Cast
Jacky Ido as Malik
Born in Burkina Faso, Jacky Ido is a director, actor, screenwriter, musician and slam poet, Ido has worked with notable directors and has received several awards for his work both in front of and behind the camera. After his training at the Déclic Thétre and on the stages of Xavier Marcheschi, he was able to prove his talent in many films over the past few years. He was seen in the TV pilot Le courrier de Dembélé (2000), Rosine Young’s Futilités (2001), Frédéric Khan’sJ’ai vu le diable pleurer (2002), Mathieu Vinel’s Whenzhou and Alexandre Lemoine’s Joyeux Noel de merde (both 2003). In 2004 he starred in Jean-Teddy Filippe’s pilot film
Intrigues au Palais and the series Laverie de famille. The role of Lemalian in The White Masai was Jacky Ido’s first feature-film role. Since then he has gone on to be featured in dozens of other films. His breakthrough role came in acclaimed French director, Claude Lelouch’s film Ces amours-là. He is best known to American audiences for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. His other credits include Huck Finn, Lockout, Radiostars, Taxi Brooklyn, La Vie de Château (post-production) (2017), and most recently the television series The Catch (TV Series) (2016-2017). Jacky Ido lives and works in Paris.
Emayatzy Corinealdi as Cadence
Ms. Corinealdi is a New York trained actress, having studied at the esteemed William Esper Studio and the Actor’s Training Studio, before moving to LA and resuming her studies at Playhouse West. Emayatzy starred in the critically acclaimed Sundance feature “Middle of Nowhere” opposite David Oyelowo for writer/director Ava DuVernay, which garnered her the 2012 Gotham Award for ‘Breakthrough Actor’ as well as nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards and 44th Annual NAACP Image Awards for her lead performance. Emayatzy plays the role of ‘Tessie’ in the upcoming Amazon pilot “Hand of God” opposite Ron Perlman, Garret Dillahunt and Dana Delaney for executive producer/director Marc Forster, and stars as the
female lead opposite Don Cheadle and Ewan McGregor in the Miles Davis biopic “Miles Ahead,” which Cheadle directed. She also wrapped production on the independent feature “The Invitation” for director Karyn Kusama. Other film credits include “The Nanny Express,” The Get (2017) (Drama) directed by James Strong, and “Addicted.” Television credits include “Gun Hill” opposite Larenz Tate, Roots (2016) (TV Mini Series), Rosewood (2015) (TV Series), Hand of God (TV Series) (2014-2017), a series lead in the pilot “Katrina” as well as “Demons” opposite Ron Eldard” and “Romantically Challenged” with Alyssa Milano. Emayatzy currently resides in Los Angeles.
JoNell Kennedy as Amara
As a performer, JoNell Kennedy’s talents have met every medium: Theatre, Television, and Film. This versatile actress’ career began in Chicago on the Tony Award winning stages of Victory Gardens, Steppenwolf and The Goodman Theatre, where she earned a Joseph Jefferson Award. She currently resides in Los Angeles, and continues to grace the big and small screens, appearing on shows such as “Shameless,” “Bones,” “The Mentalist,” “NCIS,” Kubuku Rides (This is It) (2006) (Short), Code Black (2016) (TV Series),
Conviction (2016) (TV Series), Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2015) (voice) (video game), Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) (2016), The Real Husbands of Hollywood (TV Series) (2016), NCIS: Los Angeles (TV Series) (2016), and “Criminal Minds.” Her film credits include turns in the indie favorite “Me And You And Everyone We Know” as well as box office favorites “Guess Who” and “DreamGirls.” She is also slated to appear in the feature film “BOLDEN” shooting this Fall.
De’Adre Aziza as Zuri
De’Adre Aziza’s Broadway debut, Passing Strange earned her a 2008 Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, a Theater World Award, Obie Award, and Audelco award nomination. Spike Lee became a fan of the show and shot the live version which was later released as a film. The film version made its debut at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim, and continued its journey at the SXSW, Seattle, and Tribeca Film Festivals, later receiving a run at IFC Theaters in NYC. Since that time, De’Adre has also appeared in the Broadway musicals Women On The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown, A Night With Janis Joplin and had the honor of performing at Carnegie Hall in Ask Your Mama, with opera legend Jessye
Norman. She has also continued her career in theater by working with the prestigious Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and Yale Rep where she is a Beinecke fellow. Her tv credits include She’s Gotta Have It (2017) (TV Series) (post production), The Breaks 2017 (TV Series), The Breaks (2016) (TV Movie) directed by Seith Mann, Bull (2016) (TV Series), Kevin Can Wait (TV Series) (2016), bwoy (2016), Master of None (TV Series) (2015), Madam Secretary (TB Series) (2015), Blue Blood (TV Series), and The Good Wife (2015) (TV Series). De’Adre has appeared in 2 other Spike Lee films, Miracle at St. Anna, and Red Hook Summer.
