Exclusive: LaKeith Stanfield Talks “Judas & The Black Messiah,” Playing An Infamous Snitch, Black History Month & More!

Oscar-nominated LaKeith Stanfield?

Everyone’s buzzing over critically acclaimed movie-of-the-moment “Judas & The Black Messiah” that smolders with incredible performances from Daniel Kaluuya, Dominique Fishback and LaKeith Stanfield who plays infamous FBI informant William O’Neal in a blood-boiling role that will make you want to fight him in real life.

We caught up with the talented actor who opened up about playing the snitch responsible for Fred Hampton’s tragic murder in our exclusive interview you can watch below:

In 1968, a young, charismatic activist named Fred Hampton became Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, who were fighting for freedom, the power to determine the destiny of the Black community, and an end to police brutality and the slaughter of Black people.

Chairman Fred was inspiring a generation to rise up and not back down to oppression, which put him directly in the line of fire of the government, the FBI and the Chicago Police. But to destroy the revolution, they had to do it from both the outside…and the inside.

Facing prison, William O’Neal is offered a deal by the FBI: if he will infiltrate the Black Panthers and provide intel on Hampton, he will walk free. O’Neal takes the deal.

Now a comrade in arms in the Black Panther Party, O’Neal lives in fear that his treachery will be discovered even as he rises in the ranks. But as Hampton’s fiery message draws him in, O’Neal cannot escape the deadly trajectory of his ultimate betrayal.

Though his life was cut short, Fred Hampton’s impact has continued to reverberate. The government saw the Black Panthers as a militant threat to the status quo and sold that lie to a frightened public in a time of growing civil unrest. But the perception of the Panthers was not reality. In inner cities across America, they were providing free breakfasts for children, legal services, medical clinics and research into sickle cell anemia, and political education.

And it was Chairman Fred in Chicago, who, recognizing the power of multicultural unity for a common cause, created the Rainbow Coalition—joining forces with other oppressed peoples in the city to fight for equality and political empowerment.

“Judas & The Black Messiah” is streaming exclusively on HBO Max and playing in theaters nationwide.