Interviewed by Jessica Dewey with Influential People Magazine
The true story of Black Soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary war from the Boston Massacre to the Battle of Bunker Hill.
With all the civil unrest and turmoil going on in today’s America, it is the perfect time to look back and reflect on how African Americans are part of the foundation of this country. Robert Gatewood is a former NFL star, actor, writer, and producer of the upcoming film “Bucks of America”, which will be released July 2021. He has dedicated the past few years researching a lost part of America’s history
At a time when America’s fate was hanging in the balance, free and enslaved African Americans mobilized to help the 13 colonies fight for their independence from the British. The British tried to entice these African American soldiers to fight for them with the promise of becoming free men, but they could not be swayed.
IPM: As the producer and director of a truly lost portion of history “Bucks of America”, what inspired you to start producing the movie?
Robert: I had a choice I could write a book, do lectures in schools and universities, but I decided the fastest way to bring this important information to the public, mainstream, is through the box office. I viewed it as the most effective way to get a story out there that needs to be told because this story has the power to affect change in hearts and minds. And that’s what makes it’s so important that it is delivered as effectively and quickly as possible…
IPM: What are the difficulties you have faced while producing this movie?
Robert: Making completely sure of its accuracy. I want to make sure there is a story here that cannot be disputed. Or that no one could say he’s working on his agenda. It had to be fact-based, so everything you see in the film has documentation that backs it up as true.
IPM: Some of our readers would like to know, what’s a day in the life of a producer?
Robert: It is long, isolated, time-consuming, you spend a lot of time deep in thought, you would have to be willing to give up your time. That is kind of risky you want to be sure your time is not wasted and there’s no way to know that until the process is complete.
IPM: In your research, what surprised you about Hall?
Robert: What surprised me, is that there were so many curiosities about the man. So many people had so many assumptions about what kind of person he was and what his background was. I find it interesting I have felt a similar thing in my personal life. Square peg, round hole. When people cannot fit you into a box, they tend to make assumptions about what kind of person you must be.
IPM: What is the most important takeaway from Prince Hills life that people need to know?
Robert: He was very confident in who he was and not afraid to be a complete individual with a desire to reach out to help others. And a determination to make the world a better place…
IPM: We noticed that some of the characters have a token. Can you tell me a little bit about the token?
Robert: If you are referring to the medallion, it belongs to the “Bucks” a piece of merchandise identifying them as one of the main soldiers (Bucks Militia) today it would be very rare to know or be able to identify who was the “Bucks of America”.
IPM: What attracted you to begin a career as an actor?
Robert: Action film, the fact that important events raise adrenaline and make people able to do superhuman things. I find the same thing in the Sports arena. It is very exciting to be able to carry that over to film. The audience, by the reaction, can have extraordinary feelings just by being a spectator.
The Bucks of America was organized in Boston and little is known about their campaign. Most of the unit’s history is constructed from eyewitness accounts because few records survived. This Patriot Massachusetts Military Company was instrumental to the success at the battle of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, and the Boston Massacre
This human-interest story covers the amazing true accounts of the Bucks of America, as well as the story of influential people during America’s fight for independence.
As director and author of this film, Robert Gatewood integrates historical accuracy with Hollywood theatrics to create a masterpiece. Historians are helping with movie production to keep it accurate to detail and estimate an unbelievable 95% accuracy.
Robert Gatewood is a former Pro Football Wide Receiver & pro Boxer. He came into film work after an Achilles injury that left him sidelined from the NFL. Since then he has been involved as a Stunt player in many High Action films including Star Trek VI (Klingon) & Star Trek Enterprise (Alien Lacrosse Player). He has fought Chuck Norris in the film “SideKicks” and also returned an 80 yard TD in the Tony Scott film “The Last BoyScout” with Bruce Willis & Damon Wayans. Robert is also known as the “Flynn” Pirate from the Steven Spielberg film “Hook” at which he gained that title from Dustin Hoffman & Robin Williams for winning the Pirate Swordfight Competition during the filming of that movie. Robert is now a Writer/Producer/Actor/Director for the upcoming “True History” Film “Bucks Of America” of which he researched and wrote what appears to be an overlooked history of the Revolutionary War. Robert is set to portray the role of “Prince Hall”. The film is currently in production with an expected release date of June 2021.
