LOS ANGELES — With the collaboration of some of the biggest Black stars in the entertainment world, photographer Carell Augustus recreated Hollywood’s most iconic movie scenes in a new photography book. It’s called “Black Hollywood: Reimagining Iconic Movie Moments.” Augustus joined Lisa McRee on “LA Times Today” to talk about the project. 

Augustus was inspired to create the book after Michael Jackson died. He felt compelled to leave an impact as an artist the way Jackson had. As a professional photographer in A-list gifting suites, Augustus had the perfect place to pitch his ideas to the stars.  

“My very first ask was Kellee Stewart, and she was on a show called ‘My Boys’ on TBS. She said, ‘I love the idea and, of course, I’ll do it and I’ll also help you recruit some other people.’ So that was all I needed to be here to get the sign that it was time for me to move forward,” Augustus recalled. “I did her as Mommie Dearest.” 

Stars like Amber Stevens West and Blair Underwood embodied characters from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “The Shining.” Augustus reflected on which shots were the most difficult to re-create. 

“Corbin Bleu in ‘Mission Impossible.’ I had to build that floor. That was pretty tricky. The ‘Basic Instinct’ shot where we needed a cinderblock wall, and it was very important to me to get as close to the shot as possible. I didn’t want to do anything in Photoshop that I didn’t have to do,” he said. “The most difficult to get right was Saturday Night Fever, which features Johnny Manuel, an incredible singer, in the in the role that John Travolta originally played. You needed so many people, and that dance floor was so hard to find.” 

“Black Hollywood is Reimagining Iconic Roles with Black Stars” is now available wherever books are sold. 

Watch the full interview above. 

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