In Highest 2 Lowest, Spike Lee’s spirited (and starry) reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 noir High and Low, Ilfenesh Hadera plays Pam King, a woman living a nightmare. First, she learns that her enterprising music-mogul husband, David King (Denzel Washington, a joy), is mulling some risky-sounding financial machinations to regain control of Stackin’ Hits Records, his once-indomitable, now increasingly irrelevant label. Then, they find out that their teenage son, Trey, has been kidnapped from basketball practice.
What follows is a twisty, thrilling, frequently funny, slyly deep crime romp, complete with sweeping views of Dumbo, an eye-popping set piece involving an elevated train line and the Puerto Rican Day Parade, and what can only be described as a spoken-word rap battle between Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky. (To say much more about the latter’s role in the film would be too much.) Throughout all of this, Hadera—a Harlem native with bewitchingly feline features and a resonant speaking voice—is a poised and steadying presence, capably balancing the bullishness and bluster of Washington’s David.
A collaborator of Lee’s for more than a decade now, Hadera also appeared in Oldboy (2013), Chi-Raq (2015), and the Netflix adaptation of She’s Gotta Have It, besides starring in series such as Show Me a Hero, Billions, and MGM+’s Godfather of Harlem, the fourth season of which aired this past spring.
Here, Hadera talks to Vogue about Highest 2 Lowest’s dreamy Cannes premiere, being schooled (quite happily!) by Washington on set, and what she’d like to do next.
Vogue: Highest 2 Lowest had its world premiere at Cannes this year. How did you approach getting dressed for that red carpet? How do you like to feel in those moments?
Ilfenesh Hadera: I mean, here’s the thing. I’m 39. I grew up in Manhattan. I have a real sense of my own style, what I think works, what I like, and maybe I play it safe, but generally if I don’t feel good in it, I’m not going out in it. Not for the sake of a brand relationship, not for the sake of pushing comfort zones. I feel like if you don’t feel good, you look self-conscious, and it shows. And when you’re at a premiere, you’re meant to be celebrating your hard work and your project and feeling good, and you should own the moment.
Cannes was kind of a funny moment. I’m not a huge dreamer—I like to set goals and be realistic about things and be in the moment and not dream about the future too much, because I think it does detract a little bit from where you’re at. But Cannes has always been a temple of cinema. There’s so much history, and I really wanted the look to be perfect. I ended up at the Albright Fashion Library, and they styled the look the day before I took off. I’ve never in my life worn polka dots, but I felt great, and it felt appropriate.
I’d love to know, given the amazing professional relationship you’ve built up with Spike over the years, when you get a new script from him at this point, how does it work? How did this project come into your life?
I mean, truly, the only difference is that it’s not coming through my reps anymore. I mean, it is, but I get a little heads-up before. I guess the telltale sign is, “When do you go back to Godfather [of Harlem]? Do you have these dates free?” And then it’s like, ooh, there’s something going on. Something’s cooking.
But it’s the same deal. I’ve never gotten an offer from Spike; you got to put the work in and earn the part. So it’s always an audition, which is totally, totally to be expected. I see it as part of the job. It’s what we do as actors. I almost prefer to audition, because then you’re on the same page. You don’t have two totally different visions for the character when you get to set. But Kim Coleman, who has auditioned me for Spike and cast Spike’s projects for at least the last 15 years that I’ve known him, cast this project. And Spike was very transparent; he said, “This is going to be Denzel’s call. He’s an executive producer on the movie. He brought me the script, and you’re his leading lady, so do your thing. Do the work.”
Oh my God.
Yeah. But our auditions were at 40 Acres [Lee’s production company], and that’s felt like home for so long that I walked in feeling like I was on familiar territory. And I felt really good about the work that I did, which is all you can ask for, coming out of an audition.
And were you already familiar with the Kurosawa film?
Well, way back in our relationship, I said to Spike, “Listen, give me a list of all of your must-see cinema.” Because, I mean, my mom and dad, they watched movies—they had movie dates—but it was not a big household for cinema. And Spike gave me a list, and there was a lot of Kurosawa on that list: Ran and Rashomon and Seven Samurai. But I had never seen High and Low. And when the Deadline announcement came out that Spike was doing this reinterpretation, I immediately rushed to see it, because I thought, Let’s see if there’s a role, very selfishly. So I’d seen it prior to my audition process.
Of course, your main scene partner for much of the film is Denzel. What was that dynamic like on set, given you’d never worked together but both had these significant working relationships with Spike?
It’s funny, Spike has said in interviews that he and Denzel have worked together so many times, but their last film was Inside Man. So you think, Is this going to be two guys getting together again who just fall into lockstep, or do they have to get to know one another? And they just picked up where they left off. And Spike is such a wonderful collaborator. His director’s chair doesn’t say “director” on it; it says “coach.” And that’s how you feel, like a team.
And Denzel and I, we really had time in rehearsal and on set to talk to one another and play. There were moments where he was asking me appropriate questions about my work and where I was coming from and questions that, if someone my age had asked, I might’ve said, “Let me do my thing.” But you get reminders from Denzel, and you’re like, Damn, I’m still a student. Last year, in one of his interviews around Gladiator, he said there are three seasons for an actor: a season to learn, to earn, and to return. And it’s so clear that Denzel is in his return phase, just as a teacher and a leader on set, really.
This movie plays with a lot of different modes and genres, but a good portion of it takes place in David and Pam’s apartment. It’s like a chamber piece—there are a lot of people, and it’s a lot of dialogue. Given your background working in ensembles, how were those scenes for you?
Great. I mean, there’s no bad apples on a Spike Lee joint. Some of the people I knew—Dean Winters, I’ve known for years, just through New York City circles and nightlife. Jeffrey Wright was coming off of American Fiction, and my grandmother and I watched that movie three times together. I’ve been such a fan of his for so long. And LaChanze, who plays one of the detectives.... I mean, when you’re hanging out between setups or light changes or whatever, it kind of felt like being in the theater, in some way. Like you’re waiting in the wings or your dressing room with all of your actor friends.
What would you say you look for in a part these days? What flips the switch for you?
I read this script recently for this Taylor Sheridan project. I didn’t get it; a friend, Juliana Canfield, got it, and I’m so thrilled for her. The part was a wife, but she’s also this badass, passionate, ass-kicking, grenade-throwing, amazing Child Protective Services agent. So, multifaceted characters with depth and conflict and stories of their own—things that I can sink my teeth into.
I mean, any kind of physical transformation would be incredible. To have to take it there and transform your body for a role is a challenge in a wonderful way. I think any project where you have to learn a new skill, whether it’s wielding a katana or knitting a quilt. I think it’s all a fascinating part of the process.
And where do you find stimulation, engagement, or joy outside of work? How do you like to spend your time?
Doing things that make my body feel good. I really prioritize movement and sweat and exercise in my life. I feel like there’s so much outside of our control in the world around us that our bodies are, if we’re lucky, the one thing that we can have a say on, whether it’s the food we put into them or the work we do on them. So I spend a lot of time with my fitness community. Otherwise, I’m a homebody. I love hanging out with my dog. And I love cooking: I am a huge New York Times recipe follower. I feel like life is full, whether you’re working or not. Life is full.
The conversation has been edited and condensed.
Highest 2 Lowest is in limited theaters now and available to stream on Apple TV+ from September 5.