John Legend will step into the shoes of one of the 20th century’s most influential entertainers and civil rights activists in Bill Condon’s new film, “The Road Home.” The EGOT winner has been cast as Harry Belafonte in the new drama film centered on the politics and controversy surrounding Paul Simon’s landmark 1986 album “Graceland.”
Filming is currently underway in South Africa. In a statement, “The Voice” coach called it an honor to have known Belafonte personally. He described him as a friend, mentor, and collaborator in the fight for justice.
“He inspired me so much personally,” he said. “I learned at his feet basically about all of the great work he’s done over the years, and if you think about what it means to be an artist and an activist he was literally the epitome of what that was.”
A Story Told Through Hugh Masekela’s Eyes
Rather than focusing on Simon himself, “The Road Home” follows the story primarily through the eyes of exiled South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. South African actor Thabo Rametsi will play Masekela in the film.
In the mid-1980s, Simon (played by Johnny Flynn) traveled to apartheid-era South Africa to record with local musicians to produce “Graceland.” However, despite the album’s Grammy win, the album ignited major backlash. The International Anti-Apartheid Movement accused him of violating the United Nations’ cultural boycott of the country as a result of his recording there.
The film follows Masekela as he is torn between his mentor, Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (played by Guy Peace). Masekela holds his own beliefs that music itself could serve as a tool in the broader struggle. Joined by fellow exile and longtime collaborator Miriam “Mama Africa” Makeba, played by Cynthia Erivo, they form the Graceland band to carry South African music to a global audience.
Rooted in Real History and Friendship
Belafonte’s role in the story, as John Legend will portray, is rooted in real history. He advised Simon during the making of “Graceland,” given the controversy the project was likely to stir. He and producer Quincy Jones encouraged Simon to move forward with the project with the African National Congress’ approval. Belafonte’s decades-long friendship with Masekela began in the early 1960s after Masekela fled to New York in exile.
Belafonte died in 2023 at age 96, having spent most of his career as a singer and actor to advocate for civil rights both in the US and abroad. John Legend has spoken about Belafonte’s work with clear personal reverence in the past. Legend said the two had become friends for about 10 years before the activist’s passing.
“He used his platform in an almost subversive way to sneak messages in there of protest and revolution in everything he did,” Legend said. “He used those resources to fund the Civil Rights movement. He would show up with bags of cash for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other people who were marching with him when people’s lives were being taken for supporting that movement.”
