The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills set the stage for what was to be a fun and insightful afternoon of dialogue and inspirations between myself and the cast of RaMell Ross’ newest cinematic offering, Nickel Boys. We took up the space of the 12th floor, which had a stunning view of the 90210 zip code; several rooms were reserved for the junket specifically — rooms that hosted my four interviews of the day, RaMell Ross, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and a joint meeting with Ethan Heriss and Brandon Wilson.

Speaking on the emotionally weighty and highly relevant film, one would be forgiven for underestimating the gravity of the subject matter as all the talent involved seemed surprisingly upbeat, contrasting the tone of the movie. Arriving around the 3pm mark, I had a brief wait on a comfy sofa, pistachio cannoli, tiramisu, and some coffee-flavored pastry lived in another room beside mine. Eventually, it was showtime.

My first conversation of the day was with the outstanding Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who was a revelation in this film as Hattie, Elwood’s adoptive aunt (or Nana, as he affectionately refers to her as). “RaMell wrote something so specific, so I didn’t really have to find other sources for it, because it was in the words,” said Ellis-Taylor when I asked how she found the personality and voice of Hattie. “And I could just let my imagination do the rest of the work!”

Next on my list was the film’s director himself, RaMell Ross. I was curious what parallels he found between the novel that gave it relevance in today’s’ world. “For all intents and purposes,” Ross began, “that place [Nickel Academy] does not look like a place of horror… it’s something people of color sometimes feel when they’re in these institutional spaces in which they don’t know what can happen, anything’s possible. There’s violence in every Roman pillar, every Greek tinker — but it reads as so banal.”

“I think that two things can be true at once,” Ethan Harisse, who portrays Elwood in the film, contemplated over the treatment of African American’s from that time period up to now, “sure, in many different places we’ve seen advancements and progress, but I think there’s still lots of work to be done.”

What was it like on the set of Nickel Boys — a film shot on location with minimal special effects and a relatively tight cast?

“Beautiful,” co-star Brandon Wilson reminisced. “Full of joy and… lighthearted. A space to kind of play with these things that might be heavier, but then also a space to come back and feel that joy and feel like you’re supported by everyone on the set.”

Check out our full interviews with the cast and director of Nickel Boys below.