Benjamin Booker — Believe
A feeling about Ben.
The first time I met Ben, I could tell I was in the presence of a very special performer. He’d never acted on camera, but my gut was telling me not only did he have it in him, but we could potentially uncover a real star. After a lot of convincing he agreed to play the lead in a ten-minute, narrative-led music video concept I’d written. By the time we made Believe, we’d built such immense trust in each other that I knew I could push him even further. It’s become one of my favourite performances I’ve ever put on film. And that gut feeling proved somewhat prophetic: Jeff Nichols, director of Midnight Special and The Bikeriders, saw Ben in those videos and cast him in his first Hollywood movie, Loving, alongside Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga.