In Conversation With: Reggie Yates
Last week I had the privilege of heading to a press screening of Reggie Yates’ directorial debut PIRATES, and then sitting down to speak with him about what I saw. Let me tell you guys, this film is joy. Set on New Year’s Eve 1999, it follows three best friends on a journey across London to get into the biggest Millennium Eve party in town. Exploring identity, relationships, growing up and growing apart, it is full of heart, unapologetically Black and outrageously funny. It’s a film that showcases the very best of UK cinema. I think Reggie smashed it out the park. Enough from me though, here he is, in conversation.
Brianna (TBP)
Hey! How's it all going?
Reggie
Yeah, good. It's been a busy day, lots of interviews, but all very cool. It's, it's nice to be able to talk about something you're proud of, you know,
Brianna (TBP)
I saw it yesterday. And it's wicked.
Reggie
Thank you very much, it's very kind. Thank you.
Brianna (TBP)
Literally every person in the room was laughing pretty much from start to finish, which was just such a gorgeous feeling. You know, we've had a really difficult 18 months, everyone. So to be in a room of people just genuinely joyous. Thank you for that.
Reggie
That's very, very kind. I mean, that was the plan, you know, to try and create something that gave people an escape, gave people something fun to enjoy. And, I mean, the last time I watched this with an audience was Monday night, the premiere. And it was lovely, because it's the biggest audience I've seen the film with and to see that many people really get off on what it is that we as a team created is awesome. So yeah, I'm a very happy boy at this point. So that's just taken me even higher. Thank you. That's kind.
Brianna (TBP)
You're welcome! So people may not know that it's not just your directing debut, you also wrote this film, when did the story sort of start forming for you?
Reggie
As long as I can remember, really, I mean, the story specifically, is something that wasn't that long ago, writing a story about these three young men was something that I decided to do fairly recently. But the world is definitely something I've wanted to see on the big screen for as long as I can remember, because I've always thought that, you know, this version of London that I exist in, that I grew up in, is fun. It's funny. There's stuff in there that a lot of people might see themselves in. So for as long as I can remember, it was something that I thought would work really well on the big screen.
Brianna (TBP)
So how long did it take from conception of idea to actually getting yourself onto a film set with a cast and making this thing?
Reggie
I actually don't know. I genuinely don't know the answer to that one, because, you know, development takes such a long time. And you're always working on several things at once. But it was a relatively quick process, according to my producers, because most films are in development for years and years and years. And that just wasn't the case with this. I was - I've been in development for quite a long time on another project. And the minute that I pitched this one, it was taken in quite quickly. And we ended up, the process ended up being quite quite quick, quite quickly - I've been speaking a lot today forgive me.
Brianna (TBP)
It's okay!
Reggie
It ended up being quite quick off the back of me pitching. In comparison to my other projects, nothing has moved as fast.
Brianna (TBP)
So you said just now that you're a London boy through and through how much of this film and the story reflects your own time growing up? Like, is there quite a lot of you in any of these characters?
Reggie
Yeah, there's me in every character. From Princess in the Caribbean takeout right the way through to Kidda, you know, this is essentially an amalgamation of my world, the school that I went to, family members, it's just all of those things were piled in. And the energy and attitude of those characters in that world is what I feel has made this, has helped to make this film something that people are resonating with, because we just don't get to see that on the big screen.
Brianna (TBP)
You're right, we really don't and we should see more of it. 100%
Reggie
Yeah, hopefully it feels like there's lots of filmmakers doing interesting stuff at the moment. So you know, that perspective is something that I'm not the only person that has experienced. I'm not the only person that has experienced that perspective. And it feels like it's starting to come through in the work of others as well, which is really cool.
Brianna (TBP)
So I recently did in conversation with Ryan Calais Cameron about a play that he'd just done. And in it, he talked about how important it was for him to create space for black boys to play. And as I was watching your film, I thought back to what he said because that came across to me as well when I was watching it, that it felt really organic. Was that idea of creating a safe space for your actors to play and improvise. Was that quite important to you in the creation of this?
Reggie
Absolutely. Yeah, I mean, I started out as an actor, myself, and I had some really difficult moments on sets over the years where people didn't really understand the character they were asking me to play because you know, they didn't know any black men or black boys specifically. There would be moments where I'd be onset saying, "I wouldn't say that, this character wouldn't say that" and there being quite a cold reception. That was the exact opposite of what I wanted to create when it came to my guys, and the environment that I created on set. So this process was massively collaborative. And the boys definitely felt that they had freedom to not only express themselves, but to push back on ideas that were already in the script that I thought were great. And for it to be a conversation, and the boys are all really, really talented when it comes to improvisation. And as a result, I feel like we've got something quite special on our hands, because it feels organic. And it feels like, you know, there was something in the air on set, which was definitely the case.
Brianna (TBP)
It definitely came across. Because as I was watching it, I was thinking, I genuinely love UK cinema in a way that I don't, I don't get the same feeling about other cinema. And I think it is the fact that it does feel more organic, it feels more rooted in heart. And this film is a perfect example of why I love cinema out of the UK, you've done such a good job with it.
