On the Come Up director and star talk upcoming coming-of-age film

We have a brand new coming-of-age movie set to release on Paramount+ with On the Come Up. I had the pleasure of sitting down with the star of the film Jamila Gray, and director Sanaa Lathan.

On the Come Up follows Bri, a sixteen-year-old who wants to follow in the footsteps of her late father and become the greatest rapper alive. On her way up, Bri faces the challenges of home life and making the right choices. The film is directed by Sanaa Lathan and also stars Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Cliff Smith.

One of the things that stood out the most within the film was that we had a first-time feature film director Sanaa Lathan paired with a lead in Jamila Gray, making her feature film lead debut, and it didn’t feel like that one bit. When watching the movie, it felt like we had a veteran behind the camera leading a veteran actress who had been doing this for a long time.

"An excerpt from my review: That said, you won’t find many performances that equate to the star-making turn we get from Jamila Gray. It is mind-blowing to think she made her feature film debut because she commanded the screen like a pro. I am in awe of the layers within the role of Bri that she was capable of bringing out. There are moments in this film she brought me to my knees. Gray is about to be on the come-up, and no one will be able to stop her."

On the Come Up interview with Jamila Gray and director Sanaa Lathan

Check out the video version of the interview here.

Hidden Remote: What was it about Bri that made you want to audition for the part? 

Jamila Gray: She just felt very familiar to me. The moment I got the script, I felt like I knew this girl and would love to play that role.

Hidden Remote: My favorite thing about the film was how you shot the rap battles. How important was it for you to have us in the middle of those battles instead of the outside looking in? 

Sanaa Lathan: I feel like it’s an exciting art form and it’s so different from regular radio hip hop. It’s like a boxing match, like a dance. We rehearsed it as much as we could, camera-wise, blocking-wise and just let it fly. It was interesting because we had a lot of extras. So many reactions from around the ring we got were real because they were watching the battle. I just wanted it to be as authentic as possible.

Hidden Remote: The cast is loaded top to bottom, but your relationship with Da’Vine Joy Randolph is impactful, what was it like working next to her? 

Jamila Gray: She is a phenomenal actress and I learned so much from her. When you are around great actors, it just rubs off on you. She is so free on camera and such a funny person to be around. So entertaining and I love her work.

On the Come Up will be available on Paramount+ on September 23.