‘Southside With You’ Cast and Director Discuss the Process of Adapting Barack and Michelle Obama’s Love Story
Allyson Gronowitz
As far as memorable first dates go, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama enjoyed an outing for the ages. Their romantic tale is the subject of writer-director Richard Tanne’s “Southside With You,” a zoomed-in peek at the 1989 summer day on Chicago’s South Side that started it all. Beginning at an art gallery and ending on a bench outside the local Baskin-Robbins, Tanne’s endearing feature follows suave law associate Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers) and fiercely independent attorney Michelle Robinson (Tika Sumpter) as the future President of the United States attempts to win over his future wife.
Tanne was inspired to make the film during the Obamas’ 2008 presidential campaign. He was struck by the ease and warmth that radiated whenever Barack and Michelle interacted. “There’s a special connection between the President and the First Lady,” Tanne pointed out. “It’s a rare thing in people that you hang out with, and it’s even rarer in public figures.” And when he learned about the day-long date that marked the very beginning of their relationship, it felt like a ready-made movie. “I didn’t consider the political ramifications or the grander journalistic questions that might arise,” Tanne said. “I was just so compelled by that one day and by their relationship in general.”
The focus on “that one day” proves to be one of the film’s greatest strengths. Instead of aiming for a sweeping biopic, “Southside with You” encapsulates a down-to-Earth love story, and zeroes in on the evolving connection between two people just getting to know each other. Of course, lead actors Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter still had to confront the daunting task of portraying one of the most public and most beloved couples alive today, but both were easily able to overcome the pressure.
“Once I stripped away ‘Michelle Obama’ and went down to the [core] of ‘Michelle Robinson,’ I felt very connected to her,” Sumpter, who also produced the film, said. Sawyers, too, managed to hone in on the Barack Obama of that day and age: “He’s a law student, he’s an intern, and he’s just a guy trying to get a girl.”
Sawyers and Sumpter are both impeccably cast. Sawyers already bears a striking resemblance to our 44th president, but it is the combination of his subtle mannerisms and his pitch-perfect vocal imitation that really invokes the personality of Barack Obama. For her part, Sumpter nails the highly intelligent tone of Michelle’s light Chicago twang. As both actors explained, the goal of the film was not to apotheosize or demonize them— but simply to humanize them.
“We never wanted to do a parody or a caricature,” Sumpter said. “It was always very clear that we wanted to embody the essence of who they are— or were at that time.” Sumpter added that Tanne would sometimes reign them in if she or Sawyers laid it on too thick: “He knew exactly what he wanted vision-wise, and we trusted that.” Operating with a sparse budget and a brief 18-day shoot, Tanne and his creative team crafted an entire era out of small details: Michelle’s family bungalow, Barack’s yellow Nissan Sentra hatchback with the hole in the floor, and much more.
Tanne enjoyed the benefits of filming “Southside with You” in areas of Chicago that both Michelle Robinson and Barack Obama frequented in their youths. “When we were location scouting at Altgeld Gardens, which is where the president organized in his 20s, that was an opportunity for me to actually talk to people who knew him,” said Tanne. “They were just so generous in the stories that they shared.” One woman, the daughter of the most prominent public figures in the Gardens back in the ‘80s, told Tanne that all of the women in the Gardens were in love with Barack, and all of the men were jealous of him.”
This admiration certainly comes across in one of the most impressive scenes in “Southside with You,” where a young Obama inspires the assembled crowd (including his future wife) in an Altgeld Gardens church by delivering an impromptu speech in an attempt to mediate between the restless citizens and the apathetic city council. Though the details of the event are fictional, the scene perfectly illustrates an integral element to Barack Obama’s persona: his reputation as one of the nation’s greatest orators.
“It was actually amazing just to be there in the church watching [Sawyers],” said Sumpter, echoing her character’s thoughts in the film. “Everybody in the audience was just staring at him like” — she tilted her head, fluttering her eyelashes amorously— “Barack….” Sumpter laughed. “It was great. It was amazing to be there because it felt very real.” Tanne admitted to invoking a bit of creative license for some elements of the plot and engineering a clearer conflict for the film by having Michelle continuously rebuff Barack.
Executive producer and music consultant John Legend also weighed in on the popular appeal of the Obamas. “What’s so cool about them is that with all this power, with all this grandeur that surrounds the Office, they’re still really down-to-Earth,” he said. “They’re still really in touch with the people and still so relatable.”
As it turns out, Barack and Michelle are relatable in a very particular way. “In retrospect, I didn’t sit down to [write the script] until after I had fallen in love myself,” Tanne explained. “It was when I realized it wouldn’t just be a sappy, gushy Hollywood love story, [but that] it would be about all those moments in between. That’s when it clicked for me and it became a universal story.”
“Southside With You” releases nationwide on Aug. 26.