Derek Luke Discusses Reuniting With Katie Holmes for ‘Rare Objects,’ Fatherhood as Heroism and Rejoining Marvel
14.04.2023 - 23:17
/ variety.com
Sophia Scorziello editor Derek Luke always knew he wanted to be a hero — or rather, play one. But when the opportunity for him to join the Marvel universe arose in 2011’s “Captain America: The First Avenger,” he wasn’t so sure — even after his agent, the late Ed Limato, insisted. “If he sent me something, he would say, ‘Do you like it? Alright we’ll get him next time, kiddo, no pressure,’” Luke says. “This was the only script that he said, ‘You need to do this. And I’m like, ‘No. Absolutely not. First of all, Marvel, like, what is that?’” Limato was firm, so Luke took a meeting with Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige. Upon entering his office, Luke’s eyes were drawn to a section of the wall full of Black characters, ones he didn’t even know existed. Luke leaned in and took the role.
“I think that’s what drew me to the business — that I wanted to be a hero, especially to my community,” Luke says. “Whether that was with superpowers or just fulfilling my dreams, I always desire to play a hero.” One of Limato’s other clients was Denzel Washington, who launched Luke’s career when he cast the young actor in the titular role of the 2002 biographical drama “Antwone Fisher,” Washington’s feature directorial debut. From there, Luke has played a series of grounded, human-scaled roles, from Katie Holmes’ boyfriend in 2003’s “Pieces of April” to the guidance counselor Mr. Porter on the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.” This month, Luke is appearing in two projects that have allowed him to further explore what it means to be a leader: Rejoining Holmes for a supporting role as an antiques dealer in her film “Rare Objects,” premiering today, and starring in the Disney+ series “The Crossover,” which debuted April 5. On “The Crossover,”
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