LaKeith Stanfield is getting transparent about his time filming the much-talked-about Netflix Black Western film “The Harder They Fall.”
In a lengthy post uploaded to his Instagram page on the afternoon of Nov. 4, the “Get Out” actor revealed that during production he was in “a pretty bad space mentally” and unable to “see what life had in store to teach me about myself that I needed to know.”
However, during filming, the 30-year-old said he did find joy in working with the horses on set. The California native attached a clip of himself atop one embracing before being approached by fellow co-star Jonathan Majors.
“I loved the horses so much because of their silent strength and beautiful patience with my reluctant fear at having never rode a horse before..” he continued. “They weren’t shy in making me be great.” He later detailed an incident with one of the horses he named “Magnolia” bucking him off, and in that moment the star says “I heard him loud and clearly. BE STRONG OR GET OFF. ”
“I took control of the reigns and eventually we bonded so much so that it was emotional for me to leave the farm once i wrapped. Inlove how they don’t judge you. I love how they are always reliable and unconditional. Now all i had to do was learn to take control of my life in the same way. What better team to create such a profound memory with in J and the talented cast,” he went on.
The star said the sadness he dealt with was evident “if you look closely into the eyes of Cherokee.” He revealed that, “Everyday on set i was experiencing crippling anxiety and suffering silently inside” and that he would “drink every night after work and try to laugh off” the pain.”
Drawing motivation from “The real Cherokee” Stanfield said he kept “Fighting as i thought about how he had to fight to survive. How the youth in Chicago has to fight everyday to survive.”
The star concluded his post applauding himself on “fighting through the trauma to get to myself. Here’s to almost 6 months sober. Here’s to the fact that the bigger the goal God has for them, the taller they stand and, The Harder They Fall.”
“The Harder They Fall” stars Stanfield, Majors, Idris Elba, Regina King, Zazie Beetz, Delroy Lindo, and more. Roc-Nation general Jay-Z also serves as a producer in the movie now streaming on Netflix.
