Writer Tracey Scott Wilson
Let the record show that 2021 is the year Tracey Scott Wilson imposed respect in Hollywood… courtesy of Respect. Aretha Franklin’s new biopic hits theaters August 13.
The intellectual and artistic writer has had a winding road to Hollywood. It all started with a drama course at Temple University. Wilson intended to study writing fiction, but found his skills more suited to drama. This led to playwright opportunities with the prestigious New York Theater Workshop, where Wilson would also meet his longtime collaborator (and future Director of Respect) Liesl Tommy. Wilson’s stage work, including the widely acclaimed play The Good Negro, would also lead to opportunities for television. Wilson would go on to contribute scripts for The Americans and Fosse / Verdon, earning two Emmy nominations.
Respect marks Wilson’s debut as a feature film writer. The film traces the life of music legend Aretha Franklin from her childhood in Detroit to her rise as a praised and outspoken recording artist. Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson stars, with a supporting cast that includes fellow Oscar alumni Forest Whitaker, Marlon Waynes, Mary J. Blige, Titus Burgess and Audra McDonald.
With Respect waiting behind the scenes, we caught up with Wilson to talk about her life as a queer writer, her approach to Respect, and the enduring legend of Ms. Franklin herself. Respect hits theaters August 13.
When exactly did you get involved in development?
I got involved in May [2019]. Liesl [Tommy] is one of my closest friends, and she got the job of director. She put me on board. And we were filming in October, so it was an incredibly fast program. It only worked because we know each other so well. We have such a shortcut. It was crazy.
Five months of “you go to work” on the set? This is crazy.
He is. And because it was my first movie, I didn’t know how crazy it was. Like I said, I couldn’t have done it with someone else.
Actor Jennifer Hudson and director Liesl Tommy on the set of
RESPECT. A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Photo credit: Quantrell D. Colbert
Is it intimidating to take on the life of a legend? How to stay focused?
Well, that’s where the overall speed came in handy. Liesl showed me the program and said it’s when the production needs that, it’s when the production needs that. So I didn’t have time to be really forgiving, which I generally like to be. It just had to happen. A draft had to be written so that they could budget and hire staff. It was therefore, as you know, to write and rewrite.
Oh yes.
When Liesl introduced the story, she wanted it to start when Aretha was ten years old and end on amazing Grace. And the arc would be for a woman with the greatest voice in the world to find her own voice. So in those settings, we just created the stories and found the stories that would fit. This made it possible to reduce the search period.
One thing that really struck me about your approach to the material is that you tell the story of a woman who literally finds her voice in many ways. Dramatically, this makes the first few scenes tricky because Aretha is a more passive and withdrawn character. How do you write a scene where the subtext really needs to carry the narrative and character arc?
Well that was the huge learning curve. It’s about the staging and the point of view. It was about shooting the scene from Aretha’s point of view, whether she spoke or not. When something happens, we see it through his eyes. The public is naturally in this perspective. This is why the childhood stuff is important: we put in place the relationships she had as a child, the trauma she had in her childhood, so the public will know that she is carrying this with her. . This is partly the reason for his silence.
Yes.
And that’s where Liesl’s direction comes in.
I’m also interested that you mention that Liesl wanted to end on Amazing Grace. Aretha obviously had a long, varied and prestigious career after that. Why did you choose to stop there?
I think it’s because he’s following his spiritual path. At that time, the amazing Grace the album is his return to church on his own terms. Not his father’s religion, Ted’s, not just any man’s religion. She comes back and finds her own healing. This is, I think, what is powerful and makes it universal.
It’s a powerful streak. And it helps that you have Jennifer Hudson there. Jennifer Hudson was chosen by Aretha to star in the film. When you know you are writing for specific actors, does it affect your approach to a scene?
This is where the TV portion of my writing came in handy. When i was on Americans and we would have tabletop readings, I clearly remember Matthew and Keri’s voices being in my head. So I designed it around their voices that I had come to know.
