LOS ANGELES — In 1992, after a jury acquitted 4 Los Angeles police officers for using excessive force and the beating of Rodney King, riots and civil unrest took over the streets of LA.
The pivotal moment in the city’s history is now the background setting for the new film “1992,” executive produced by Snoop Dogg and starring Tyrese Gibson, Scott Eastwood and the late Ray Liotta.
In “1992,” amid the chaos and civil unrest in LA, relationships between two pairs of fathers and sons are put to the test as both families reach boiling points when they collide during a dangerous heist.
“Anyone who was around in the '90s knows the seminal moment. I think it really speaks to father-and-son relationships. There are some complicated relationships in this film. I think people will enjoy it. It explores a lot — and it is also a kinetic, interesting film,” Eastwood told Spectrum News.
The film, Tyrese says, serves as a reminder that is not easy “to wake up in this Black skin every day, Brown skin every day.”
“When I think about all the sensitivities of what we all have to push through in our own way, when you see someone smiling, just say ‘God bless you,’ because you just never know what that person had to push through to get a smile,” he said.
For Tyrese, “1992” is not the only project of his that is releasing this holiday weekend. The actor and recording artist is also releasing a double album called “Beautiful Pain,” which was produced by the legendary David Foster. For Tyrese, working on both projects was a way to process and highlight all his pain from the past few years, like the loss of his mother and his divorce.
“It’s just wild. It’s been a journey between ‘1992’ and all the vulnerabilities in and around this movie, and then doing this album. I think that when this is all released, I am probably going to go on vacation for four months,” he said.
“1992” hits theaters this Labor Day weekend, and Tyrese’s new album “Beautiful Pain” is now available to stream.
Click the link above for the full interview as Scott Eastwood remembers Ray Liotta, who in “1992” plays his father.