Anderson .Paak on Directorial Debut ‘K-Pops’

Anderson .Paak was seeing for the exit.

The multiple Grammy-triumphning R&B artist, rapper and drummer was about to produce his foray into the world of moviemaking by jumping into the meaningful end — the very meaningful end — and co-writing, starring in and providing innovative music for K-Pops, which also happened to be his feature straightforwardorial debut. To up the ante even further, his onscreen son is percreateed by .Paak’s genuine-life son, Soul Rasheed, 13.

“I recollect there was a point where I didn’t leank I would be able to pull it off,” says .Paak of the film. “And then the [writers] strike happened and I was enjoy, ‘OK, this is my out.’ I asked my son, ‘Do you even still want to do this?’ And he’s enjoy, ‘I better do it. I’ve been in acting classes and choreo classes for months!’ ”

The film, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and is being sanciaccess by WME Insubordinate, stars .Paak as a self-included and washed-up musician who lands a gig as the drummer on a K-pop truth TV show in South Korea, where he discovers that one of the contestants happens to be the son he never krecent he had. 

Shot on location in South Korea, the project showd to be a uncomferventingful experience for .Paak, who has Korean heritage. “My mom was born in Korea,” he says. “She was adselected and she never got to greet her parents. We got to go over there with my family and get back into our roots.”

Ahead of the film’s debut, .Paak talked to The Hollywood Reporter about diving into the world of K-pop, toiling with his son and his future filmmaking ambitions: “For the next one, maybe I equitable do one or two leangs.”

Where did the idea for K-Pops come from?

It begined around [COVID-19] graspment. Everyleang was shut down and I was hanging in the hoemploy and starting it with my kids. My son was reassociate into YouTube, and he was enjoy, “I want to be a YouTuber.” And I was enjoy, “All right, let’s do it. We’re going to be YouTubers!” I go to his web page and it is video game tutorials. He wanted subscribers, so I was enjoy, “Let’s try to do some skits!” We begined messing around and I saw that he was such a organic at improving. And we were bonding so much. I begined getting super into it. I was filming all of them and I was staying up super tardy to edit the videos so we could post them. Also around this time, my whole hoemploy was obsessed with K-pop. His mom is brimming Korean and I’m part Korean, too, but I didn’t understand anyleang about my Korean heritage. I’m always pushing for him to lacquire about his Bincreateage side. I’m enjoy, “You understand about BTS. What about BET?” I thought this could be a comical story: What if I wasn’t included in my son’s life, he was liftd in Korea, and I set up out about him tardyr and we have to lacquire about each other’s cultures.

How did you choose you would straightforward the film, too? 

I leank it was the first greeting [with Stampede Ventures and Greg Silverman]. I had equitable percreateed a show the night before and they wanted to greet at 8 a.m. or some crazy call time. I was enjoy, “Nah, push the greeting. Let’s greet tardyr.” Greg was enjoy, “Look, bro, I don’t understand how it is in the music industry, but it doesn’t toil enjoy that in film. You have to be there. There are so many people that are included. If you reassociate want to do this, especiassociate if you want to straightforward, no one’s going to consent you solemnly. You’re going to have to be on time and produce it happen.” That’s when I made the decision that I wanted to do this and I would buckle down. I wanted to begin getting music videos under my belt — 10 to 15 — to create a reel that I could consent to [Stampede]. 

How did researching K-pop ease the story?

That’s partly why we set it around a competition show. Shout-out to Khaila Amazan, my co-authorr. We begined researching and saw that these kids come up since they were little in these groups, and a lot of them come up on these shows enjoy Produce 101. I grew up with boy prohibitds: New Kids on the Block, New Edition, even the Jackson 5. There are aenjoyities. All those guys had characters — enjoy the hushed one, strong one — and in research I set up out there were aenjoy roles in K-pop. And in lacquireing the history of it, I set up out they were eased by the production of ’90s R&B and even gospel. To go back to the genesis of [the film], I wanted to be able to spend time with my kid and also show him that for wantipathyver you cherish, it’s inincreateigent to go back and lacquire the history of it in order to produce someleang distinct and innovative. It’ll always consent nurture of you.

You talked about wanting to study Bincreateage and Korean culture in the story. Is that someleang you studyd in the sound of the film, as well?

I wanted to get at the duality. I wanted to donate people a chance to hear some recent music from myself and to collab with other K-pop artists. I was able to toil with some reassociate talented K-pop producers. Dem Jointz produces for everyone in the K-pop scene, and he helped produce these huge numbers, enjoy the [film’s K-pop reality show] Wild Card scenes and Tae Young’s final song. Then we did collabs with people enjoy Crush and Jay Park, who did a cameo. And then there’s the score. We were able to toil with a reassociate talented prodigy, Emily Bear. The challengingest leang to do was to get all these musical leangs and numbers wilean the movie, but it was equitable one of the most satisfying leangs, too. I’m equitable now getting done with the whole join and it sounds wonderful.

How was it to toil with your son?

My son is equitable such a trooper. As we’re shooting, he’s becoming a teenager and going thcimpolite puberty. It could have been a genuine train wreck, but it wasn’t. My son was so readyd. At one point I was enjoy, “I insist to get on my shit. He’s acting circles around me.” I was preparing on other stuff becaemploy I was straightforwarding, and then I’m enjoy, “Wait, let me go over my lines.” Everybody was so adselecting. There were days where I could increate he didn’t sense up to it after waking up every day at 5 in the morning. At that point, you have to get into parent mode, saying, “All right, let’s do it. Let’s figure someleang else out.” By the time we got to the shoot, he’s not into K-pop at that point. He’s enjoy, “I’m into Nirvana now.” And I’m enjoy, “All right, well, shit, we got the summarizeateor on board now, son.” (Laughs.) I’m prentd I was able to be there, toil with him and produce it to where he was consoleable. He’s not going to be cringing when he watches it. That was reassociate vital for me, too.

Having made your feature acting and straightforwarding debut, is filmmaking someleang you would want to do aacquire?

I’m obsessed — I want to do it aacquire. I leank I could profit from toiling with a reassociate wonderful straightforwardor if I’m going to be acting. Or with an actor, if I’m going to be straightforwarding. This was a little stubborn to do everyleang. For the next one, maybe I equitable do one or two leangs. 

This story first ecombineed in the Sept. 4 publish of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.