms of quality, there remains something incredibly exciting about the arrival of a new 007 movie. No Time to Die, Craig’s final outing as the super-spy, also boasts an intoxicating array of talent on and off screen, from Cary Fukunaga on directorial duties, to a script co-written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and cast newcomers including Ana de Armas, Rami Malek and Lashana Lynch. (Adam White) Released 3 April Universal Pictures 6/19 Antebellum Little is known about the plot for Antebellum, the feature film debut of artists and music video directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. But the thriller's trailer is a visual feast, with Janelle Monáe appearing to be caught between the present day and the horrors of a 19th century plantation. From producer Jordan Peele, director of Get Out and Us, it also features Jena Malone, Gabourey Sidibe and Kiersey Clemons. (Adam White) Released 24 April Lionsgate Films 7/19 The Woman in the Window An adaptation of the pulpy bestseller (which itself was engulfed in mystery when a New Yorker feature claimed its author, AJ Finn, had extensively lied about his personal life and history), The Woman in the Window puts Amy Adams centre stage for the first time since 2018’s Sharp Objects. She’s an agoraphobic psychologist convinced she has witnessed a murder across the street from her apartment. Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman and Brian Tyree Henry co-star. (Adam White) Released 15 May 20th Century Fox 8/19 Candyman Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen III continues his incredible ascent with the starring role in this remake. Produced by the ubiquitous Jordan Peele, the new Candyman revives the hook-handed killer originated in 1992’s genuinely terrifying Bernard Rose film, but with a black and female director and predominantly black cast – which ought to mean the frustratingly ambiguous racial themes of the original can finally be given their due. (Adam White) Released 12 June Universal Pictures 9/19 Wonder Woman 1984 The sequel to 2017’s mega successful Wonder Woman is a rare thing: a DC film worthy of excitement. The first outing saw Patty Jenkins become the highest-grossing woman director in cinema history, and she’s looking to beat her own record with a follow-up centred on the Amazon princess’s battle against a villain named Cheetah (Kristen Wiig in her superhero film debut). That Jenkins describes it as “a grand tentpole like they use to make in the 1980s” is reason alone to mark its release on your 2020 calendar. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 5 June Warner Bros Pictures 10/19 Soul Soul is a curious new Pixar film that appears to emulate the philosophical wonder of Inside Out with the lived-in cultural exploration of Coco. Jamie Foxx is a struggling musician who finally gets his big break, only to experience a freak accident that propels him into a mysterious netherworld in which souls are imbued with talents and passions, before being implanted in newborn babies. It looks gorgeous, is potentially insane, and is co-written by Tina Fey. (Adam White) Released 17 July Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 11/19 Tenet Hours after the first reviews of both Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Cats took over social media, Warner Bros dropped the trailer for Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s top secret espionage thriller. It’s fair to say plenty of sunshine was stolen – and for good reason. Tenet marks Nolan’s return to the mind-melting thrills of Inception and, while the plot remains unknown, it seems to focus on a team of heroes who must rewind time to prevent the outbreak of war. Sign us up. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 17 July Warner Bros Pictures 12/19 Top Gun: Maverick Tom Cruise is taking a (short) break from carrying out impossible missions in 2020. Instead, he’ll return to the cockpit for a sequel to the daddy of all Eighties films, Top Gun. There’ll surely be an element of “teach new dogs old tricks” in the Joseph Kosinski-directed film as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell mentors a new generation of US Navy fighter pilots. We’re hopeful the result will – wait for it – take our breath away. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 17 July Paramount Pictures 13/19 Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar It’s not the Bridesmaids sequel everyone begged for nearly a decade ago, but Barb and Star is its spiritual follow-up at least. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo, the women behind the 2011 smash, write and star in this new comedy, playing two best friends who venture out of their small Midwestern community for the very first time. They soon get mixed up in a villainous plot to kill an entire town, while Jamie Dornan and Damon Wayans Jr also star. (Adam White) Released 24 July Lionsgate 14/19 The Many Saints of Newark Whether you like it or not, a film prequel based on The Sopranos is being released in 2020. The presence of David Chase, the HBO show’s creator, goes a long way to abate any concerns fans might have, and it’ll at least be a fine chance to explore the mobsters’s family history. The film is expected to focus on Dickie Moltisanti, the father of Christopher, whose memory loomed large over the series. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 5 September HBO 15/19 Last Night in Soho Edgar Wright is adding “psychological horror” to his filmmaking repertoire with Last Night in Soho, a neon-soaked thrill ride starring quite the ensemble (Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg). The intriguing plot focuses on a young girl for whom “time falls apart” after she’s somehow transported to the 1960s. It sounds like a cult hit in waiting. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 18 September Getty Images 16/19 Everybody’s Talking About Jamie The feel-good West End smash is transformed into a feel-good movie, with Richard E Grant, Sarah Lancashire and Sharon Horgan leading the story of a teenage boy who overcomes insecurity by embracing drag. Newcomer Max Harwood portrays the title character. (Adam White) Released 21 October 20th Century Fox 17/19 The Eternals Regardless of whether you’re a keen follower of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not, The Eternals should pique your interest. Sure, it may be spearheading a brand new phase of Marvel franchises – there really is no end to the studios’ box office stronghold – but it features what has to be one of the most eclectic casts ever seen in a superhero film: Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry and Salma Hayek. Colour us intrigued. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 6 November Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney 18/19 Dune A remake of David Lynch’s Dune would ordinarily cause our eyeballs to rattle around our sockets, but not when Denis Villeneuve’s in the director’s chair. So committed to his vision is Warner Bros that they ignored the fact his breathtaking Blade Runner sequel flopped and handed him the keys to a fresh adaptation of Herbert Ross’ novel. He did direct Prisoners, Enemy and Arrival, after all. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya head up the cast. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 18 December Getty Images 19/19 West Side Story Long in the works, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story looks set to be a festive smash this time next year. Speculated to be closer in spirit to the original Stephen Sondheim musical than the iconic 1961 film, this new version casts Ansel Elgort as Tony and newcomer Rachel Zegler as Maria – the latter, incredibly, beat out more than 30,000 candidates for the role, after submitting an audition video via Twitter. (Adam White) Released 18 December 20th Century Fox 1/19 Queen & Slim An intoxicating and romantic drama about lovers on the run, Queen & Slim marks the first feature film from Melina Matsoukas, the director responsible for music videos including Beyoncé’s “Formation”. Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith are the unlikely couple thrust together on a go-nowhere blind date, only for tragedy to transform them into folk heroes roaming across the USA searching for shelter. It’s a spellbinding debut. (Adam White) Released 31 January Universal Pictures 2/19 Parasite Guaranteed to be one of the major players in next year’s Oscars, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite works better the less you know about it. What you should know is that it is a devilishly inventive deconstruction of class, brimming with energy, dark humour and nervous tension. (Adam White) Released 7 February Curzon Artificial Eye 3/19 The Invisible Man Rising from the ashes of the aborted Universal Monsters multiverse, which was due to star Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise, this rebooted Invisible Man uses the iconic branding to tell the smaller and far more intriguing story of a woman on the run from her invisible ex. Elisabeth Moss is the domestic violence survivor convinced that her supposedly dead boyfriend has merely mastered the art of invisibility. Leigh Whannell, who directed 2018’s wonderfully inventive sci-fi thriller Upgrade, is behind the camera. (Adam White) Released 28 February Universal Pictures 4/19 A Quiet Place: Part II A Quiet Place would surely have been better off as a standalone film, but the financial success of writer-director John Krasinski’s B-movie-style horror tale put paid to that. This isn’t to say there’s no more story to tell. In fact, Krasinski made no secret of the fact he had a whole universe he could one day explore, and sure enough, joining returning stars Emily Blunt, Millicent Thomas and Noah Jupe (so brilliant in Honey Boy) are new additions in the form of Cillian Murphy and Djimon Honsou. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 20 March Paramount Pictures 5/19 No Time to Die While Daniel Craig’s Bond tenure has been marked by severe whiplash in terms of quality, there remains something incredibly exciting about the arrival of a new 007 movie. No Time to Die, Craig’s final outing as the super-spy, also boasts an intoxicating array of talent on and off screen, from Cary Fukunaga on directorial duties, to a script co-written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and cast newcomers including Ana de Armas, Rami Malek and Lashana Lynch. (Adam White) Released 3 April Universal Pictures 6/19 Antebellum Little is known about the plot for Antebellum, the feature film debut of artists and music video directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. But the thriller's trailer is a visual feast, with Janelle Monáe appearing to be caught between the present day and the horrors of a 19th century plantation. From producer Jordan Peele, director of Get Out and Us, it also features Jena Malone, Gabourey Sidibe and Kiersey Clemons. (Adam White) Released 24 April Lionsgate Films 7/19 The Woman in the Window An adaptation of the pulpy bestseller (which itself was engulfed in mystery when a New Yorker feature claimed its author, AJ Finn, had extensively lied about his personal life and history), The Woman in the Window puts Amy Adams centre stage for the first time since 2018’s Sharp Objects. She’s an agoraphobic psychologist convinced she has witnessed a murder across the street from her apartment. Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman and Brian Tyree Henry co-star. (Adam White) Released 15 May 20th Century Fox 8/19 Candyman Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen III continues his incredible ascent with the starring role in this remake. Produced by the ubiquitous Jordan Peele, the new Candyman revives the hook-handed killer originated in 1992’s genuinely terrifying Bernard Rose film, but with a black and female director and predominantly black cast – which ought to mean the frustratingly ambiguous racial themes of the original can finally be given their due. (Adam White) Released 12 June Universal Pictures 9/19 Wonder Woman 1984 The sequel to 2017’s mega successful Wonder Woman is a rare thing: a DC film worthy of excitement. The first outing saw Patty Jenkins become the highest-grossing woman director in cinema history, and she’s looking to beat her own record with a follow-up centred on the Amazon princess’s battle against a villain named Cheetah (Kristen Wiig in her superhero film debut). That Jenkins describes it as “a grand tentpole like they use to make in the 1980s” is reason alone to mark its release on your 2020 calendar. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 5 June Warner Bros Pictures 10/19 Soul Soul is a curious new Pixar film that appears to emulate the philosophical wonder of Inside Out with the lived-in cultural exploration of Coco. Jamie Foxx is a struggling musician who finally gets his big break, only to experience a freak accident that propels him into a mysterious netherworld in which souls are imbued with talents and passions, before being implanted in newborn babies. It looks gorgeous, is potentially insane, and is co-written by Tina Fey. (Adam White) Released 17 July Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 11/19 Tenet Hours after the first reviews of both Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Cats took over social media, Warner Bros dropped the trailer for Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s top secret espionage thriller. It’s fair to say plenty of sunshine was stolen – and for good reason. Tenet marks Nolan’s return to the mind-melting thrills of Inception and, while the plot remains unknown, it seems to focus on a team of heroes who must rewind time to prevent the outbreak of war. Sign us up. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 17 July Warner Bros Pictures 12/19 Top Gun: Maverick Tom Cruise is taking a (short) break from carrying out impossible missions in 2020. Instead, he’ll return to the cockpit for a sequel to the daddy of all Eighties films, Top Gun. There’ll surely be an element of “teach new dogs old tricks” in the Joseph Kosinski-directed film as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell mentors a new generation of US Navy fighter pilots. We’re hopeful the result will – wait for it – take our breath away. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 17 July Paramount Pictures 13/19 Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar It’s not the Bridesmaids sequel everyone begged for nearly a decade ago, but Barb and Star is its spiritual follow-up at least. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo, the women behind the 2011 smash, write and star in this new comedy, playing two best friends who venture out of their small Midwestern community for the very first time. They soon get mixed up in a villainous plot to kill an entire town, while Jamie Dornan and Damon Wayans Jr also star. (Adam White) Released 24 July Lionsgate 14/19 The Many Saints of Newark Whether you like it or not, a film prequel based on The Sopranos is being released in 2020. The presence of David Chase, the HBO show’s creator, goes a long way to abate any concerns fans might have, and it’ll at least be a fine chance to explore the mobsters’s family history. The film is expected to focus on Dickie Moltisanti, the father of Christopher, whose memory loomed large over the series. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 5 September HBO 15/19 Last Night in Soho Edgar Wright is adding “psychological horror” to his filmmaking repertoire with Last Night in Soho, a neon-soaked thrill ride starring quite the ensemble (Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg). The intriguing plot focuses on a young girl for whom “time falls apart” after she’s somehow transported to the 1960s. It sounds like a cult hit in waiting. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 18 September Getty Images 16/19 Everybody’s Talking About Jamie The feel-good West End smash is transformed into a feel-good movie, with Richard E Grant, Sarah Lancashire and Sharon Horgan leading the story of a teenage boy who overcomes insecurity by embracing drag. Newcomer Max Harwood portrays the title character. (Adam White) Released 21 October 20th Century Fox 17/19 The Eternals Regardless of whether you’re a keen follower of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not, The Eternals should pique your interest. Sure, it may be spearheading a brand new phase of Marvel franchises – there really is no end to the studios’ box office stronghold – but it features what has to be one of the most eclectic casts ever seen in a superhero film: Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry and Salma Hayek. Colour us intrigued. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 6 November Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney 18/19 Dune A remake of David Lynch’s Dune would ordinarily cause our eyeballs to rattle around our sockets, but not when Denis Villeneuve’s in the director’s chair. So committed to his vision is Warner Bros that they ignored the fact his breathtaking Blade Runner sequel flopped and handed him the keys to a fresh adaptation of Herbert Ross’ novel. He did direct Prisoners, Enemy and Arrival, after all. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya head up the cast. (Jacob Stolworthy) Released 18 December Getty Images 19/19 West Side Story Long in the works, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story looks set to be a festive smash this time next year. Speculated to be closer in spirit to the original Stephen Sondheim musical than the iconic 1961 film, this new version casts Ansel Elgort as Tony and newcomer Rachel Zegler as Maria – the latter, incredibly, beat out more than 30,000 candidates for the role, after submitting an audition video via Twitter. (Adam White) Released 18 December 20th Century Fox

