Original-Cin Q&A: Lou Gossett Jr. on The Cuban, working with Canadians and lessons from a 117-year-old great-grandmother
At 84, Oscar winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. shows no intentions of slowing down.
Gossett stars in the new Canadian film, The Cuban which tells the story of a young Afghan immigrant who gets her first job in a nursing home and meets an elderly Cuban jazz musician named Luis (Gossett). Luis has Alzheimer’s and dementia.
When the young woman (Ana Golja) realizes music triggers Luis’ memories, she uses it to break him out of his dementia and to create moments of lucidity and joy.
The Cuban stars Golja, Oscar nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog), Lauren Holly and Giacomo Gianniotti, alongside Gossett.
Luis (Louis Gossett Jr.) gets a musical memory jog from his caregiver Mina (Ana Golja) in The Cuban
Our Bonnie Laufer caught up with Gossett via ZOOM from his temporary home in Georgia to discuss The Cuban and his extraordinary life.
The Cuban kicks off a Canada-wide drive-in theatre summer tour on Tuesday the 28th at the 5 Drive-In in Oakville with more dates at the 5 Drive-in tba. Additional dates currently confirmed include the Newmarket Drive In on Aug 5th, the Sunset Barrie Drive In on Aug 11th, and Starlite Drive-In Stoney Creek Drive In on Aug 19th.
The movie is also starting to book some indoor cinemas and is showing at the Regina Rainbow Theatre Aug. 14-16 and the Roxy in Saskatoon on Aug 15th.
The Cuban will come out on VOD in Oct/Nov.
ORIGINAL-CIN: You have been a part of Canadian productions before, but I understand that for The Cuban, you were pretty much stalked by your co-star and producer Ana Golja.
LOUIS GOSSETT JR.: “Ana and my new favourite director Sergio Navarretta, they were following me all over the place trying to get me to be in this movie. I started to wonder, ‘Why are these two kids following me and what do they want?’
“They were very persistent but they finally got me the script and then after that it was all history!”
OC: Ana is wonderful in the film as well. It looked like you created a special bond.
GOSSETT: “That girl is so wonderful and so nice. She is Judy Garland with her brains on straight! She's so talented, she sings, she acts, she dances and produces. She was truly amazing.”
“Then the director, Sergio, was also unbelievable. Nobody can be that nice! I was thinking there has to be something wrong here.” (Laughs)
OC: No surprise being Canadian, but looking back on your career you never had somebody that nice that you worked with before this?
Louis Gossett Jr.
GOSSETT: Oh, yeah, but there was always something wrong, always something elusive about them. Sergio and Ana were open, honest, I totally connected with them. What a breath of fresh air. I want to work with them both again.”
OC: When you first read this script and you saw that your character has dementia and Alzheimer’s, how did it resonate with you. Were you in any way nervous about getting this right?
GOSSETT: “It was very important for me to get it right. People struggle with this illness everywhere. To be honest, I wanted to go back and look at some of the performances of people I respect.
“Robert De Niro's performance in the 1996 film, Awakenings was brilliant and gave me the confidence to play Luis. It wasn’t one of his bigger films, but it certainly was memorable and effective.
“I’ll always remember that moment when he was sitting at the table when he went into his Alzheimer’s. It was method acting and it doesn’t look like he's actually acting at all. It was so natural, effortless. He's one of the finest actors in the world.
“He was brilliant and I remember thinking, ‘I want that opportunity.’ So, I put that in the back of my mind that if anything like that ever came my way, I would grab it. I’m at that age now to be sensitive to it, so it was important to get it right and be respectful.”
OC: The fabulous music in The Cuban not only connects with your character, but I am sure it connected with you on a personal level as well.
GOSSETT: “It certainly did. It took me back to my childhood and teenage years in Brooklyn, New York. I learned the merengue and the Cha-cha-cha. Wow, what memories.
“It’s how I got my dates, and it was a huge part of my social life growing up. I was so fortunate to know all that music then. And now it's come around full circle. It brought me back to my roots and it was a thrill to relive those personal memories while making The Cuban in Canada.”
“I'm very grateful that I had the opportunity to live in Canada for two years. I made The Book of Negroes and The James Mink Story in Toronto and have had the privilege of working with actors who are artists and are real serious about the work. There's a purity right across the country and it's always a pleasure working with Canadians.”
OC: You are 84 years young and your great grandmother, the woman who raised you and your cousins, lived to be 117! What did your great-grandmother teach you that has stayed with you through your entire life?
GOSSETT: “She was a great woman and I learned a lot from her. She only lied to me one time.”
OC: What was that? What was the lie?
GOSSETT: “She said, ‘This is gonna hurt me more than it’s gonna hurt you!’ (Laughs).
“She was an amazing woman who was responsible for me and my cousins. During the day when the slaves were freed in Georgia, she was in the streets and a wagon went over her hand and took off a quarter of her finger. So when she used that finger and when she pointed to somebody, we knew exactly who she was pointing at. It was the most powerful thing I had ever seen.
“Whatever she did was so effective, even just by pointing that half finger. She taught me that less is more and that is the credo that i have taken with me my whole life.”
OC: I was 14 when the mini-series Roots came out. And trust me, it was event television watching at that time. Not like today, where you can binge a whole series in one day. This was something I looked forward to watching.
Your role as Fiddler was so memorable. How did working on a show like that affect you personally and change your life?
GOSSETT: “Roots was a continuation of the teachings of people, my great grandma and her husband who died when he was 90. Again, less is more, but when you do something you do it completely. It taught me to be proud of what I’ve done, be proud of your work and if you aren't then don't do it.”
“I can apply that to so many of my great colleagues, the Morgan Freemans, the Christopher Plummers, the Robert DeNiros. They are role models and artists that you respect.
“Sure they work hard, but they make it look effortless and they're the finest artists around the world. They learn that from their roots.”
OC It was a great moment in history when you won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for your performance in, An Officer and Gentleman more than 30 years ago. So - enquiring minds want to know. Where do you keep your Academy Award?
GOSSETT: “Well right now, it’s actually in storage, because I have been in quarantine in Georgia since the pandemic started.
“I will be moving to a different home. But as soon as it’s all clear to move, I will display it proudly along with my Golden Globes, and my Emmy Awards, so that everyone can see them front and center.”