A new documentary on John Lewis recounts his work as a civil-rights leader and politician, as well as showing his more personal side through stories about his childhood, family life and extensive art collection.
Photo: Magnolia PicturesA new documentary on John Lewis takes its name from one of the congressman’s favorite phrases, “good trouble.” He’s said it in graduation speeches, on news shows and Twitter: “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” He’s referring to his belief in nonviolent protest and disobedience. As one of the student leaders of the civil-rights movement, Lewis was arrested 40 times for demonstrations that included marching from Selma to Montgomery, taking interstate bus trips across the South as one of the original 13 Freedom Riders and doing sit-ins at segregated lunch counters. He’s been arrested an additional five times since being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Georgia’s fifth congressional district in 1986, for his involvement in protests against apartheid in South Africa and genocide in Darfur and, most recently, at a 2013 immigration rally.
John Lewis: Good Trouble, available on demand July 3, recounts Lewis’s work as a civil-rights leader and politician, as well as showing his more personal side through stories about his childhood, family life and extensive art collection. There’s also a brief account of the viral video of him dancing to Pharrell Williams’s “Happy” from 2014. Though the documentary was made prior to his diagnosis of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer and doesn’t delve into it, Lewis, 80, has recently said his health is improving.
For director-producer Dawn Porter, 54, whose documentaries include Trapped and Gideon’s Army, and Erika Alexander, an actress-writer-producer, 50, Lewis was a dream subject. “He was game for everything,” says Porter. Though Lewis’s team expressed hesitancy on certain requests, he himself was always willing. “If you ask him, ‘Can we go to Troy, Alabama [where he was born], with you?’ OK.’ ‘Can I meet you at your house at 8 a.m.?’ OK.’ He has nothing to hide.” Here, Porter and Alexander talk to WSJ. about Lewis’s view on the current protests across the country, his sense of humor and the most unexpected thing they learned about him.
You both got the idea to do a documentary on John Lewis separately. You discovered this as you were simultaneously working on your own films and decided to join together. How did that come to be?
Erika Alexander: A good friend said, “You should talk to Dawn Porter. She’s amazing. And who knows? She might be open to partner with you on your documentary.” We needed a director. Then we got a text where she said, “Actually, I’m working on something about John Lewis.” My heart sank. It turned out that she was open to collaborating and partnering.
Dawn Porter: I would add that the first time I spoke with Erika, I just loved everything about her. Making movies is hard, and you want to spend time with people you like.
I’d done a four-part series for Netflix about Bobby Kennedy’s run for president, and John Lewis was one of the stars of that series. He told the story of how he organized the rally in Indianapolis for a black audience for Bobby Kennedy, but that rally was scheduled for the day Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. Bobby Kennedy’s advisors were saying, It’s too dangerous to speak to a black audience tonight; you will be attacked. And John Lewis said, You must speak to them. And Kennedy listened to his very young advisor. It was also the first time that he spoke about JFK’s death at the hands of an assassin—he empathized with that audience. And it was one of the only cities that did not have mass unrest that evening.
What was the congressman’s response when you approached him to do the documentary?
DP: By the time I got to him, he was ready to roll. I think he was ready to tell his story. He turned 80 this year and he’s aware of what a strong legacy he has. He was like the prettiest girl waiting to be asked to the dance, so we just fell right into it.
EA: He was ready, but I think he and Dawn also just had great chemistry. When you meet somebody who’s going to profile your life, you’re slowly getting to know each other and then it becomes a marriage of storytelling. For them, it seems like a father-daughter relationship.
John Lewis with fellow protestors at Edmund Pettus Bridge
Photo: © Alabama Department of Archies and History. Donated by Alabama Media Group. Photo by Tom Lankford, Birmingham News / Magnolia Pictures.Dawn, what were your conversations with him like?
DP: They were really fun. Mr. Lewis very much reminded me of a lot of the adults who were in my life as a young girl. We were filming this in 2018 and I would point out how upset I was about particular political events. He would always steer the conversation to what could be productive rather than just hear my litany of complaints. My husband started calling him my life coach. I felt challenged to be constructive. John Lewis has an amazing sense of humor. You have to pay close attention because he’s subtle.
We used to tease him because no matter what time of the day, he’s always in a suit, he’s always dressed up. One morning we came at 8 in the morning. And he’s like, “I have a little something for you. I have muffins and doughnuts.” (John Lewis also goes to Costco, which I think is funny.) And I said, “This is Saturday, a casual day.” And he said, “[Well,] I don’t have a tie.”
One of the poignant parts of the documentary is seeing him sit and watch archival footage of himself during the civil-rights movement. Was that the first time he’d seen those clips?
DP: I think he’d seen some but definitely not all. We made these mini-films of archive that were just of his life, and then I asked him to tell me the story behind those images. I don’t know that he’d seen them put together that way. This February, I went to show him the film. It’s always hard to watch a film with the subject. And he just kept saying, “It’s so powerful, it’s so powerful.” And I said, “Mr. Lewis, your life was powerful.” The thing I’m proudest of is that I know that he’s seen what we see, that he’s seen why people are so emotional about his service to the country. Because it really is such a life.
What was the most surprising or unexpected thing you each learned while you were working on the documentary?
DP: Definitely his love of art and the astounding art collection that he’s amassed. I believe that he has the largest collection of original Jacob Lawrence paintings in America. I’ve mentioned it to several curators, and I haven’t found anyone who knows of a larger, more substantial collection. What was also so remarkable about those paintings is not that he just liked them, but he knew the artists. He knew Romare Bearden, he knew Charles White, he knew Jacob Lawrence.
He has a very full life. By full, I mean, he loves art and music and dancing and food. He’s not just our fierce orator. I don’t want him to be a statue. He is a person who lives his life according to his beliefs. I think as a result of that, he’s a very calm person.
Protestors and police officers on Bloody Sunday, in John Lewis: Good Trouble.
Photo: © Spider Martin / Magnolia PicturesEA: I like his discipline. It’s something that I really strive for in life. Sometimes you feel like you’re not making headway but he shows you that just by being consistent every day, you can break through. He’s one of the founding fathers of America as far as I’m concerned. I like that being disciplined and consistent can bear real big fruit, that the quiet discipline of it is as fierce as any knife or loud talking that someone could do.
Have you been able to speak with Mr. Lewis about the protests and changes that are happening right now?
DP: I’ve spoken with his chief of staff [Michael Collins]; we speak almost every day. I know he is really proud of the fact that there have been protests in all 50 states. This is a big change. That was not happening in 1964, 1965.
Because he’s a person who believes in nonviolence, people have asked [what he thinks about rioting that has occurred]. He sees that question as something of a distraction. The overwhelming number of people marching and protesting are peaceful. There are certain people who take advantage of every situation. Then there is a small minority of people who are rioting out of a sense of frustration. He understands the pain and anguish. He chooses to respond with peaceful protests but he’s not going to condemn someone. Address the cause of the rage and then you shall answer it the best.
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