Photo Credit: Harry Belafonte in 1983 by Hans Peter Lochmann / CC by 3.0
John Legend is set to play singer, actor, and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte in Bill Condon’s South African apartheid-era film, The Road Home.
John Legend has officially joined the cast of The Road Home, a South African apartheid-era drama film directed by Bill Condon. Legend will play American singer, actor, and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte.
The cast is headed by South African actor, writer, director, and producer Thabo Rametsi as the late Hugh Masekela. Masekela was a celebrated jazz musician who was forced into exile for his anti-apartheid activism and was a key figure in the fight to repeal South Africa’s racial segregation laws. Guy Pearce, Cynthia Erivo, and Johnny Flynn are also signed on.
The film follows Masekela, at odds with the anti-apartheid movement when it launches a boycott against his friend and fellow musician Paul Simon (Flynn) over his album Graceland, accusing Simon of violating the United Nations’ Cultural Boycott.
Separating from his mentor, movement leader Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (Pearce), Masekela views music as a powerful weapon in the struggle. Together with fellow exile and collaborator, singer Miriam “Mama Africa” Makeba (Erivo), they create the Graceland Band, a supergroup designed to amplify South Africa’s voice to the rest of the world.
Featuring the music of Masekela, Makeba, and Simon, the film is described as a “story of defiance, sacrifice, and the resilience of the human spirit.” Harry Belafonte was a close friend and supporter of Masekela after they met in the early ‘60s, when Masekela moved to New York after his exile from South Africa.
“I was honored to know Mr. Belafonte as my friend, mentor, and collaborator in the struggle for justice,” said John Legend of the opportunity to play him. “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 as a privilege to be entrusted with the role of Harry Belafonte in this special film.”
The Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation and David Dison are executive producers on the project, alongside award-winning South African broadcast journalist Siphiwo Ralo.
Music producer Hilton Rosenthal—an instrumental figure in supporting Paul Simon during the making of the Graceland album—will serve as co-producer. He will produce new recordings from Masekela’s and Makeba’s catalogs for the film’s soundtrack. Rosenthal has been central to script development and has secured the rights to Simon’s work and that of Masekela and Makeba, as well as other iconic African artists.
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