Naomi Ackie listened to Oakland music artists to help her get into character for her new absurdist shoplifting comedy I Love Boosters.
The London-born actress, known for Mickey 17 and for playing Whitney Houston in I Wanna Dance With Somebody, plays Sade, a member of a crew of professional shoplifters known as boosters, who sell their stolen goods at discounted prices.
Written and directed by Boots Riley, the film follows the “Velvet Gang”, who routinely shoplift from Metro Designers, a fashion chain run by designer Christie Smith, played by Demi Moore.
Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige and Keke Palmer star in I Love Boosters (Neon/PA)
Riley’s second feature film aims to take audiences on an electric, mind-bending odyssey through the worlds of high fashion and low-rent economies.
I Love Boosters takes viewers from the shopping centres of Oakland to the factories of China, as Sade and her fellow boosters, Corvette (Keke Palmer) and Mariah (Taylour Paige), steal their way into a surrealist fantasy.
The film also stars Poppy Liu as Jianhu, a Chinese factory worker, and Eiza González as Violeta, a Metro Designers retail worker.
Speaking about adopting an Oakland accent, Ackie, 35, told the Press Association: “I was a bit intimidated because Boots had made it clear: ‘This is very specific, and I want you to do that.’
“I was looking up specific Oakland music artists. It’s actually an easier way to get into accents. For Whitney, I did Queen Latifah, and then you start to hear the vowels.”
Ackie, who worked closely with Palmer and Paige, said the three actresses developed a strong sense of sisterhood.
She said: “It’s always a bit nerve-wracking going into any job because you’re bringing yourself.
“You hope you’ll get along with people, but you never know.
“What you’re really hoping for is a thriving environment where you feel you can grow and have fun, and that isn’t always available to you.
Naomi Ackie, Keke Palmer, Poppy Liu and Taylour Paige (Neon/PA)
“It’s not the end of the world when it isn’t, but it’s not always something you find.
“And this was very much available to me on this job.
“I was far away from home, but I was surrounded by these beautiful women who made me feel so seen, comfortable, and joyful, even on the quieter days.
“When that happens, you can thrive. You can really thrive artistically.”
Riley, 55, who started his career as a hip hop artist, said he made this film like it was his last.
“I didn’t expect to have a filmmaking career anyway, so that’s freeing because it might as well be my last movie,” explained the American filmmaker and activist.
“There are a lot of things I’ll push for that other people wouldn’t, because of that ‘pick your battles’ mentality. I’m not picking any battles. I’m battling. We’re doing this movie. This is the movie we’re doing.
“And I’ll say this: I did a TV show in between, and that was all forced-perspective shots. Almost every other shot was some crazy thing.
“So, going into this, I thought, OK, at least this isn’t as painstaking for each shot, so I was able to do that.
Director and rapper Boots Riley arrives for the screening of I Love Boosters at the Rome Film Festival (Andrew Medichini/AP)
AP
“I think a big part of it is that I never know if it’s my last movie, so I wanted it to be the best.”
Speaking about the genesis of the film, he said: “It really just started with the characters.
“I wrote a song 20 years ago called I Love Boosters, and it’s really about them, right?
“So I start with them, and everything grows from how they look at the world, how they interact with the rest of the community, and how they position themselves within the working class.
“I’m also coming at it from a different angle: what do I want people to do?
“I’m trying to get people to organise in the workplace, so I have these things I want to do.
“Those things together lead me to talk about fashion, how people relate to each other, how people are creative, and how the need to survive affects the way people create or don’t create at all.”
I Love Boosters is in cinemas on Friday.