John Boyega and Teyonah Parris sat down with BLACK ENTERPRISE to talk about all the symbolism on display in their Jamie Foxx-assisted mystery “They Cloned Tyrone.”
The new sci-fi comedy follows a series of eerie events that thrusts an unlikely trio (John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx) onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy. Made as a genre-busting homage to the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s, Slick Charles (Foxx) Yo-Yo (Parris), and Fontaine (Boyega) join forces after uncovering what appears to be a cloned version of Fontaine.
The group soon takes notice of the focus an undercover organization has placed on their predominantly Black community. Directed by Juel Taylor, the comedy-mystery incorporates elements of satire, horror, and absurdist humor and serves as a “self-reflection” movie, according to Boyega.
“It’s a movie that gives you a stereotype and flips it on its head,” he told BLACK ENTERPRISE of the film’s central theme.
“So it speaks about sometimes our generalized perspective on people that we may not know.”
Boyega noted the Blaxploitation references throughout the film, along with the “comedy” that helps to lighten the mood. It was all a part of Taylor’s vision for the flick that comes jam-packed with symbolic messages that Parris said were “very much intentional.”
“For sure intentional from the names of some of the products to the way Joel was setting up certain shots,” she shared.
Dishing on what it was like to work with Foxx, who wasn’t present for the junket following his hospitalization earlier this year for an undisclosed medical emergency, Boyega and Parris recalled how the veteran actor would crack jokes on set that had everyone laughing.
They also noted the deep debates and conversations that will come from the film’s government conspiracy tie-in.
“I think those conversations are just going to keep on going,” Boyega said.
“But I do think at the same time that they will have a laugh too. They will also embrace the comedy and the Jamie Foxx of it all.”
Press play below for the full interview and be sure to watch “They Cloned Tyrone” when it premieres on Netflix on Friday, July 21.
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