Isaiah Washington talks ‘comeback’ role as DC sniper in ‘Blue Caprice’
theGRIO REPORT - When first approached, Isaiah Washington turned down the opportunity to portray John Allen Muhammad, the DC sniper, in the new film 'Blue Caprice'...
Recreating Muhammad’s descent
As detailed in the film, the sniper’s plan of attack was broken down into phases, ending in a flee to Canada where he and Malvo would create a training camp for other young men to follow their lead.
Serial killer, terrorist or mad man, Muhammad was driven by revenge for what he felt was a personal slight by society.
His insecurities eventually silenced whatever benevolent side may have existed within him.
“We all had a hand in this,” Washington observes. “When people feel imposed upon or disenfranchised, or feeling like they are not empowered in any way, then you’re probably going to have a lot of these kinds of events pop up.”
In addition to the Beltway sniper attacks, the actor alludes to cases like the Boston Marathon and Oklahoma City bombings, as examples of moments when human disconnect and imbalance of power led to social implosion.
“Unfortunately, they go to the lowest common denominator when there’s no way to communicate, and that’s to use violence,” Washington believes.
From his perspective, the world spins in amorous disregard. People enjoy being detached and consumed in an environment that they’ve self-created and self-imposed.
He recalls a time recently when he was walking in New York, and witnessed a woman nearly fall into a manhole because she was typing on her iPhone.
“We’re moving more and more away from what makes us human,” says Washington. “We’re beyond being desensitized, and in some generations and social groups, it’s cool to be disconnected. Either with sex, drugs, technology, it’s the happening thing. If you’re not doing those things, if you’re not disconnected then something’s wrong with you.”
How racial profiling impacted the story
Blue Caprice marks the third movie made on the D.C. sniper attacks, the first being a television portrayal in 2003 and the second a widely-panned feature in 2010.
To prepare for the part, Washington read two books as advised by Moors, one looking at extreme isolation, and the second, Notes from the Underground, on bitterness, spite and revenge.
In some ways, Muhammad defies precedence in the doctrine of American crime.
While most serial killers and terrorists have not been African-American, the Beltway sniper attacks demonstrate how race, religion and identity cannot be so narrorly defined.
“What’s interesting is that the nomenclature, that word – black, white, red, yellow – that’s what got him caught,” Washington says. “Once the talking heads kept saying that he was profiled as a white male between his late 20s and 30s, that is what got him caught. That is what accelerated his killings. It pinched his ego. It pushed that proverbial button. It reminded him of the racism that he claimed he had never felt until he got into the military.”
Ultimately, losing his children in a custody battle sparked Muhammad’s rage, and he gradually lost control of his actions.
As he carried out his killings with Malvo, police searched for a white man.
“For once, a social structure that’s been created for a horrible business plan to separate us as human beings and as people, actually worked in our favor,” Washington continues. “It triggered something in this individual that made him make a lot of mistakes. The good news is for the first time an African-American was not being called black, he was being called white even though nobody knew what he looked like. He didn’t want us to know what he looked like.”
Washington on his comeback: ‘It’s not like I wanted to leave’
Some are calling Washington’s role in Blue Caprice a “comeback” for the actor, who rose to fame as a star on Grey’s Anatomy. He left the show after a public war of words stemming from a homophobic slur he made on set.
Washington says he accepts where life has brought him, that he’s become a better husband, father and humanitarian.
“I’m not naïve in this business,” he remarks. “I guess I’m coming back, but it’s not like I wanted to leave…I’m excited that people have been waiting or wanting or needing or appreciating what I do when I am an actor.”
Along with Blue Caprice, which hits theaters Friday, Washington stars in the upcoming CW series The Hundred, and has at least six other films slated for release in the next year.
He’s also investing in a railroad that will connect the people of North Africa with those in South Africa, part of his larger plan to rebrand Sierra Leone and build unity within populations around the globe.
“If we can help fix this problem over here, then maybe we can cut off a major problem over there, and we won’t have any more John Allen Muhammads,” says Washington. “We won’t have any more al-Qaeda. We won’t have any more people that are disenfranchised, that have access to YouTube, that can’t understand why the world is leaving them behind. That’s where I’ve been putting an inordinate amount of my life’s energy into seeing how I can help do my part.”
Follow Courtney Garcia on Twitter at @CourtGarcia
