Photo: Getty
Lakeith Stanfieldhad to prioritize his mental health after starring inJudas and the Black Messiah.
Ina new interview withLevel, Stanfield said that having to betray Kaluuya’s real-life character, while playing O’Neal, felt too real during the making of the acclaimed film.
“In the scene where I had to poison him, a lot of it didn’t end up making it to the final cut, but we shot [me mixing it in] Kool-Aid, and I had to go through all those emotions,” Stanfield, 29, recalled. “With somebody like Daniel, who I just respect as a human and an artist, as Fred Hampton, it felt like I was actually poisoning Chairman Fred Hampton.”
Warner Bros. Pictures
The intensity of the role impacted theKnives Outactor, making him rethink his approach with tackling future projects.
“So sometimes your body thinks that’s real, everything you’re putting it through. It’s no wonder I’ve been feeling so stressed out and having panic attacks. I realized going forward before I step into something like that again, maybe have a therapist,” Stanfield said.
He’s since been seeing a “really cool therapist” that has helped him sort through his intense experience making the drama.
“It’s great and perfect for me right now. Hopefully, it continues to be the case,” Stanfield said. “It’s helped me a lot. After doing press yesterday, I had another session and it was amazing.”
“It helps you unlock things about yourself. It’s not even necessarily about the person that you’re doing therapy with, but like you said, perspectives and strategies and tools that you didn’t have access to before,” he added.
Judas and the Black Messiahis playing in select theaters now and streaming on HBO Max.
source: people.com