Stanfield is no less impressive. Where the 28-year-old was suave and restrained in Knives Out, here, as Ratner’s streetwise business associate, he has a chaotic capriciousness. If Sandler is the film’s palpitating heart, you wouldn’t exactly call Stanfield a beta blocker. “The [Safdies] wanted people to just run rampant in certain scenes,” says Stanfield. “They were conductors allowing us to roam freely, and it meant the whole thing felt alive. Sometimes I feel like life is so stressful and this felt alive in the same way – all this information coming at once. It was unlike anything I’d done before.”

Then again, nothing Stanfield ever does is like anything he’s done before. In a relatively short space of time, he’s established himself as one of the most exciting actors of his generation. Perhaps you know him as Darius, whose mix of off-the-wall eccentricity and stoner profundities has made him the stand-out character in Donald Glover’s feted TV series Atlanta. Or maybe it’s as Snoop Dogg in Straight Outta Compton (2015), or the slain civil-rights activist Jimmie Lee Jackson in Ava DuVernay’s Selma (2014). Or it’s his indelibly freaked-out supporting turn as stricken prisoner Andre, the one who actually yells “Get Out!”, in Jordan Peele’s Oscar-nominated horror smash. Or perhaps it’s his well-earned lead as Cassius Green, the black telemarketer whose sales shoot up after he begins imitating a white man’s voice, in Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You (2018).