Marlon Wayans stars as Ted White and Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin in
RESPECT. A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Photo credit: Quantrell D. Colbert.
Fascinating.
And Jennifer, she had a speech coach and a movement coach, but she always brought her own stuff to it. I knew I had to be careful of this. So when we started filming, I was paying attention to the way she spoke or walked so that when the rewrites came in, I was aware of it.
Obviously there are many scenes of domestic conflict in the film and alcohol abuse. When you have to write cruel scenes like that, especially from Aretha, how do you keep her from being hated?
Well I think at this point in the movie the audience was with her and saw her pain. I remember reading Steven Spielberg once talking about how he made an audience cry. It was in particular in The color purple—Celie doesn’t cry until the end when she is filled with joy. It gives the public permission to do so.
Sure.
I think we did the same. We’ve been traveling with Aretha for three acts and we know she has this pain that she doesn’t let go. We’re just waiting for her to be released. So when we see that, we are with her. We know what drives her, even if her family doesn’t.
It also helps that you have Audra McDonald and Jennifer Hudson there.
It helps a lot, doesn’t it?
[Laughter]
I can’t even imagine. It’s so moving. You touched me in this scene. Now I want to ask — I believe we’re both members of the queer community.
We are.
Tituss Burgess stars as Reverend James Cleveland and Jennifer Hudson stars as Aretha Franklin in
RESPECT. A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Photo credit: Quantrell D. Colbert
© 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All rights reserved
Glad to have you on the team. It’s also worth mentioning that Aretha’s career was shaped by a number of gay men, especially James Cleveland, played by Titus Burgess in the film. Why is Aretha and her music aimed at an LGBTQ audience? Is it just his bravery? Or is it something deeper?
I think – and I hope the film makes it clear – Aretha was born with a level of genius.
Absoutely.
At five, she could play anything she heard and was surrounded by musical royalty – God knows what she took in. But what struck me was that his sister and brother grew up in this same environment. In a way, she rose above to become this extraordinary talent. I think it’s because from an early age she used music to heal her pain. As she grew as an artist, she learned to shape her voice to express whatever she went through. Her knowledge of music, the way she knew how to move an audience, “Respect” could be a hymn across ages, races, continents. You listen to this, and she talks about the pain you are going through.
Definitely right.
There is not a person on this planet who does not want, at some point in their life, respect, or who does not feel grief. Her special voice, her special gift, her ability to use everything she learned in the church to translate, made her the queen of soul of all time.
I like this. You already mentioned Liesl, your manager. You have a long-standing relationship with Liesl, your director you’ve known since 1998. Tell me about that… how do you challenge each other?
We have worked closely on a number of projects, especially my passion game The good nigger. She realized it, and it was like four years of hard work. We just learned — I don’t know, it evolved into a relationship of mutual trust and respect. I know she gives me a rating because she wants it to be the best it can be. It does not come from the ego. I know her style, she knows my style. We can always be honest with each other because we have a strong friendship. And when there is tension, we know we can fix it.
It’s nice.
I think what she always tries, what we want, is to bring out the best in each other. And it’s really huge. It’s not something you always have with someone you’ve never worked with before. It is really precious.
Hailey Kilgore as Carolyn Franklin, Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin and Saycon Sengbloh as Erma Franklin in RESPECT. A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Photo credit: Quantrell D. Colbert
I would say so. These creative partnerships are special, so stick with them.
I’m going to try.
So, because this is your first film, and because it’s a high profile project on an icon, what do you learn about your abilities to just go through the process?
I think I learned that I am stronger than I thought I was. I learned to silence the sad voice in my head that says, “You can’t do this, you’re an impostor. Failure. “I learned to shut that up, which is really powerful. I also reconnected with my spiritual side. I am also a preacher’s child, and many times during this process I have. was forced to kneel down because I had no strength left. So, the same way Aretha did, I reconnected with that part of …
