Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor As Seen In Esquire magazine..."Star in a movie based on radio deejay Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene who would greet his morning listeners in obnoxiously funny ways in the late-sixties-era of Washington, DC. Talk to Me is the biopic depicting Greene's loud and unlikely rise to fame and Don Cheadle plays the flamboyant ex-con whose politically charged shtick suggests Don Imus hot-wired with Huey P. Newton; British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor costars as Greene's aggrieved, even-keeled producer. Together the two share nearly every scene in the film, and their rat-a-tat banter and crackling chemistry make for one of the more entertaining screen pairings in recent memory...
During an 2007 interview with Esquire the pair of actors addressed starring in the film:
ESQ: Petey Greene was all about a strong point of view -- on women, on music, on race and war. Is Talk to Me one of those movies that's meant to "get people talking"?
Chiwetel Ejiofor: It would be great if it did. You need to get all the issues of the day out on the table and speak about them honestly. More than anything, the movie is about finding your voice, sticking to it, and then finding a way through millions of detractors and dissenters who want to keep you quiet.
Don Cheadle: It's great to have a lead character who really could give a shit. He said whatever came to his mind, and he had a partner who was like, "Yes, do that, go, go!" He'd be right at home now, although he'd probably be lambasted by a lot of people. The Don Imus situation is a great example.
ESQ: But what Imus said seems almost tame compared with some of the things Petey says. How many times does he drop the n-word?
DC: Well, that word isn't for everyone. But the thing with Imus was, where does some old white man think he has the right to say what he said?
CE: It depends on who's saying it and why. Simple as that.
ESQ: The movie is filled with some amazing style from the sixties and seventies. How did the outfits help you shape your characters?
DC: That always helps flesh things out. Back then, style was the fabric of the times. People actually walked around wearing the plaid top, the velvet, the three-inch lapel -- and not just for special occasions. It's interesting, too, because in terms of clothes, Petey never changed. He was like, I'm still wearing the yellow shirt with the buttons open all the way down to here -- this is me. So I would just put on the jumpsuit, stick my Afro wig on, and do my thing."
During an 2007 interview with Esquire the pair of actors addressed starring in the film:ESQ: Petey Greene was all about a strong point of view -- on women, on music, on race and war. Is Talk to Me one of those movies that's meant to "get people talking"?
Chiwetel Ejiofor: It would be great if it did. You need to get all the issues of the day out on the table and speak about them honestly. More than anything, the movie is about finding your voice, sticking to it, and then finding a way through millions of detractors and dissenters who want to keep you quiet.
Don Cheadle: It's great to have a lead character who really could give a shit. He said whatever came to his mind, and he had a partner who was like, "Yes, do that, go, go!" He'd be right at home now, although he'd probably be lambasted by a lot of people. The Don Imus situation is a great example.ESQ: But what Imus said seems almost tame compared with some of the things Petey says. How many times does he drop the n-word?
DC: Well, that word isn't for everyone. But the thing with Imus was, where does some old white man think he has the right to say what he said?CE: It depends on who's saying it and why. Simple as that.
ESQ: The movie is filled with some amazing style from the sixties and seventies. How did the outfits help you shape your characters?
DC: That always helps flesh things out. Back then, style was the fabric of the times. People actually walked around wearing the plaid top, the velvet, the three-inch lapel -- and not just for special occasions. It's interesting, too, because in terms of clothes, Petey never changed. He was like, I'm still wearing the yellow shirt with the buttons open all the way down to here -- this is me. So I would just put on the jumpsuit, stick my Afro wig on, and do my thing."
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