IPM: What advice would you give someone who wants to have a career as a filmmaker?
Robert: Be prepared to live on an island for a few months. To do that you have to be complete with yourself. Satisfied and confident so that you are sure what you’re doing. A Commitment to your project.
IPM: Did you find difficulty in finding the perfect cast for your film?
Robert: In some cases, yes. What I later discovered is that if I let it flow the right people would walk into the role.
IPM: What inspired you to research the Revolutionary War and the events around the battle of Bunker Hill?
Robert: Asking yourself how we got here. I mean as a country, with stereotypes, and procedures, how did we come to be in the place we are today…
IPM: How did you discover the lost history of the Bucks of America?
Robert: I was researching a particular person this was a detour. I found a mention of the “Bucks” in some passages in history I got curious and I came up with a strategy of how to find out who, what, where, and why.
IPM: In the film, you play Prince Hall, the founder of the Black Masonic Lodge. What was it that sent Hall on his path to find the Black Masonic Lodge?
Robert: He is the most influential person I have ever come across. He wanted a voice in the legislation for the continental congress. The way to do that is to become a founder of his own Lodge. That way he could represent and get a voice in government.
IPM: Is it difficult?
Robert: Yes, it is very difficult, you cannot control it, you have to live it. That’s what keeps us coming back to the fact that there are no controls.
IPM: What is some advice that you would give to someone aspiring to become an actor?
Robert: Stanislavsky wrote a book about it. You have to go out and live life to learn emotions. Somehow you have to find what life feels like to be able to convey the proper emotions to an audience. So advice would be to try something different. The variety is good…
IPM: What is your biggest achievement in the field of acting?
Robert: Being able to dissolve into character to the point that you do not even know what you were doing until you have completed the task. Or when doing stunt work putting 100% of my athleticism into the delivery of the feeling and emotion.
IPM: Where did you learn to become an actor?
Robert: A few different places some theater stage in high school A very special teacher named Rosemary Bonacci, corralled me in high school and told me that she noticed from my student counselor, that I wanted to study acting and asked why I was not in any of her plays. That was a start and then I auditioned for her for the role of Mr. Gibbs in “arsenic and old lace” 13 lines, but I received a standing ovation and that was cool! Then I got the bug, I studied with Cynthia Thornel in Los Angeles for a year learned a lot in her class, a lot of improvisation. And Samuel Warren got me around in front of the camera a lot of films. Then trial & error. And I had an opportunity to study for three years with a great actor Aki Aleong…
IPM: We noticed you are a writer as well; do you write for screenplays?
Robert: Not really, this is my second maybe third screenplay. But there is software that you can purchase that is a major help with that by today’s standards…
IPM: Being an entrepreneur in your field, how are you able to manage to be an actor, writer, producer, and director in your life?
Robert: That is extremely difficult. You have to be very inspired. I am very inspired to do this work for the men who lived this life and did not get their story told, written in history. That has been my great inspiration trying to do a service to those who did a service for us by living the life they did.
IPM: What motivates you to keep going in all you do?
Robert: I believe it’s a similar motivation as Prince Hall with the hope that you can make the world a better place. History teaches us short cuts in life or how to avoid pitfalls.
IPM: What obstacles have you faced in the pursuit of producing, directing, acting, and/or writing and how did you overcome them?
Robert: Understanding that you have to take charge of a project like this because no one else knows where it is going you have to set the motivations in place and instruct so that people working with you can get a clear idea of what the point of view is and where the objective is. It’s best if they don’t know the outcome that way you stay true to form. They do not anticipate it. And that’s how real life is.
IPM: What kind of humanitarian work do you do?
Robert: We are giving a percentage of the proceeds from the film to the homeless and relief for homeless veterans. As one of the characters, Salem Poor spent several weeks in the Boston Almshouse, a homeless shelter. He was briefly jailed for “breach of peace” in 1799, he died in 1802, and yet he was a major war hero at Bunker Hill.
IPM: Do you have any important message you would like to share with our readers and aspiring entrepreneurs?
Robert: Sure, in any work that you do that requires a lot of research, you have to stay as open-minded as you possibly can that is the way the doors will open for you. Discovery is made from having an open mind…
Mark your calendars moviegoers! This must-see film will be hitting theaters in the summer of 2022. Its projected release date is set for the 247th anniversary of Bunker Hill.
See you there!
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