Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind The Making Of “Antwone Fisher”

Derek Luke: the audition

Since De’aundre was out, the years long search for the lead character continued. Derek Luke just so happened to know the real Antwone Fisher, because they both worked on the Sony lot, Luke in the gift shop. When the real Fisher told him about the screenplay and the fact that Denzel Washington would be directing it, Luke knew he had to take a chance to get the role. In an interview with Bullz-Eye.com, Luke explains how he got the audition:

I busted in on an audition. I tricked my friend — I was at lunch with him and I told him I had to use the restroom, but I went to the casting director. He found out about it and he said, “Derek, don’t get me into this. You’re going to get blackballed from the business.” So I said, “Yeah, probably, maybe.” But I took the voyage and went up there, and I was so terrible I started crying. And he (Christian Kaplan, Fox casting director) told me to come back…. He says, “This raw talent, this crying, this is something Denzel is looking for.” So basically, he let me come back the following Thursday, and he says, “You’ve got to be ready this time.”