John Legend scores first live-action film role in a decade

John Legend is finally stepping out from behind the piano and back onto the big screen, and it's not in a romcom or another musical. The EGOT winner's signed on for his first major live-action film in a decade, and it's a meaty role: he's taking on the part of Harry Belafonte in The Road Home, which is already filming with Bill Condon in the director's chair.

If you're somehow not familiar, Belafonte was a top-shelf entertainer who smashed racial barriers long before it was trendy, and just as importantly, never stopped fighting for civil rights. Frankly, that's not the kind of part you dash off during a quiet period—this is serious stuff, and Legend knows it.

In John Legend's own words from his official statement: "I was honored to know Mr. Belafonte as my friend, mentor, and collaborator in the struggle for justice. He was an incredible human being who lived a monumental, revolutionary life. He was the epitome of an artist and activist who set a standard for me and so many others who stand on his shoulders. I count it a privilege to be entrusted with the role of Harry Belafonte in this special film."

A Biopic With Bite

The film's based on quite a thorny bit of pop culture history—namely, the Graceland controversy. In the mid-1980s, Paul Simon hopped on a flight to apartheid-era South Africa to work with local musicians for what would become his Graceland album. It won Grammys and heaps of accolades, but also made a lot of people very cross. The reason? Simon's decision was seen as breaking the United Nations' official cultural boycott against South Africa, resulting in a rare musical scandal that fascinated and enraged in equal measure.

Condon and co. are choosing their angle carefully. The story is being told mainly through the eyes of Hugh Masekela, a trumpet virtuoso exiled from his own homeland. For the film, Thabo Rametsi steps into the role of Masekela, Cynthia Erivo is set to play Miriam Makeba (the South African singer and activist), and Johnny Flynn portrays Paul Simon. Apparently, the film digs into Masekela's choice between his mentor—Archbishop Trevor Huddleston—and his faith that music itself could help combat oppression.

• John Legend as Harry Belafonte
• Thabo Rametsi as Hugh Masekela
• Cynthia Erivo as Miriam Makeba
• Johnny Flynn as Paul Simon

According to what's out there, the narrative follows Masekela as he's essentially pushed out by his mentor, links up with Makeba and Simon, and co-founds the Graceland band—a group who, for all the controversy, did send South African sounds ricocheting round the world.

Legend's Big-Screen Comeback

You'd be forgiven for thinking John Legend had retired from acting—and to be fair, his plate has been overflowing with music, producing, and documentaries. But the last time we saw him really acting was in La La Land back in 2016, singing 'Start a Fire' with his jazz band and trading scenes with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Since then: some voicework, documentary bits, bits and pieces—but nothing live-action, nothing on this scale.

John Legend's last live-action film role was La La Land in 2016—making The Road Home his first major feature in ten years.

Filming for The Road Home is happening right now in South Africa. There’s no word yet on a release date, but with this cast and story, it's not something you'll want to duck when it finally hits screens.