Djimon Hounsou & Ron Hall On ‘Same Kind Of Different As Me,’ Being Homeless [VIDEO EXCLUSIVE]

Ron Hall and Djimon Hounsou think their upcoming film Same Kind of Different as Me is just what we need in these fractious times. It offers a “message of hope, and tolerance, and acceptance and forgiveness and compassion,” Hounsou told uInterview in an exclusive video interview.

RON HALL & DJIMON HOUNSOU ON SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME

Hall wrote the book on which the film is based in 2006, and it is based on a true story. His wife, while dying of cancer, dreamt that a homeless man would help their family through their woes, and urged Hall to go find this man. “Several years ago, my late wife had a literal dream about a homeless man who was wise, and by his wisdom, our city, and our lives would be changed. She asked me to go into the inner city in Fort Worth, Texas, to begin looking for this man in her dream,” Hall explained. “We started serving at a homeless shelter there, and after a couple of weeks, this homeless man storms in and threatens to kill everybody in the room. And she says, ‘That’s him, that’s the man I had the dream about. And I think I heard from God that you have to be his friend.’ And I told her, ‘I wasn’t at that meeting you had with God,'” he joked. “I found out that they called him ‘Suicide’ because messing with him was the equivalent of committing suicide.”

Hounsou, who was born in France, plays the homeless man, named Denver Moore. He was particularly suited for the role, as he lived as a homeless man for a time in Paris. “That was the only notion I have of being homeless, but Denver Moore’s life experiences are beyond anybody’s comprehension, and suddenly to have such a powerful outlook on life and positive outlook on life, it’s inspiring the way he dealt with people.”

Hall attributes the success of the story, and the changes in his life, to his late wife, who died from cancer. “Love changes everything, this is a great love story,” he said. “It was the love that my wife showed me that made me change, but the love she showed Denver to bring about a change in his life. most people would have considered him totally unloveable, but the love she showed him made all the difference in the world. That’s why we have a message of hope that I think could be very healing for our nation.

Hounsou agreed. The film offers a ”

Same Kind of Different as Me hits theaters on Oct. 20.