Welcome to “Playback,” a Variety / iHeartRadio podcast bringing you exclusive conversations with the talents behind many of today’s hottest films.
Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal met at a poetry slam and bonded over music while coming up in the Bay Area. They worked feverishly to crank out albums and mix tapes and assembled an Oakland collective, The Get Back, to stretch their creativity with like minds. Diggs has since gone on to become the Grammy- and Tony-winning star of the hit musical “Hamilton” and carve his path in television series like “The Get Down” and “black-ish,” while Casal is poised to take off with his first role alongside Diggs in “Blindspotting.” The film, which the duo wrote and developed for the better part of a decade, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It’s a searing portrait of the Oakland they see quickly evaporating, as well as an avenue for them to explore verse-driven narrative on the big screen.
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