RUTH E. CARTER

Ruth E. Carter on Hollywood fame and Coming 2 America

The world of costume design is often hidden behind swathes of fabrics and colours, bringing a sense of awe and magic to a story. In fact, it is such an integral part of good storytelling and character development that great costume designers are highly sought after. This is exactly what Costume Designer Ruth E Carter experiences on the daily. And with over 40 films to her name including iconic productions like Black Panther, Shaft, Oldboy and Selma, her star-studded repertoire is as diverse as her wardrobe on each set. Callsheet Africa Editor Kim Crowie caught up with her ahead of the release of Coming 2 America to find out more – including her recently acquired star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Congrats I believe are in order! Your name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Tell me about it…

When people say I have 35+ years in the industry, I go, “Really?! It feels like it was just yesterday.” You love what you do so much, but when you see your name cemented in Hollywood, I think yes, I have sacrificed. Yes, I have given a lot of dedication to this craft, and I appreciate the stamp of approval.

What is the significance of this kind of accolade, both personally and as a person of colour?

When I first started in the late 80s and early 90s, it was a time when black film was burgeoning, rap was defining itself. So as a costume designer, I had the opportunity to create images that were empowering and beautiful, that we felt represented the culture. When I worked with Spike Lee, so many beautiful images were created.

I also bounced back and forth between Los Angeles and New York every year, doing one film in LA and doing one in New York. In LA, I was working with comedians like Keenan Ivory Wayans and Robert Townsend and I got to see another side of how I could use my voice. So I was creating a language for my artistry, and also honouring our images by being authentic.

Tell me about your professional relationship with Eddie Murphy, with whom you’ve done many films – most recently Dolemite is my Name. How did this bright 70s getup compare with Coming 2 America?

Eddie and I are one year apart so we remembered a lot of the nuances of the 70s. And because we’ve done so many films together, we were comfortable with each other and we wanted to show the 70s that we knew. Now with Coming 2 America it’s almost the opposite. I’m honoured to work with someone as brilliant as Eddie Murphy and to craft different characters and have fun. It’s the best person you could dress in a costume!

How does the costume set the tone and tell the story? Most of us when we see a really good film, we’re affected by so many things that we don’t realise. We’re affected by mood and composition, when the textures and feeling of a place is well-crafted, it helps support the acting and the story. That’s the job of a costume designer, to really bring you into the story and the place. It’s magical. It really brings you to an understanding of the character and costume.

We can’t talk about Africa without Black Panther! Tell me about the film and the build-up to the Oscar you won.

We had built a beautiful world and honoured a vast continent of beautiful tribal customs. The reward of seeing that come to life through wonderful actors like Chadwick Boseman was incredibly rewarding. It was done from the soul, from the heart, from the imagination. And it was done for the culture.

As we wound out of production and as people across the world fell in love with the costumes, I felt really good because you’re putting culture out there – whether it’s your own or someone else’s. You have a great responsibility to it. Even if you make parts of it up, it has to ring true to them, and not like you’re appropriating but rather celebrating. The world made me feel that I did the right thing and wanted to celebrate with me.

Coming 2 America will be available on Amazon Prime Video and released in cinemas nationwide from 5 March 2021.