BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — “The Wire” actor Gbenga Akinnagbe is taking Bed-Stuy to the big screen in a film that highlights one man’s struggle with mental illness.
Akinnagbe, who’s known for his role as Chris Partlow on the HBO series, plays Brooklyn native Langston Bellows in the upcoming movie “Knucklehead.”
The independent film follows Bellows through the borough’s Roosevelt Houses as he strives for independence from his abusive mother, his neighborhood and his unstable mind.
“It’s one man’s journey to fix himself of something that cannot be fixed,” Akinnagbe said.
“In these poorer neighborhoods, people are often not diagnosed and I’ve always been inspired by people who are trying to do the best they can with what they have. This is about the triumph of the human spirit.”
The Bed-Stuy resident was so drawn to the script in 2008 that he convinced director Ben Bowman to revive the film years after the project was initially scrapped.
Akinnagbe produced the movie and enlisted the support of fellow activist and “12 Years a Slave” star Alfre Woodard, who eventually signed on for the role of Bellow’s mother.
“At one point Gbenga and I lived just two blocks from each other and he really chased me down to bring this vision back to life,” Bowman said.
“We’re dealing with real issues here with developmental disorders — these are people you see on the subway, maybe someone you know in your family, but what we don’t know is what that person’s life is like.”
After his brother is shot, the main character is left without a protector in his neighborhood and sets out to find the one doctor who he believes can cure him of his medical issues. The film deals with the dark side of pharmaceutical marketing, as well as the quest for self-discovery, Bowman added.
The director penned the script with the help of fellow writer Bryan Abrams after studying under the tutelage of Spike Lee.
“It’s not an accident that I studied under Spike Lee and made a movie about Bed-Stuy,” Bowman said.
“I got captivated by it. It was an inspiration for me to make a really good movie that’s socially relevant and entertaining.
“The quality of shooting in the neighborhood is that there are a lot of horrifying things happening all over the world, but this is a credible glance at what lives are like in the places we frequently don’t look.”
“Knucklehead” premieres at BAM's New Voices in Black Cinema on March 26. For tickets to the film and a Q&A with Akinnagbe and Bowman, visit BAM’s website.
