When Raul Castillo saw Elegance Bratton’s name on the script for The Inspection, it sent him back in time to their last meeting.
Based on the true story of its writer and director, it revolves around Ellis French (Jeremy Pope), a young gay Black man who joins the Marines where, despite his obvious physical attributes, he’s subjected to a brutal hazing by instructor Leland Laws (Bokeem Woodbine) and other recruits.
Seeing Bratton’s name attached to the film sent Castillo on a trip down memory lane.
“Elegance isn’t the sort of name you forget easily. I went through my texts. I found some from him in 2018. He’d cornered me at a party at the Tribeca Film Festival and told me, ‘I have this script and character that I wrote for you!’ So I gave him my number,” said Castillo, who then never actually responded to Bratton’s messages.
In Castillo’s defense, he’d been extremely busy during this period. He’d received critical acclaim as an actor, especially for his performances in Cold Weather, We The Animals, and El Chicano, as well as for his work in the television shows Looking and Atypical.