The Blackening: How Dewayne Perkins' Improv Background Shaped The Film - Exclusive

"The Blackening" — coming to theaters on June 16 — got its start as a sketch written by Dewayne Perkins for 3Peat, an African American improv group at The Second City. This sketch was then turned into a short film, which got the attention of director Tim Story and writer Tracy Oliver, who teamed up with Perkins to expand this horror movie satire into a full story. The content of the sketch/short — an argument over who in a group of Black friends is the "Blackest" and thus the first to die in a typical horror movie — has been adapted into a comedic high point at the center of a more fleshed-out horror comedy narrative.

Looper spoke to Dewayne Perkins and his co-star Jay Pharoah ahead of the film's theatrical release. Given the improv roots of both Perkins and the original sketch, we were curious how much improvisation was utilized for the movie. Perkins explained how he balanced having a solid foundation in his and Oliver's screenplay while still giving the actors room to play around.

Dewayne Perkins said there was "quite a bit" of improv, explaining, "There was a clear foundation from the script. Everybody respected what Tracy [Oliver and I] wrote, but there was also an openness to explore what else can come from it. The actors were always empowered to bring whatever they wanted to bring. Tim [Story] was very conscious of getting a clean version of the script and then being like, 'Okay, now you could play a little bit more.'"

"That play brought a lot to the film," Perkins continued. "There's so many moments that I know for sure that I did not write, but it brings so much to the film and allows people to embody their characters in a way that doesn't feel contained. A lot of us do come from improv, sketch, standup. There are a lot of creative people that were a part of this cast, so giving them that freedom to give specificity in life to their characters was essential to what ended up on screen."

Elsewhere in the interview, Perkins said that the character he plays in the film (also named Dewayne) is mostly based on his own personality. Jay Pharoah also said his character, Shawn, is a lot like himself, except "a little more adventurous." It seems improv was a tool to allow the whole cast to "embody" their roles in a way that preserved much of their own creative identities.

"The Blackening" opens in theaters on June 16.