Costume Designer Ruth E. Carter Threads History and the Afrofuture

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

Lemonada Media

Society & Culture, Film Interviews, Tv & Film

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 August 2023

⏱️ 71 minutes

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Summary

For over three decades, legendary costume designer Ruth E. Carter has created the looks of our most era-defining films. Today, we're celebrating those pieces chronicled in her new book, The Art of Ruth E. Carter: Costuming Black History and the Afrofuture.

At the top, we discuss the current labor movement in Hollywood (5:03), Carter’s upbringing in Massachusetts (8:50), and a formative Langston Hughes poem (12:56). Then, she reflects on her early years in Los Angeles (19:45), the night she met a lifelong collaborator in director Spike Lee (21:52), and the process of making School Daze (25:49), Do the Right Thing (29:06), and Malcolm X (37:42).

On the back-half, Carter describes her innovative work on the Black Panther films (50:40), which earned her two Academy Awards (54:33), the enduring influence of her mother, Mabel Carter (1:03:10), and how she continues to tell the story of the Black experience through costume design (1:04:35).

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Pushkin. This is talk easy. I'm San Frig legendary costume designer Ruthie Carter. For nearly four decades
0:46.8	she's been creating the looks of some of our most era-defining films. From
0:51.7	Spike Lee's do the right Thing to Ryan Kugler's Black Panther. In fact, her work on Black Panther and its sequel, Wakanda Forever, netted Carter two separate Oscars for best costume design.
1:04.8	Whether it's in Malcolm X, Amistad, or how Stella got her groove back, Carter's work is
1:11.5	marked by a mix of history, empathy, and playfulness. A self-described
1:17.6	Thespian at heart. She's crafted iconic pieces for actors like Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Angela Bassett, and the late
1:26.4	Chadwick Bozeman, all of whom are central subjects of her new book, The Art of Ruthie Carter,
1:33.2	Kostoming Black History in the Afro future.
1:36.5	The book features stories, sketches, and all the inspiration
1:40.0	behind some of her most beloved outfits. You could find that book at your local bookstore
1:45.2	or wherever you do your reading. As you may have heard on our episode from last week with screen
1:50.9	writer Alex O'Keefe, we're currently undergoing a pretty historic strike in
1:56.6	Hollywood as both the writers and the actors continue to hold out against the studios.
2:02.8	But what I think's been lost in this conversation
2:05.8	over the summer is how these strikes affect
2:08.8	all facets of the filmmaking process,
2:11.7	from the production designers and script supervisors to the gaffers and cinematographers, no job in this industry
2:19.3	is untouched by these strikes, including, of course, the role of costume designer.
2:26.2	And so with that in mind, I wanted to celebrate the life and work of Ruthie Carter.
2:32.2	We discuss her upbringing in Massachusetts, the enduring influence of her late
2:36.4	mother, Mabel, the night she met a lifelong collaborator in Spike Lee, and how she's told the story of the Black experience through her inspired work.
2:47.0	This is Ruthie Carter. Oh, Ruthie Carter, Carter, a pleasure to have here.
	...

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