The original cast from The Five Heartbeats reunited at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 24 to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary. The classic film was released in March 1991.
The film about a fictional R&B group in the 1960s was a fan favorite. Writers Robert Townsend and Keenen Ivory Wayans used the lives of groups like “The Temptations” and “The Four Tops” as models for the film.
Townsend, Leon Robinson, Harry J. Lennix, Michael Wright and Tico Wells were all in New York to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary.
The Five Heartbeats chronicles the sometimes tragic lives of the characters over a seven-year span. One fact the fans may not be aware of is that Denzel Washington was supposed to play the role of Eddie King Jr. The role ended up being played by actor Michael Wright.
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Townsend shared some clips of his personal footage while making the film on his Instagram page. One clip shows famous tap-dancer, Harold Nicholas, teaching the actors how to dance. Nicolas was once married to Carmen Jones actress Dorothy Dandridge.
“People ask, if we had fun making THE 5 HEARTBEATS, these clips show you how much fun we had! And a clip that didn’t make it in the doc of Harold Nicolas teaching us how to dance. My documentary MAKING THE FIVE HEARTBEATS is my personal journey to get the movie made, it’s a masterclass on how I make movies,on these platforms.”
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Fans who can’t get enough of the film can watch the documentary Townsend made in 2018 about making the film. The documentary includes personal stories from the film’s actors as well as the writers. Making the Five Heartbeats is available on Amazon, YouTube and Vimeo.
