You can add Common to the list of Beto O’Rourke supporters who thinks the young politician has what it takes for a possible presidential run in 2020.
“I want to look and see who’s running, but I’m glad that he potentially will be a candidate, because he seems like a good guy and great candidate,” the Oscar winner told told Variety on Wednesday at the Los Angeles premiere of “They Fight,” a film he co-produced with Freedom Road.
Common said he feels “positive about some of the progress that was made” after the midterm elections earlier this week. ”I definitely wish it more. I wish Andrew Gillum and Stacey Abrams had won, because I really felt they represent the progress of America.”
He added, “Overall, it’s beautiful to see the progress that was being made in America. The first openly gay governor [Colorado’s Jared Polis]; more women in the House. Shoot, I’ve never paid this much attention to the midterms as I did this time. That in itself is progress for all of us.”
“They Fight” follows three youth boxers, Ragahleak “Peanut” Bartee, Quincey Williams, Lamar “Twin” Odoms, as they find refuge in the boxing ring from the perils of the D.C. streets.
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The film, directed by Andrew Renzi (“The Benefactor”), was also produced by Argent Pictures, which partners New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Charlotte Hornets guard Tony Parker, Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks, and retired NBA champion and two-time All-Star Michael Finley.
“Sports can be an outlet for a lot of youth to get away from all of the bad things that’s going on in their neighborhoods, [and] also to put them in touch with mentors when father figures are missing,” Finley told Variety.
Renzi praised his producing partners. “All those guys are just huge proponents of these kinds of stories,” he said. “It was just an easy, organic process where they saw some footage that I shot early on and then they wanted to be involved.”
As for working with Common, Renzi said, “He really just brings a gravitas to the confidence to being able to tell the story. His whole team were sounding boards of how to do this properly and how to be honest and to not be salacious.”
“They Fight,” the latest in Fox Sports Film’s Magnify series, premieres Nov. 11 on FOX.