Oscar-winning musician John Legend has opened up about the honour of portraying legendary singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte in the upcoming biopic “The Road Home”, as filmmakers also unveiled the first official image of South African actor Thabo Rametsi as jazz icon Hugh Masekela.
The highly anticipated film, currently shooting in South Africa, explores one of the most defining moments in Masekela’s life, set against the backdrop of the anti-apartheid struggle and the global controversy surrounding Paul Simon’s groundbreaking Graceland album.
Legend, an EGOT winner known for blending music with activism throughout his career, said stepping into Belafonte’s shoes carries deep personal significance.
“I was honoured to know Mr. Belafonte as my friend, mentor and collaborator in the struggle for justice. He was an incredible human being who lived a monumental, revolutionary life,” Legend said.
“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 a privilege to be entrusted with the role of Harry Belafonte in this special film.”
Belafonte, who died in 2023 at the age of 96, was one of the most influential figures in both entertainment and the American civil rights movement. His unwavering support for anti-apartheid efforts made him a natural ally of South African freedom fighters and artists, including Masekela and Miriam Makeba.
Rametsi, best known for Silverton Siege, takes on the role of Masekela, while Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo portrays fellow South African music legend Miriam Makeba. Academy Award nominee Guy Pearce stars as Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, Masekela’s mentor and a vocal anti-apartheid campaigner, while Johnny Flynn portrays Paul Simon.
Directed by Academy Award winner Bill Condon (“Dreamgirls”, “Gods and Monsters”), “The Road Home” follows Masekela during his years in exile as he grapples with the fallout from the United Nations-backed cultural boycott of apartheid South Africa.
When Huddleston and anti-apartheid activists condemn Simon’s Graceland project for breaking the boycott, Masekela finds himself caught between political principle and his belief that music can be a powerful weapon for change.
The story follows Masekela and Makeba as they unite to form the Graceland touring band, using their music to amplify South Africa’s voice on the global stage during one of the country’s darkest chapters.
The production is based on an original screenplay by Michael Bronner, developed in collaboration with acclaimed South African author Zakes Mda and the Hugh Masekela Heritage Foundation, whose extensive research and personal insights helped shape the film.
Music producer Hilton Rosenthal, who played a pivotal role in the making of Paul Simon’s Graceland, is serving as co-producer and will oversee new recordings from the catalogues of Masekela and Makeba for the film’s soundtrack.
Produced by Laura Bickford, Michael Bronner, Greg Yolen and South African producer Anant Singh, The Road Home is backed by CANAL+, STUDIOCANAL, Flora Films and South African production company Blue Ice.
With a cast led by internationally acclaimed performers and a story rooted in South Africa’s cultural and political history, The Road Home aims to celebrate Hugh Masekela’s extraordinary legacy while highlighting the enduring power of music as a force for resistance, unity and hope.
IOL
