Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: ariel vromen, Christopher A’mmanuel, exclusive, interview, lionsgate, ray liotta, Scott Eastman, tyrese gibson

1992 Director Ariel Vromen on LA Riots, Heist, Ray Liotta & More

Director Ariel Vromen (Criminal, The Iceman) spoke to Bleeding Cool about the Lionsgate historical drama thriller 1992, LA Riots & more.

Director Ariel Vromen has a talent for biopics and thrillers. Some of his memorable works include the biopic The Iceman (2012) for Millennium, the Lionsgate thriller Criminal (2016), and the Israeli Netflix biopic The Angel (2017). His latest is 1992, which follows Mercer (Tyrese Gibson), a father desperately trying to rebuild his life and his relationship with his son (Christopher A'mmanuel) amidst the turbulent 1992 LA uprising following the Rodney King verdict. Across town, another father and son (Ray Liotta and Scott Eastwood) put their strained relationship to the test as they plot a dangerous heist to steal catalytic converters containing valuable platinum from the factory where Mercer works. As tensions rise in Los Angeles and chaos erupts, both families reach their boiling points when they collide in this tense crime-thriller. Vromen spoke to Bleeding Cool about the inspiration behind Lionsgate's 1992, filming, casting, father-son relationships, what element the heist adds to the film, working with the late Liotta (who passed in 2022), and an update on his upcoming project with Kevin Costner.

1992 Director Ariel Vromen on Carefully Recreating the LA Riots, George Floyd Influence, and More

Bleeding Cool: What's the inspiration behind '1992?'
I read the script, an idea developed by Sascha Penn after what happened with George Floyd and the subsequent national riots in America. I read a script set 28-29 years earlier. My inspiration was reliving a reality reflected again in history, and it felt like you were reading a loop on almost every page. However, it was a period piece that felt relevant. That was how I was inspired to get involved, jump in, develop it, and bring it to you guys to watch.

Was it always conceived as a part-heist film, or did you have some other ideas?
The original idea was a parallel universe, like a metaphor giving a balance between a city on fire and a historical monumental event in our society that has a memory of some of the experiences back in the 90s. If they didn't experience [the riots] in 2020, the idea of the heist became a metaphor to supplement the fictional story. Eventually, you put those microcosm families or individuals of society within the melting pot with the same intensity as the city burning outside and becoming burned inside. That was the idea of being a historical day and entertaining it within the heist genre.

How did the casting come together?
A lot of it was choices. I had the privilege to craft a rainbow of choice for men because the movie is suffocating men. It's a man's story so the idea of casting was because it's such a short film, not a TV show you can dip into for your cast, each cast member who came on board had to represent a certain energy. The moment you see them without telling too much backstory about who they are, you feel those characters, each playing a different psychological attribute within the story. Whoever's performing it must bring certain baggage, innocence, discovery, or whatever it is to that part. That was the challenge and the casting of the film, '1992.'

What are the biggest challenges you encountered during filming?
We were filming amid COVID-19, a challenge in any production. The other thing is, how do we physically and financially shoot in Los Angeles on the street of South Central? I was insisting I'm not going to make a movie that's not shot, at least the scenes that took place in South Central. We had to shoot it in South Central, and the cost of shooting, the convolutedness of COVID-19, and the extra cost relayed to the production. Those are challenging in terms of planning the film. Luckily, we had another location for the heist in a factory in Vernon. I allowed myself to go to a different country and shoot it there to get all the machinery from the 90s without spending millions of dollars recreating those authentic locations. Those are the challenges we faced, and like the movie itself, it's a blend of energies, and the clash of energies also in the shoot itself.

What was it like having Ray on set, and what did he bring to the production? I imagine it wasn't easy filming his scenes and then having him pass the next month.
It was a great loss because Ray was an amazing actor. It was our second film together. We had a good working rapport with each other. We used to mess with the other actors and get them out of their comfort zone. He was a great partner as a director for me to work with and as a friend. Losing him is hard. I have mixed feelings because, on the one hand, I'm so grateful ['1992'] I was the last one. At least that will show the audience Ray Liotta on the big screen in his entire career with master directors who worked with the guy. You have a piece of somebody's legacy, and it's a responsibility [laughs].

What was the most difficult scene to film?
The riots in South Central were difficult because not only did we have to cast people from the hood, but you also still have the gangs of the Bloods and the Crips. Suddenly, you have a film production, and some don't know. Imagine that. Many were participating in the '92 riots and at the end of 2020 riots. Suddenly, another uprising was happening in the hood; they needed to check what was happening.
They realized we were doing a film in that period representing the post-trauma for most of them, so it got heated. It was also challenging to recreate it in the streets as it happened and deal with the people living during that period. We're filming in their streets, and then for them to come in and eventually accept, we're making a movie representing their home, culture, and history.

How do you break down the father-son dynamic between Tyreese and Christopher's characters in the film?
It's a relationship where you receive a second chance as a father who was not present in the child's upbringing. We had one scene to make their relationship and give them the attributes of their past in who they are, where they live, how they live, what's what, and what's their authority. Suddenly, you're getting full custody and authority of that kid, and you are probably about to face the hardest day of your life. You take that kid into a coming-of-age story and know everything you tried to prevent him from doing. You eventually throw him into the gutter to experience.

It is interesting because sometimes, as fathers, we hope to play the role of protectors and protect our kids, but we also must make decisions, and in mercy cases, he's a father who's on paper. You agree with his choices as the viewer. "Stay out of trouble! Don't go to the right. Let me bring you to a place outside the danger zone you're going to feel safe in," and eventually, "Let me throw you into more danger. Now your life is in my hands, not only to protect you from rioting but to protect your life." We are constructing in front of all this death, and you are the one who eventually gets a gun. I'm not spoiling the ending, but there are all these experiences, including getting arrested. Funny enough, sometimes in the father's world, we think our choices are the right ones because they protect our kids, but then again, the journey we must go through to gain that trust and connection as a father and son story. I went through hell and then came back out of it. They probably don't need another discussion about whether they trust each other.

Can you say anything about the project or working with Kevin Costner, and is there any movement on that?
It's unfortunate with Kevin; I made a movie already. He was, as we speak, in post-production filming four Westerns. Our project was supposed to come straight after. The strikes pushed his filming, and then there was the box office. There were reasons he spread [himself out] and financial situations where he also exposed himself so much to it. The project I'm doing with Kevin is almost 180 degrees different from his Western experiences. Imagine 'Forrest Gump' in reverse because Forrest is a nobody, and everything he touches turns to gold. He has a crazy journey of opportunity, and Kevin plays a billionaire who loses everything and must reeducate himself to be grown-up again and blend back into reality.

1992, which also stars Clé Bennett, Dylan Arnold, Michael Beasley, Ori Pfeffer, Tosin Morohunfola, and Oleg Taktarov, is in theaters now.

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