BlacKkKlansman cast: Who stars in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman?

While BlacKkKlansman is based on a true story, Spike Lee took a few liberties with his movie adaptation.

The memoir Black Klansman was penned by real-life cop Ron Stallworth, the first African-American to join the Colorado Springs Police Department.

But who plays Ron in the movie, and who else is in the BlacKkKlansman cast?

John David Washington plays the protagonist, Ron Stallworth – but the role is not his first outing in a Spike Lee movie.

Washington had a cameo in Lee’s Malcolm X, which starred Washington’s father, Denzel, in the eponymous role.

John David Washington’s other film credits don’t include any blockbusters but two impressive Sundance movies.

BlacKkKlansman is his first mainstream lead role, which makes his standout performance all the more awe-inspiring.

Before appearing in movies, Washington was a professional American Football player but picked up acting with the role of Ricky Jerret in the HBO comedy series Ballers in 2015.

White-Ron, as he is often referred to, aka Flip Zimmerman is played by Adam Driver.

One of Lee’s liberties from the source material is Zimmerman’s history – for in the memoir his name is changed and not many details are given.

For the BlacKkKlansman movie, Adam Driver’s Zimmerman is Jewish, giving him ‘skin in the game’ of infiltrating the KKK.

Driver may be best known for his role as Kylo Ren in the new Star Wars franchise, but his other credits include Inside Llewyn Davis (with Star Wars co-star Oscar Isaac) and the beautifully subtle Paterson, in which he plays a bus driver-cum-poet.

And, of course, he had a long-running appearance on the American TV show Girls, written by and starring Lena Dunham.

Topher Grace stars as David Duke, grand wizard of the KKK.

Grace may be one of the better-known faces in BlacKkKlansman due to his long-running tenure on That 70s Show, and also appearing as one version of Venom in Spider-Man 3.

Recently, Grace has spoken about the toll playing a character prominent for his despicable views has taken on him.

In an interview with IndieWire, Grace said: “I was so depressed.”

He added: “It was so disturbing to go home and turn on the news to see how his ideology was affecting us at the moment.”

Where Spike Lee deviates wholly from the memoir is in the creation of Patrice Dumas, Stallworth’s love interest and a powerhouse in her own right.

Played by Laura Harrier, Patrice was inspired by the women of the Black Power Movement – including, of course, Angela Davis.

Harrier’s previous film credit includes Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, while she was a regular on the American soap opera One Life to Live.

As Patrice, Harrier expertly embodies the struggles of women of colour, never once compromising her views – not even for love.

Other cast members include Jasper Pääkkönen as Felix Kendrickson, Ryan Eggold as Walter Breachway, Paul Walter Hauser as Ivanhoe, all members of the Colorado Springs KKK chapter, with Ashlie Atkinson as Connie, Felix’s wife.

Corey Hawkins plays Kwame Ture, formerly known as Carmichael Stokes, a real-life Black Power activist while Harry Belafonte cameos as Jerome Turner in one of the movie’s most powerful moments.

Other police officers include Michael Buscemi as Jimmy Creek, Ken Garito as Sergeant Trapp, Robert John Burke as Chief Bridges, Frederick Weller as Patrolman Andy Landers, and Isiah Whitlock Jr as Mr Turrentine a police recruitment agent.

The white-supremacist numbers are filled out by Nicholas Turturro as Walker and Alec Baldwin as Dr Kennebrew Beaureguard.

BlacKkKlansman is in UK cinemas Friday, August 24, 2019.