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      *Today, the story of the assassination of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy comes to the big screen, this time brought to audiences as a labor of love of actor/writer/director Emilio Estevez. The film chronicles the shooting of the popular senator on June 6th, 1968, and centers around 22 people who were at the Ambassador Hotel where he was killed.

      Some of those 22 characters are played by major talents such as Harry Belafonte, Lawrence Fishburne, William H. Macy, and Anthony Hopkins, but the film has also become a catalyst for craftwork for young Hollywood-ites Nick Cannon, Joy Bryant, Elijah Wood, and Lindsey Lohan.

     Cannon plays a young activist and campaign volunteer who sees Bobby Kennedy as the last hope to cement the social change of the times after the loss of President John Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; quite a contrary role to those audiences are accustomed to. After the comedic character roles he mastered in “Underclassman” and “Roll Bounce,” not to mention his very funny improve show “Wild N Out,” it’s seemed a tough pill to swallow to accept Cannon in such a film and such a role, but the young actor pulls off the vulnerability and humility of the character.

      “I had to definitely prove myself for this role,” he said. “I had to prove myself to Mr. Emilio Estevez and we had a connection after I read the script. In Hollywood there’s not a lot of great material floating around so when you get your hands on something like this – to have the opportunity to play a young political activist – I had to.”

       Cannon said that taking on the role was absolutely the best move for his career.

      “I thought it was a perfect move in my career. People know me as a funny guy or from the music thing. As an actor I wanted to show people that this is my craft,” he added.

      He continued that to find his comfort in the role, he did a little historical research to add to the information and reflections his family had shared with him.

      “I’ve admired Stokley Carmichael and listened to Dr. King’s speeches, but even right at home, my grandparents would tell me about that time. And the character was so well written – every scene and every word that he spoke meant something,” he continued. “I just took that in. I took the balance of the anger of what was going on at the time and the hope of what could happen in the future – that brought the humility to the character.”

Joy Bryant

      Bryant, who many remember from her role in “Antwon Fisher,” continued that the all-star cast also inspired her and her castmate Cannon to really delve into the characters and the story.

      “Whenever you’re in the company of people you respect and admire or great people, you’re going to rise to the occasion and aspire to be the best that you can possibly be – not that I don’t ordinarily – but when you’re surrounded by that you kind of go to another level. But even though I didn’t have any scenes with them, it was a nice little boost,” she said.

      As young actors who don’t have the history that the film covers, Cannon and Bryant both explained that they got a lot more out of the film than the film itself.

      “It wasn’t until I saw the film for the first time that I got hit over the head with a couple of things,” Bryant said. “One of the messages of the film is that when Bobby Kennedy died so did the idealism and the innocence of a nation; the hope for a better future, and the country got spun into this age of cynicism and distrust of the government. I always thought of myself as being informed and abreast of issues and what’s going on in the world, and when I saw the movie, it made me look in the mirror and say, ‘You’re a lot more cynical than you pretend to be.’ It made me think that I need to inject more optimism in my whole being and have more hope.”

      Cannon also called the film “life-altering” not just career-altering. The young actor had a great opportunity to learn from Belafonte, who plays a good friend of Ambassador Hotel owner (played by Anthony Hopkins).

      “I was given the opportunity to share hours of time with Harry Belafonte and he just dropped wisdom on me. I remember sitting in his trailer and thinking, ‘I’ve got to get my life together.’ He just showed me so much. To this day, in his 80s, he’s one of the most vigorous activists out there. He changed my perspective on the type of roles I want to do and the things that I do stand for. It changed my perspective on what being a public figure is all about.”

      “Bobby” opens today, November 17, in limited release and opens nationwide November 23.