Raynell's Role

I selected Keshia Knight Pulliam, as Raynell the seven year old daughter of Troy Maxson. But, we all might know the little girl in the above picture to be “Rudy Huxtable” from the Cosby’s. Raynell is a seven year old girl, young, sweet and innocent. All these characteristic traits, we all loved in “Rudy Huxtable.” Rudy Huxtable, was known to be a smart and productive little girl, and so was Raynell. There was a certain magic or aura about them that is hard to explain. They were both so adorable that they convinced you into doing things that otherwise one would be reluctant against, so innocently. For example, in “Act II” scene V, it was time for the family to head out to the funeral, but Cory, Raynell older brother came in so adamant about not attending the funeral, he still held some resentment towards his father, Troy Maxson. Now, there’s this scene between Raynell and Cory, where she asked him if he remembered the song that her daddy use to sing about Blue, the good old dog? He started singing it and then she started singing it and it was that moment that she opened Cory’s heart and mind, and made him realize what an idiot he would be, if he didn’t go to his father’s funeral. She reminded him of some sub-conscious memory that he had of his father and obviously it was a pleasant one, because right after he said, “I’m going to the funeral.” It’s in their youthfulness and innocence that makes Raynell so adorable and “Rudy Huxtable” is the Epitome of adorable.

Rose's Role

Taraji P. Henson would play an exceptional role as Rose. What made me choose Taraji is her character in I Can Do Bad All by Myself. There are some characteristics that are similar to Rose’s. It is mentioned in the play Fences that Rose has experienced some unworthy men in her life and had succumbed to abusive men and their babies, and she had a past of being portrayed as a party girl. This sounds familiar in the movie I Can Do Bad All by Myself, where Taraji is dating this guy and subjecting to his verbal abuse because he was helping to pay the bills. But what makes the character even more relatable is the fact that when Taraji was placed in an unpredictable situation of having to care over her niece and nephew’s, she accepted after much contemplating. However, the fact is she did accept the responsibility for caring of some other women kids. This is exactly what Rose did in her role; even though her husband cheated on her and bared another child with another woman, she still held her ground as was a ride a die wife. She took on the responsibility of raising Raynell as her own child. I think Taraji would be perfect for the role because she showed compassion, something that we know Rose was full of. 

Jim Bono's Role

I selected Cedric the Entertainer to play the role of Jim Bono, Troy Maxson best friend. I think he would be good for the part because you have to have a sense of humor to be Troy Maxson (Bernie Mac) best friend for 33 years. Jim Bono is very loyal to his wife and is always running home to her in the play. In the movie Welcome home Roscoe Jenkins, Cedric the Entertainer is portrayed as this great family man, always by his wife’s side. I believe that between the two best friends relationship it is insinuated that Bono is the follower, but I think that Bono is more level headed and grounded. However, out of the two I think Bernie Mac is larger than life compared to Cedric the entertainer, that’s why I think he would be a perfect fit to play Bono, Troy Maxson best friend. 

Lyons Role

I selected Common as the actor to play the role of Lyons. Common fits the description perfectly “34 years old, he sports a neatly trimmed goatee and is a musician.” There are certain similarities that Lyons and Common share. Common parents divorced when he was six years of age and left Common to be raised by his mother, but his father remained active in his life. We know this is the case in Lyons life too, his father and mother got divorced, when Lyons was a child. However, Troy Maxson still is a significant figure in Lyons life. How we know this, well because every now and then Lyons like to stop by his father’s house to ask for money and he always get it. Other than that I think their passion is evident in their music, they both did and do something they love which is music. They are both song writers and musicians.

Cory's Role

I selected Bow Wow to play the role of Cory, because he is young and physically fit, “as if you can’t see that from the picture.”Cory in the play Fences is this teenager with huge dreams and aspirations, something that is uncommon in this era. He’s a senior in High school, smart, and athletic. He dreams of becoming a football player, however his father isn’t too thrilled of that idea and is ready to detriment his theories. It’s interesting because both Bow Wow and Cory are these young adolescent boys with dreams and passion of making it “big” in society. Many would say that Bow Wow has reached his ultimate stardom. Ironically, he did so without the help of his father because his father was never around. It would be interesting to see how he would react to Troy Maxson “his father” telling him he can’t pursue his dreams. In many cases it is predictable, Bow Wow would do as many other teenagers have done and what Cory did, rebel. 

Gabriel's Role

I selected Kirk Franklin to play the role as Gabriel for several of reasons. One, we know that from the play that Gabriel fought in the WWII and had returned injured with a metal plate in his head. From this alone we can imagine Gabriel to be a very strong and determined man. Kirk Franklin physical appearance is very fit and strong. However, it goes beyond the physical appearance when considering a candidate to play Gabriel’s role and more with the mental. Gabriel was always singing the words of gospel, something that we know Kirk Franklin is famous for. It had to do with more than just the singing, it was also Gabriel’s love for God and his faith that made him a strong character, and in this scenario we would need to cast an individual with the same amount of passion and faith for God, and Kirk Franklin is the perfect character.

Troy Maxson's role

I chose Bernie Mac as the lead character to portray Troy Maxson. Troy Maxson had a bigger than life persona, he was funny, entertaining, and his presence commanded center stage attention, kind of like what Bernie Mac’s life was about. Troy Maxson was loyal to his friends and honest to his family, especially his wife. He wasn’t afraid to ask the tough questions and wasn’t intimidated by any man. That’s evident in “Act I” scene I, when Troy asked his supervisor “why colored folks couldn’t drive? Did he think only White Folks can drive?” I see so much of his characteristics in Bernie Mac, he isn’t afraid to speak out and voice his opinion, no matter who he offends. Also, in Bernie Mac’s personal life, he was a devoted man to his wife and family, sort of how Troy Maxson was to his. They both were equally the dynamic of their family structure. Unfortunately, another thing these two have in common are now they are both deceased, so may both their souls rest in peace. However, on a lighter note the one thing in particular that drove me to cast Bernie Mac as Troy Maxson’s character is they both loved using the word “Nigga” a lot, loud and proud!