Bryshere Y. Gray & Director Rhyan LaMarr Talk ‘Canal Street’ | Opens Friday

A Film By Rhyan LaMarr & Written by Adam Key, Jon Knitter & Rhyan LaMarr; Canal Street is a modern-day thriller telling the story of a teen, Kholi Styles (Bryshere Y. Gray), trying to get by in an unwelcoming new world. After the mysterious death of a classmate, all eyes fall on Kholi, the new kid at his high school. It’s up to his father, Jackie Styles (Mykelti Williamson), an up-and-coming lawyer from the slums of Chicago, to defend his son in court and battle an outraged public before time runs out. Jackie fights to keep his faith and prove his son is not the monster the world has made him out to be.

#CanalStreetMovie releases in theaters this Friday January 18th (Martin Luther King Day Weekend)

The Cast includes Bryshere Y. Gray, Mykelti Williamson, Mekhi Phifer, Kevin Quinn, Woody McClain, Michael Beach and Lance Reddick. With special appearances by Devon Franklin, Da Brat, Charlamagne The God, Angela Yee and Don Benjamin.

What drew you to the “Canal Street” project?
Bryshere Y. Gray: The role spoke to me so much. This kid is from the South Side of Chicago who moves to Winnetka when his father get a new job. He feels different from everyone because he’s black and he’s not vibing with the white wealthy popular kids. … They want conflict and he’s not about that. He just wants to do what he needs to do so he can go to college. It’s a very realistic story. It was also in line with great actors. It’s a great story and it spoke to me with what’s going on in the world. With the Trayvon Martins and the Freddie Grays … it’s called “Canal Street” because there’s a Canal Street in every state. But Chicago will recognize it and know it as a Chicago story.

Tell us about the story behind Canal Street. Is it based on a true story?
Rhyan LaMarr: Canal Street is based loosely on my life. I was a kid growing up and being influenced by both sides of the tracks in the 90’s & early 2000’s. So I had a chance to grow up around the misfortunate and the privileged. We wanted to create an honest depiction of American culture through the magnifying glass of Chicago. Though the script was penned in 2005 it is still relevant today. Sometimes it feels like God gave us a prophetic word 13 years before we even knew what to do with it. That to me still gets me way down to the core.

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