Digging his heels in?_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Digging his heels in?

Iman may be used to being cast in shows, but for this role, she dug in her heels and studied with an acting coach before auditioning for director Rick Famuyiwa. The complexity of her character, Lily — a bored, rich teen whose crazy behavior while on drugs goes viral — required that Iman tap into her inner diva. “My coach just helps me to become vulnerable while trying to tell the story,” she explains. “It’s just like modeling for me — the more you try too hard, the more it looks fake.”

In a sense Iman steals the show — her seminal YouTube scene propels the story of three unwitting high school kids who have to goofily unload an unwanted supply of cocaine. The dark comedy tackles the issues of race and class, asking questions about whether your background should determine your future — while also being an entertaining story about hip-hop obsessed teens who get caught up in the world of drug dealing.

“I grew up watching hood classics like Boyz n the Hood and Friday,” Iman says. “For them to make a cool movie like Dope for my generation, we needed to see that in Hollywood. We shot in real parts of L.A. That’s what people can relate to. There are some very powerful moments in the film. You get that feel of what it’s like to be a kid in the hood trying to do better for yourself. It’s not like everyone there is violent and killing each other.”

Iman’s role sees her exposed in more ways than one: She’s not only nude for most of the film, but she’s also showing some emotional range. Fortunately she’s not afraid to showcase a less-than-perfect side of herself. “It was not scary for me,” she says. “People are so used to seeing me made up and pulled together. This was an opportunity for people to see me messed up. The more messed up I was on film, the cooler the film was. I love seeing myself like that and see that I can be a different character for a few weeks and then move on to a different character.”