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2019 Independent Spirit Awards Press Room

Source: Brian To/WENN.com / WENN

Amazon Prime’s The Underground Railroad from Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins debuted on the streaming platform May 14. The young actor Chase Dillion, who plays Homer in the series shares how influential the direction of Barry Jenkins has played in his career.

The series based upon the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad is a new show on Amazon Prime, which chronicles Cora Randall’s desperate bid for freedom in the Antebellum South. After escaping a Georgia plantation toward the rumored Underground Railroad, Cora boards a train embarking on a harrowing trip as she seeks true freedom while being hunted by a notorious slave catcher.

Dillon, who is most known for his role in First Wives Club in 2019 and That Damn Michael Che, details working with Jenkins and how he has encouraged him to be a better actor. Dillon also mentions he influenced him to eventually get into directing and writing himself as he continues to matriculate through the television and film industries.

Barry Jenkins is a film director, screenwriter, and producer, who is most known for his work with Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk and most recently, Charm City Kings. All of Jenkins work thus far has left a noticeable impression on film. Jenkins seems to be thoughtful and intentional in telling stories that reflect his life as a Black man.

Before becoming the award-winning filmmaker that he is today, the Miami native worked as an assistant at Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films learning from some of the greats in the business. After making his filmmaking debut with the short film My Josephine, he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Feature for Medicine for Melancholy. He has since won several awards from the Academy, NAACP, Writers Guild of America, and many more.

Jenkins expressed his love for Dillon reposting the tweet from the series adding a few endearing words and emojis, “This kid man.” It’s great to see Black men influencing the next generation of Black talent in entertainment.

Watch: ‘The Underground Railroad’ Actor Chase Dillon Shares How Influential Barry Jenkins Has Been In His Career  was originally published on globalgrind.com