Actor Forrest Whitaker’s work speaks volumes without him ever having to say a word. This is true of his Oscar-winning turn as dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland (2006) and his portrayal of a serene hitman in the Jim Jarmusch helmed Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999). It’s also the case in his latest role as real life crime boss “Bumpy” Johnson in the fourth season of the MGM+ series Godfather of Harlem. Alongside his acting chops, Whitaker is an accomplished director of films including Hope Floats and Waiting to Exhale. He also produced Ryan Coogler’s debut feature Fruitvale Station, among others.
Whitaker tells The Treatment about how exciting it is to have civil rights icons like Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell play big roles in Godfather of Harlem, the code “Bumpy” Johnson lived by, and why portraying Johnson took so much out of him.