While no two roles are alike, what connects them all is Stanfield’s knack for scratching away a character’s veneer – thanks mainly to eyes that reveal inner worlds – and finding a route towards empathy. “Lakeith doesn’t care about what his face looks like,” said Riley in 2018. “He just gets to that emotion.” As The New York Times noted – given that offbeat black characters haven’t exactly been a mainstay of American cinema – it also helps that he’s “a bit of a weirdo”. Take his dress sense. He has appeared on red carpets wearing – not all at once – a chain mail shirt, a black balaclava, a rainbow-coloured suit and a giant wig. Then there’s the fact he views plants as conscious beings, and had discussions with them while working at a marijuana farm. Or at least, he says he did. In interviews, he’s been known to make things up, as well as arrive without shoes, and somersault across the floor mid-conversation.

He’s quieter, more reflective when we talk, though. Possessed of a mumbling drawl and husky laugh, he’s modest but self-assured; sentences saunter. There’s a reticence, too, perhaps rooted in preserving a certain mystique. In the past, Stanfield has spoken of not wanting to be a figurehead because of his skin colour. “It’s tiring,” he says today. “I’ve got other stuff that I got to do, other goals. Being a black man, yes I know I represent a whole bunch of people, but you don’t want to be on that front line, every single day, because you’re black.”

He won’t really be drawn in to discuss the police, either. Growing up in a “very poor” and fractured family in Victorville, 90 miles outside of Los Angeles, he would steal sandwiches from Subway and find himself pinned down on car bonnets by cops; at one point, his sister was pepper-sprayed. Has that tainted his faith in the police and the criminal justice system? “There are certain places that I don’t expect much justice,” he says, softly.

At high school, he got into poetry and joined the drama society. After googling acting agencies, he started trying out at auditions. It was tough. “I was living in my car,” he says, “but I knew I could bring something different to the game.” Eventually, he landed a role in Short Term 12, a modest indie about troubled upbringings that gave a leg up to Brie Larson and Rami Malek. As the taciturn Marcus, he was superb, but the parts hardly came flooding in, so he went to work on that cannabis farm.

These days, though, he’s inundated. Just as his clout in Hollywood started sky-rocketing, he surprised everyone by pivoting towards romantic-comedy roles: first in 2017’s The Incredible Jessica James, then in the underappreciated Netflix gem Someone Great (2019), then as a love interest in the sublime animation BoJack Horseman. In March, he will star in the full-blown romantic drama The Photograph, opposite Issa Rae. I wonder if he’s been consciously going for these parts since becoming a parent alongside his partner, fellow actor Xosha Roquemore. “It’s any opportunity to explore love,” he says. “I really want to do stuff like Marriage Story” – a surprising mention, perhaps, for Noah Baumbach’s whiter-than-white Best Picture nominee. But his rationale is simplicity itself. “I love love.”

Uncut Gems is in select cinemas now and on Netflix from Friday 31 January