JACKSON, Miss. – Jackson native, Jackson State University alumni and current University of Southern Miss student, 21-year-old Julian Walker landed the lead role in Blackbird where he will perform alongside Oscar winner actress Mo’nique, also known as Precious’s abusive mother, actor Isaiah Washington and work with director Patrik-Ian Polk.
The movie presented its premier Sunday, February 16 at the Rave Cinema in Los Angeles. This was the official closing night film at the Pan African Film Festival. Blackbird was filmed in and around Hattiesburg and in Georgia.
The film is based off Larry Duplechan’s novel; Blackbird is about a young high school boy struggling with his sexuality while he lives in a small, religious, conservative Mississippi town. Walker plays Randy as a 17-year-old boy facing many hardships throughout his life and as a high school outsider.
Walker will return to school Wednesday, but his life will be anything but ordinary after his debut in this film.
