'Detroit' star talks about emotional impact of recreating 1967 riot

During the making of "Detroit," Algee Smith felt the impact of the story being told.

"There were times where a couple of us broke down on set just crying in the middle of a scene because it was just so heavy," says the 22-year-old actor, who grew up in Saginaw.

"But we knew why we were there. You definitely knew the responsibility."

Smith is one of the stars of the Kathryn Bigelow-directed film that focuses on the most notorious, horrific incident of the 1967 Detroit riot, the Algiers Motel killings.

Interest in the Aug. 4 release of "Detroit" continues to grow as Detroit, the city, marks the 50th anniversary of the rebellion with multiple museum exhibits and community events.

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Television ads for the movie ran during the NBA Finals. On Thursday morning, the second trailer for "Detroit" premiered on YouTube. It featured a flurry of clips, plus several tense glimpses of actor John Boyega's character being interrogated about the deaths at the motel. 

The onscreen text says, "Discover the truth behind one of the most terrifying events in American history."

Watch the trailer: 

Smith plays a musician named Larry who gets caught up in the events of the riot. In real life, an R&B group from Detroit, the Dramatics, including original member Larry Reed, was among those taking refuge at the Algiers Motel. 

What happened at the Algiers Motel became a symbol of the systemic racism that helped fuel the devastating violence in 1967 that resulted in the deaths of 43 people, many of them killed by police.

The now-gone motel was where Detroit police, state troopers, the National Guard and a private security guard went to check out reports of sniping. By the time they were through, three young black men had been killed, allegedly execution-style by being shot at close range.

Three white policemen were charged in the events related to their deaths. There was a years-long legal process of motions, appeals and delays, but nobody was convicted.

Smith thinks "Detroit" will resonate with people his age and evoke many emotions.

"There may be a little confusion. There may be a little anger. There will be happiness in seeing redemption. But there will definitely be a cluster of emotions, especially for millennials. We didn't have to grow up in that. ... To see that and to realize that people actually went through this, had to deal with this and live that life. It's going to be a shocking thing to a lot of people."

The actor and singer, who played Ralph Tresvant this year in BET's "The New Edition Story," says the film also relates to contemporary issues of equal justice.

"It felt very personal to me because, just first of all, being a black man in America right now, even if it isn't as bad as it was, it's still not as good as it should be. I feel like I had a chance to pull from my emotions already from things I've been through in my life."

For now, Smith says he's awaiting the movie's opening with happiness and nervousness. "I'm happy that the story is being told. I don't know what type of reaction people are going to have to it. I can only imagine. I'm just happy that this energy is being put out into the world and the real story, what really  happened, for people to see.

 "I want to be able to sit with someone who actually went through this and watch the movie and they connect to it. I want it to be right."

"Detroit" shot scenes in the Motor City and Hamtramck for about three days in October 2016. The production also filmed in the town of Mason near Lansing. Most of the movie was made in Massachusetts, which, unlike Michigan, currently offers film incentives.

Besides Smith and Boyega, the cast includes John Krasinski, Anthony Mackie, Will Poulter and Jack Reynor. The screenplay is by Mark Boal, who also collaborated with Bigelow on "Zero Dark Thirty" and "The Hurt Locker."

Contact Julie Hinds: 313-222-6427 or jhinds@freepress.com.