♪ >> STEPHEN: WE'RE BACK WITH STAR

OF "THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7," YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN, II.

THE NEW NETFLIX FILM "THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7", WHICH I

REALLY ENJOYED THIS FILM, AN INCREDIBLE STORY PEOPLE HAVE

FORGOTTEN ABOUT TO A LARGE EXTENT.

YOU PLAYED BOBBY SEALE, WHO IS THE LEADER OF THE BLACK

PANTHERS.

HOW MUCH DID YOU KNOW ABOUT SEALE BEFORE YOU PLAYED THE

PART?

>> I KNEW SOME ABOUT HIM.

I GREW UP IN OAKLAND AND BOBBY SEALE ALSO WAS A LARGE FIGURE IN

OAKLAND.

I WENT TO THE PARK WHICH IS ONE OF THE SITES OF A LOT OF THE

BLACK PANTHER PROGRAMS THERE.

BOBBY SEALE WAS A VERY CHARISMATIC CHARACTER IN OAKLAND

IN MY COMMUNITY BUT I DID NOT KNOW THE SPECIFIC HISTORY OF HIS

PARTICIPATION IN THIS TRIAL.

I REMEMBER OPENING UP THE SCRIPT AND READING THROUGH IT.

FIRST I SAID, I HAVE TO DO IT BECAUSE OF THE LANGUAGE, YOU

KNOW, AND ONCE I READ THAT FIRST SCENE WITH BOBBY SEALE, I SAID,

OH, YEAH, THIS IS SOMETHING I REALLY WANT TO TEAR INTO.

BUT THEN AFTER LEARNING ABOUT THE HISTORY AND HIS TREATMENT IN

THE TRIAL, HE BECAME A FIGURE WHOM I REALLY KNEW WHO HAD AN

OPPORTUNITY TO STAND UP FOR AND BE AN ADVOCATE FOR HIS STORY.

HE WAS SUCH AN HONORABLE PERSON WHO CARRIED HIMSELF WITH SUCH

DIGNITY AND CLASS AND HE WAS DEFENDING HIS MANHOOD AND RIGHT

AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN, AS A BLACK CITIZEN, AND, YOU KNOW,

THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I WANTED TO TELL THAT STORY.

>> AN EXTRAORDINARY THING ABOUT BOBBY SEALE IS THAT THIS MOVIE

IS WRITTEN BY AARON SORKIN WHO HAS HIS OWN WAY OF GIVING LIFE

TO CHARACTERS AND GIVING THEM THE WORDS YOU WANT THEM TO HAVE

IN THAT MOMENT.

BUT BOBBY SEALE IS THE CHARACTER IN THE MOVIE THAT HE IS MOST

CLOSELY USING THE ACTUAL WORDS THAT BOBBY SEALE SAID.

>> RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT, EXACTLY, YEAH.

SO THE TRANSCRIPTS FROM THE TRIAL OR THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK

IN THE FILM COME DIRECTLY FROM THE TRIAL.

YOU KNOW, AARON WAS ABLE TO PULL DIRECTLY FROM THE TRANSCRIPTS OF

THE TRIAL, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS SO FITTING THAT IT FITTED

DIRECTLY INTO BOBBY SEALE'S -- INTO AARON'S WORDS BECAUSE

BOBBIE IS A WORD SMITH, HE LOVES TO SPEAK.

WHEN I STUDIED HIM, I SAW HE WAS EXTREMELY CHARISMATIC.

LOVED TO HEAR HIS VOICE, EXTREMELY PASSIONATE AND SPEAKS

AT A QUICK PACE SOMETIMES SO IT FELT LIKE A REALLY GOOD PART,

AND SO, SO, SO EXCITED THAT, YOU KNOW, I WAS THE ONE CHOSEN, YOU

KNOW, TO BE IN THOSE SHOES.

>> Stephen: IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> STEPHEN: "THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7" IS STREAMING ON

NETFLIX NOW.

YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN THE SECOND EVERYBODY!

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.