by Kenya M. Yarbrough

Newcomer Derek Luke has astounded audiences with his portrayal in the title role of “Antwone Fisher.” The film is the directorial debut for Academy Award winner Denzel Washington. The young actor was chosen from a number of actors after coming from a job in the Sony Pictures studio store, and going through five intense auditions before Washington himself said he was “it.”

In describing the moment Washington told him he’d been chosen for the part, Luke said he couldn’t believe it. He was working in the store and Washington came in to tell him the good news.

“Everybody [in the store] was hiding, the whole store was on freeze – customers and employees. Everyone knew his voice, he has that theater bass, and he was talking and everybody was listening,” Luke says. “My first reaction was I jumped up, screamed and squeezed the life out of Denzel. And when he walked off there was this roar.”

Luke ended up quitting his job in the store, but says that even though his dream of becoming a movie actor was coming to reality, he didn’t really intend on leaving the job. He says he was forced to quit because people kept coming to the store and calling and he couldn’t get any work done.

“I think that’s the first time I felt what a little fame was like,” Luke said and added, “I first saw my face in the Gap windows and liked to have fainted. When I saw the billboard for the first time, I wouldn’t stop hugging my picture. That was something.”

In the film, Luke plays the young adult Antwone Fisher, a real person who grew up and grew out of the foster system after some seriously abusive relationships. The real Fisher wrote his true story and approached Denzel about doing the movie. At around the same time, Fisher – who also worked on the studio lot – befriended the young aspiring actor, Luke. Coincidentally and incidentally, the three became the team behind the new film, and three-plus years later, Fisher’s story came to life on screen.

Luke explained that pressure on the set was twofold. The young actor says it was pretty tough working on a film about someone he actually knew, and working beside and for an Academy Award-winning actor.

“I had accessibility to Antwone, but I didn’t use him that much,” Luke said. “It was a different Antwone on script than the real-life Antwone,” he explained. “I thought I had the pleasure of imitating a man that I knew. But when I read the script, I realized I didn’t know him. I didn’t know the kid, the child, the young man Antwone who made the Antwone (of) today. So I was really tossed and I had to reach and dig in the script to find out who this guy was.”

The poignant story, uncovering the tragedies of a black male foster child, is one reason why the film is getting much acclaim. The powerful acting of Washington and Luke, and Washington’s direction are a few more reasons. Luke says that pressure from doing the true story justice and Washington’s admirable reputation in Hollywood played a part in his ambition for and dedication to the project.

“Everyday I was learning. Just the way [Denzel] spoke or the way he walked or carried himself on the set, you could learn a lot from him – and I did. I wanted to give him my best because he has given me his best for years – watching him on screen. I felt like I owed him the quality of the residue he’s left for all actors,” he said.

Still, Luke says that the pressure was actually a good thing.

“There was fear,” he admitted. “Actually I think it helped. Sometimes if it’s not there, you could think you’re untouchable, but I’m glad it allowed me to keep a balance in my character.”

After attending screenings of the film, Luke said he’s been approached by people who’ve dealt with the issues that his character dealt with in the film. He said that he is amazed by the power of filmmaking in that these people approached him with the feeling that he, Luke, went through the trials of Antwone Fisher. That’s a pretty big compliment – in that he apparently exuded Fisher’s pain and anguish in the film. But Luke admits that there is a degree of Antwone in him, which made the role a little easier to fit into.

“I think everybody has Antwone in them. Where [I] can relate, is the need to be confirmed, need for parents and family to be around.

“Antwone Fisher” opens nationwide on Jan. 10.