Birth of a Nation writer, director, and star Nate Parker is scheduled to appear on 60 Minutes to discuss his upcoming film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The segment, hosted by Anderson Cooper, will reportedly air on CBS this Sunday, October 2.
Nate has been the center of controversy since this summer, during which several interviews brought attention to rape charges he and Jean Celestin — Birth of a Nation co-writer — faced in 1999. The pair was accused of raping a Penn State classmate. Parker, who reiterated that the sex was consensual, was acquitted. Celestin was convicted, and the conviction was later appealed.
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter the segment was booked prior to the controversy. Though Parker previously released a statement expressing his grief following the accuser’s 2012 suicide, this would be his first major television appearance surrounding the film.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Fox Searchlight, which paid a record $17.5 million for the gritty drama at the Sundance Film Festival, has been treading carefully in the run-up to the release. Parker appeared with his cast for a premiere at the Toronto Film Festival and held a press conference at which he deflected questions about his past to focus on the film. But a screening and panel at the AFI were canceled and several media outlets (including THR) were not permitted to attend the film’s Los Angeles premiere last week.
Cooper will most likely address details surrounding the case.
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
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Nate Parker May Be Making His First Major TV Appearance Surrounding ‘Birth Of A Nation’ was originally published on theurbandaily.com