Kim Hill as Harper
Noted soul singer Kim Hill is the original lead singer of The Black Eyed Peas and has shared the stage with a spectrum of artists including the late Biggie Smalls, Outkast, The Pharcyde, Cody Chestnutt, Slum Village, Raphael Saadiq, De La Soul, NoDoubt, Common, A Tribe Called Quest and Aaliyah to name a few. After leaving the band in 2000, the Syracuse NY native carved her own path as an independent artist and started her label One
Brave Indian Records. She has collaborated with the likes of Gnarls Barkley, Mos Def and Les Nubians. Hill currently resides in New York where she is set to release her 3rdsolo album and launch her Docuseries Mother… hood celebrating the plight of the single mom. Hill is an advocate of empowering young women in self-preservation through art therapy and public speaking and Deejays under the alias kill him for tastemakers around the world. In The Morning marks her feature film debut.
Numa Perrier as Bly
Numa Perrier is an emerging talent widely known for her leading role as the irreverent “Chick” in The Couple, a Black&Sexy TV web series which she also writes for. The series was recently acquired for development at HBO with Spike Lee on board as Executive Producer. In addition to her role as Bly in In The Morning she also played the leading lady in psycho thriller LEIGH (Beautiful Destroyer), a feature film that’s being released theatrically in August. Numa has also appeared in numerous Off Broadway stage productions and West Coast Theatre Premieres. She is represented at UTA (United Talent Agency). She has also appeared in numerous Off Broadway stage productions and West Coast Co-creator and writer for the network’s hit series Rommieloverfriends (BET). Numa is creator and director of the mockumentary,
Yellow: The Pleasures and Problems of the Light Skinned Black Man. She also is the one of the co-writers and developers of Hello Cupid (Official Selection Tribeca NOW 2014), and co-created BET’s first all-male talk show Minute Man, in addition to the series Becoming Nia and Sexless. Her TV credits include Hollyweird (post-production) (2017), Jerico Final Cut 2017 (2016), Jerico (2016), Ella (Short) (2015). Numa’s production credits include Endless Shards of Jazz for a Brutal World (Short) (executive producer) (2015), Hello Cupid: Farrah (Short) (producer) (2017), Hello Cupid Reboot (TV Series) (2016), Purgatorio (Short) (executive producer) (2016), Chef Julian (TV Series) (producer- 6 episodes) (2015-2016), That Guy (TV Series) (executive producer) (2013-2015), and Rider (TV Series) (executive producer- 14 episodes) (2015-2016).
Hoji Fortuna as Ravi
Born and raised in Angola, Hoji Fortuna moved to New York in 2008 to pursue acting. He has since been working both in film and theatre in the U.S. and abroad. He is also an African-Oscar winner for his performance as César in Congolese crime-drama Viva Riva! – official selection at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival and 2011 Berlinale and Best African Film at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. In addition to Viva Riva! he has appeared in Meanwhile by acclaimed director Hal Hartley, ABC series Pan Am
and more recently in Frances Bodomo’s 2014 Sundance and Berlinale official selections Afronauts.Hoji is also the author of New York for Actors, an online self-published manual for new and aspiring actors wanting to develop their careers in New York, and foreign actors wanting to crossover to the United States. His film credits include La Vie de Château (2017) (post production), Grain (post production) (2017), A Prominent Patient (2016) (Biography) directed by Julius Sevcik, Wilson City 2015, and Escape (2015) (Short). He currently lives between NY and Zagreb (Croatia).
C.J. Lindsey as Leal
C.J. Lindsey is a graduate of the theater conservatory at Purchase College. He has portrayed such roles as Youngblood in Denver Centers production of “Jitney,” Jimi Hendrix in “The Rehearsal” at New Jersey Playwrights Horizon, and Tom Robinson in “To
Kill a Mockingbird” at The Northern Stage. His most recent project was a play entitled “Cul De Sac” at the Cherry Lane Theater with The Shelter, a NYC based community of artist. He is honored to make his film debut playing the role of Leal in, In The Morning.
