‘The Harder They Fall’ Star Edi Gathegi Explains Why the Film Is a ‘Cinematic Experience’ (Exclusive)

The Harder They Fall — out in theaters now and streaming on Netflix soon — features an all-star cast, including Idris Elba, Jonathan Majors, Regina King and Zazie Beetz. Another star of the movie is Edi Gathegi who has a message for moviegoers about The Harder They Fall. PopCulture.com recently caught up with Gathegi, who explained why the Western film is a must-see. 

“Well, it’s an entertaining film,” Gathegi told PopCulture. “I dare you to watch it and not be entertained. The music is the 10th lead in this film. There’s nine major characters and I say that the music is the 10th lead. And in some respects, the music is the MVP. It’s tremendous. And if you feel safe enough to see it in the theater, I would encourage seeing it in the theater because there’s nothing like watching the big action sequence and just being there with the hoof, the horse hooves on the ground, and the gunshots, and the music that carries the whole film. It’s a cinematic experience. You should see it because it’s fun.”

Gathegi also talked about his character in The Harder They Fall, a real cowboy named Bill Pickett. “First of all, he’s based on a real historical figure, a man who actually lived,” Gathegi revealed. “And in this film, he’s been repurposed because he was a cowboy in real life but in this film, he’s an outlaw. This film is a revenge tale. It’s a classic Western and it repurposes real historical figures and puts them into our fictional telling. “But Bill Pickett is on the good-guy side and he’s a loyal fellow. He’s one of those individuals who puts the group above himself. No questions asked, ride or die. It’s one of the reasons why I was attracted to playing a guy like this, because I think civilizations have been able to be saved by people who have this philosophy who just are all about the whole.”

The Harder They Fall takes a look at real Black cowboys, lawmen and outlaws in the 1800s, but the story itself is fictional. There are not too many stories told on the big screen when it comes to Black cowboys, which is another reason why Gathegi was attracted to the film, which will start streaming on Netflix on Wednesday, Nov. 3. 

“The film as a whole was a no-brainer because of what the mission is,” Gathegi said. “Not a lot of people know this, but one in four cowboys was Black and we have been systematically erased from this part of history. I think what we’re endeavoring to do … continue this conversation of inclusion, bringing a Western like this into the world is in many ways attempting to right the wrongs that have been done with our culture. So just in the elevator pitch, I was in, because I wanted to be a part of helping to tell a story like this.”