American actor, Jussie Smollett attended a screening of his new film B-Boy Blues at the AMC Magic Johnson Harlem multiplex in New York City. This is his first red carpet since his alleged 2019 hate crime attack in Chicago.
The actor dressed in a black turtleneck and gray jacket for the event. This is his first time directing a film. He previously directed two episodes of Empire as well as several music videos.
He wrote on his Instagram story,
“Beyond humbled by last night’s screening. To see all the love for the film is crazy beautiful. More to come while I catch up but to everyone who came out last night with so much love and community … on behalf of everyone @bboybluesthefilm, Thank you. We love y’all. Now to find a home for it so the whole world can see.”
On her Instagram Story, Smollett’s sister, Jurnee Smollett, also commended the film. Shw wrote,
“So proud of you @jussiesmollett!! Congrats on making your feature directorial debut with @bboybluesthefilm! Can’t wait for the world to see the magic you all have created in this film!”
B-Boy Blues is movie adaption of James Earl Hardy’s best-selling 1994 novel of the same name. It was produced through Smollett’s SuperMassive Movies, along with Hardy and others. It tells the story of the complicated relationship between Mitchell Crawford, a 27-year-old journalist, and Raheim Rivers, a 21-year-old bike messenger and banjee boy, sometimes known as a B-boy. The duo fall in love after meeting in a gay bar in Greenwich Village in the summer of 1993 but are soon faced with a world of homophobia and violence.
This is coming just days before the actor is set to go to court over the charges against him regarding the alleged hate crime he said he was involved in back in 2019. The trial is set to begin on Nov. 29.
Smollett is an openly gay Black actor. The Empire alum was indicted in March 2019 for allegedly filing a false report in Chicago. This happened after he claimed two men attacked him on Jan. 29, 2019, while spewing racist and homophobic slurs.