By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
The real-life story of Robert Peace is full of drama — perfect for a feature film.
Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor found Peace’s story so compelling that he directed a feature film about the man, “Rob Peace,” currently in theaters.
Ejiofor said he first encountered the story of Peace about 10 years ago when he read Jeff Hobbs’ biography, “The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace.” Hobbs was Peace’s roommate at Yale.
The film, adapted, directed, written and starring Academy Award-nominee Ejiofor (“12 Years A Slave”), features Jay Will in the title role. Will, who co-stars in the Sylvester Stallone television drama, “Tulsa King,” delivers such an emotionally gripping portrayal of Peace that the story lingers long after the credits have rolled.
The movie, Rob Peace, a true story of race and destiny, is based on the life of Peace, who was raised in an impoverished area of East Orange, New Jersey. It begins when he is a young boy who idolizes his father, played by Chiwetel.
Peace was a brilliant child who grew into a brilliant man who was obsessed with numbers and science.
His father, Skeet, was a drug dealer, and his mother, Jackie Peace, played by Mary J. Blige, worked three jobs to make ends meet and send her son to a private school.
When Peace was a kid, his father was accused of a double murder and imprisoned. Peace, who was devastated, promised his father he would do everything he could to get him out — and he did — temporarily.
Over the years, Peace, who went to Yale on scholarship to study molecular biology with the hopes of curing cancer one day, puts his bright future at risk to help his imprisoned father.
He does it by selling marijuana to his preppy classmates. His obsession with getting his father out of prison is palpable.
“I understand it,” Will said. “I’d ride for people I love no matter what.”
Tragically, when Peace was 30, he was murdered in a drug-related shooting during a home invasion.
Will, who is immensely charismatic as Peace, said he wanted to play the role because he understands the character.
“I got an email from my agent about the movie,” Will said. “I read the script. There was no hassle to make this real. This is me. This is my cousin. I relate to this spirit, the essence. It’s an original story. It’s different.
“It has a duality of complexity and simplicity. This is the Black experience. We haven’t seen the brilliance that Rob had. To see someone that comes from our community, who can wear a doo rag in a college laboratory and tell white boys their calculations are wrong, tighten up their do-rag and walk out.”
To understand who Rob Peace was as a person, Will said he did a bunch of research, which included speaking to the people who knew him best — his family.
“I researched a lot of news coverage,” Will said. “I messaged his family on Facebook and asked if I could interview them. I asked if I could come to the crib and speak to them. You have to go through things the right way. I’m standing on respect. Respect was the spiritual currency I was interested in. I wanted to get their blessing.”
Will said the family agreed to meet.
“They said, ‘Yeah, come through,’” Will said. “It was raining and it was cold. I took a bunch of trains that I had never taken before. This was the route that Rob took.
“I got to his crib and I took it all in. I went through the metal gate and I’m already feeling the sensory elements. His uncle welcomed me right on in. His mom, Jackie, came in. I stood there and allowed her to take it in. I felt chills. I felt the energy. It’s the house he grew up in.”
Will said he told Jackie Peace that he wanted to honor Rob Peace’s life.
“They never agreed, but they never said no,” Will said. “I wanted them to know we’re all on the same page. I’m going to respect what we have here. I was never looking for anything. I didn’t have questions. I just wanted to honor and respect the mother.
“I felt nervous,” he added. “They told me he was friendly and could talk to anybody. His cousin came at me straight. She said, ‘He’s a real person.’ She gave me so much love after.”
Working with Ejiofor was a highlight for Will, who has admired the actor but has a newfound respect for him as a director.
“Chiwetel had me learning big old words,” Will said. “He would make me learn the ins and outs of what I’m talking about so when I say it, I’m not trying to act, it’s natural. When he took off his director hat, it was like night and day. He shifted. I felt blessed to be in the same room.”
He had equal praise for Mary J. Blige.
“Mary gave her all with this one,” he said. “Mary is a dream come true. It hasn’t quite registered fully that I was playing opposite Mary J. Blige. I’m going to cry.”
Will, whose high energy, excitement, and joy for life come through during our interview, learned a lot about himself working on the film.
“On an artistic level, I learned I can carry a movie,” he said. “This is my first one. I was able to carry one with Camilla (Cabello), Mary, and Chiwetel beside me. It surprised me.
“On a spiritual level, I learned that integrity is always the key component,” he added. “Things have to be done decently and in order. I wanted to be a pastor at one time. My father is a pastor. I wanted to change the lives of people outside of church. Those people need it the most. I’m blessed to know I can do it.”
With his present success heading skyward, things seem to be going Will’s way.
“Acting has allowed me to dive into different layers of myself,” said Will who graduated from Juilliard in 2021. “All of these stories are about flawed characters making flawed decisions.”
Will, who lives between his hometown of South Carolina, New York, and Atlanta, said throughout his career he has gotten what he expected from show business.
“I trained for 10 years in private,” he said. “It was just a matter of time. I felt it. I wrote it down on a piece of paper about 10 years ago. I just had to stay true to it. I’ve been gifted to call forth.”
“Rob Peace” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. It also stars Camila Cabello, Mare Winningham, Gbenga Akinnagbe and Michael Kelly.
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
