photo by steed media service

Bill Duke isn’t so scary in person. Screen history tells us that at 6’4”, this silver screen bad ass, whose had a penchant for playing villains who lace their protagonism with bone-chilling one-liners (Menace to Society and Commando) would tell us otherwise. On the contrary, Duke is a kid from Poughkeepsie, NY who got his acting chops via Boston and New York Universities. The actor has also made it his mission to tackle the issue of HIV/AIDS in his new film, Cover.

“I’ve had people I’ve loved and cared for deeply, die from AIDS and felt a sense of hopelessness. But then you know when Magic Johnson said he was HIV positive and he didn’t die and he was robust and healthy and running around I was like everybody else, I thought well we’ve resolved this and our community is safe,” Duke says.

In his latest work, Duke explores the life of Valerie Maas (Aunjanue Ellis) a church-going, stay-at-home mother who fears her husband Dutch (Razaaq Adoti) is leading a double life. “ I wanted to find a title that appropriately ... enabled us to capture the nature of what we were talking about in terms of the film,’” he says of the of the title. “It’s not only the DL experience we’re talking about, we’re talking about that there does not seem to be an urgency to dealing with AIDS in our community. “

Addressing the ever-so controversial issue of black men living on the down low, Duke’s film promises to have people talking and criticizing the film’s subject matter and creator. “Look at the Internet, we’re criticized and told to shut-up and mind your own damn business — its not something I volunteered for necessarily, but I know that I am being of service in some way and there is something more than me.” -gavin philip godfrey

Cover is currently in theaters

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