Reggie
Thank you, that's that's genuinely, really, really, really, really, really kind. Because we're a tiny movie, we don't have a massive budget, you know, we didn't have loads of money to spend. But we made the best of what we had. And because we've got such talented on screen talent, it really lands I think, in a lot of ways that we've not really seen before. So I'm just really excited about the prospect of it finding an audience. And the truth is, it may not find an audience. The truth is people may not go and see it, but if they do, I'm hoping that they get something out of it, that they've not really been able to get from other projects.
Brianna (TBP)
So I just spoke to the boys just before this. And all three of them said that what drew them to this project was the fact that you were attached to it, that it's your project. Because for them, they're the same sort of age as me I'm 24. And when they were growing up, the representation they had was you.
Reggie
That's crazy.
Brianna (TBP)
When you were on set, were you kind of aware of that, like the weight of the fact that for these kids growing up, you were kind of who they looked up to?
Reggie
Yeah, I mean, that was a reality that I pushed back on for quite some time prior to Pirates, because from a young age, I've been reminded of that fact, by random mums in the street.
Both
(Laugh)
Reggie
I'm a role model for their kids. And as a teenager, I pushed back on it because I didn't want that responsibility. But long before I met the boys, long before I was on the set of pirates, I realized that that was out of my hands. And in accepting that it just makes you move differently, it makes you behave in a different way. And coming into this, I recognized that I had to fulfill a role on set as the captain of the ship, so to speak as a director. And not just be there for them on set, but be there for them outside of that because this could and should be a big thing for them. The boys are leading a movie for the first time, young black boys don't really get that opportunity on a regular basis. So I'm just really, really glad that we not only got talented actors, but we picked good people. These young men are good people. So I'm just excited about what might come next for them.
Brianna (TBP)
Speaking of the directing journey, when you first decided you were going to do it, what did you anticipate would be the most challenging part? And what were you most looking forward to? And then when you got into it, did that change?
Reggie
No, I mean, it's, I tried not to guess what would be difficult about the process, because you just never really know, you know. I've made four short films, which just didn't compare because the scale was so different. And, you know, the challenges were so different when it comes to shorts. But the thing that really surprised me about all of this was that every every part of the process, I was convinced was the most fun, was my favorite bit. It was like one minute I'm saying, "Oh my god, I'm loving pre production, doing all this planning" and then you're on set and you're like, "Oh my god, being on sets the best thing", and then you're in the edit suite, and it's like, "Oh my god, this is brilliant. Just get to sit in a room and play all day. This is fantastic." And then you do the sound mix and then you do the grade and it's like ahh all of this is great. The hardest bit has been press. If I'm going to be honest, not because I don't like talking about the film, but because I love talking about the film. I think the hardest thing is trying to boil down what it is you've spent so long working on in an answer, you know, and that's near impossible. Because you know, you've seen the film so you know that we got very lucky, captured lightning in a bottle and what these, what these boys have done in terms of their chemistry is quite hard to talk about if you've not seen it. That's, that's been the hardest thing. Sort of being able to reflect how special what we had on set was and how special what they've done on camera actually is.
Brianna (TBP)
For sure, but then I think the best way you can say it is to say, you're gonna have to go and see it! You're gonna have to go watch it to know what we're talking about.
Reggie
Yeah, I'll use that line now. Yeah.
Both
(Laugh)
Brianna (TBP)
And so personally, I think there's a huge amount of power in stories, I think, you know, they're the most human thing about us. We've done it forever. And I think there's a lot to gain from telling stories and sharing stories. What do you feel like personally, you gain the most from telling the story?
Reggie
Just the, the really strong sense of excitement in terms of giving these young men a platform. That's been one of the biggest things for me. Knowing that they're at the beginnings of their career, and people are going to see their work, and hopefully fall in love with them as actors, because they are all so talented, and so different. And they've all got the potential to really do something special with their career. So I'm excited for them more than anything else.
Brianna (TBP)
And finally, we're coming to the end of our 15 minutes. This film, and The Black Project are quite aligned in our dedication to Black joy. You know, there's the all of the other stuff that comes with being black. But the focus on Black joy is so important to me. So something I ask everyone that does an In Conversation With is: What does being black mean to you, and what is black joy for you?
Reggie
It's family, it's food, it's music. It's those three things. They are intrinsic to my upbringing. They're a huge part of my culture, being Ghanaian, and they all make me feel good in a way that I don't think anything else can. That's what it is. It's family, it's food, it's music, and they're all sort of intertwined. Because whenever I'm with family, there's music and food. You know, whenever I'm listening to music, I'm probably having the best time because I'm with my family. And we probably get some food once we're tired of dancing. You know, those three things are interlinked in a lot of ways.
Brianna (TBP)
Yeah, for sure. 100% On that note, because I know that was gonna be my last question, but: Plantain or Plantin?
Reggie
You're talking to a Ghanaian boy. Plantain all day.
Brianna (TBP)
Agreed! Well, thank you very much for your time.
Reggie
No problem at all. Thank you so much.
Brianna (TBP)
Thank you have a good rest of your day.
Reggie
Thank you. Lovely to talk to you, bye!
Pirates is in cinemas everywhere from Friday November 26th 2021. Click here to book your tickets. To enter our Cineworld Unlimited competition, click here for the details.