TULSA, Okla.–Actors may be the center of attention for any film, but it’s screenwriters like Tulsa’s own Hank Byrd who build the magic behind every scene.
Based on a British comedy, Hank Byrd and his co-writer Russell Geyser were tasked with rebranding a fresh story for a more melanated audience.
“The Contract”, which debuted on the ALLBLK streaming platform, is a raunchy, romantic comedy that follows a married couple, played by Gabrielle Dennis (“Upshaws”, “A Black Lady Sketch Show”) and comedian Lil’ Duval, who enter a deal to engage in a threesome with unexpected results.
For Hank Byrd, a nationally recognized screenwriter and middle school teacher in Tulsa, it’s just the latest project in a career that proves Tulsa boasts top tier talent in the entertainment industry.
In an interview with the Black Wall Street Times (BWST), Byrd discussed his process behind writing “The Contract,” his reaction to seeing the actors bring it to life and his journey into filmmaking.
The motive behind the movie
BWST: What was your inspiration for “The Contract” and your process for writing it?
Hank Byrd: “Oh, well, there was no real process. It was just a, um, a task. Um, uh, turning what was a British script into a Black American romantic comedy. So it started out as a British script. I was asked to look at it. I thought it was really funny, but at the same time, it was written for a much bigger budget.
And so my task was to write it for a very small budget. And so a lot of things had to be taken out, and then it had to be totally rewritten for an American audience. So, it takes place in LA, it involves Black people, it involves their mannerisms, and language, and everything else. So, I did what you would call a page one rewrite. Basically you keep the skeleton of the story, but you totally just rewrite it into something else.
Casting and Actors’ Performances
BWST: What was your reaction to seeing Gabrielle Dennis and Lil Duval bring your rewrite to life on screen?
Hank Byrd: “Well, I thought it was great. I mean, I’m a big fan of both of them. I’m a big fan of Lil’ Duval as a comedian and definitely of Gabrielle, you know, watching her on a “Black Lady’s Comedy Show” and the “Upshaws” and, you know, everything else, she’s been really good.
So, yeah it was great to see them. I was rather surprised actually at the casting altogether. You have Gabrielle Dennis, you have Lil Duval, you have Eric Roberts, you have Matthew Lawrence, one of the Lawrence brothers. You have Hilton Jacob, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs in there, you know, a big actor from the ’70s. And so it was great to see all those folks in the movie, and they all did a great job.”
Favorite Scenes and Adaptation Choices
BWST: What was one of your favorite parts of the film?
Hank Byrd: “I would say the dance scene was funny. I actually had written that a little bit different, but I still loved it, what they did with it. So, I liked that scene where he was doing all the tasks to, you know, to get her to do the contract. A huge percentage of what I wrote wound up on the screen.”
Filmmaking Background and Tulsa Roots
BWST: What’s your story, and how did you get into filmmaking and screenwriting?
Hank Byrd: “I’m not originally from Tulsa, but I do have roots here in Oklahoma. My mom’s from Haskell, Oklahoma, a little town probably about 35 to 40 minutes from here. Everybody kind of migrated into Tulsa. So, it’s always been my surrogate home. I was military myself. So, I did a lot of traveling around the world, different countries, different states, but Tulsa has always kind of been home, you know? It wasn’t until like the late ’80s, early ’90s where I really looked at doing film as a profession.
I think, ’89 was when Tim Burton’s Batman came out. I went to the theaters and I probably saw it no less than eight, nine times. Then the other thing that happened in 89/90 was really much the explosion of what we called the Black Film Renaissance. It went on for a while. This is where Spike Lee comes out, Mario Van Peebles, Julie Dash, Maddie Rich. So, I was inspired by that.”
Current and Future Projects
BWST: Can you talk about your past projects and what you’re working on now
Hank Byrd: “Well, yeah, I guess it started with the short film ‘The Take’. It was a crime thriller I did years ago. You know, we won a bunch of awards for it. I followed that up with a short film called “As We Lay”, a black and white film. I put together a documentary called “In the Thick: Conversations from the Plus Side of Life”. It’s about plus-size women in America.
Now, the stuff that I’m working on, I got “Boneyard”, it’s in the bag now. It just dropped on Tubi.
“The Contract” of course. One upcoming project is a historical drama called “Blackdom” about the first Black township in New Mexico. And I’m working on my next book, an anthology of short stories which uses sci-fi, horror, and fantasy to talk about the complexities of modern Black dating.”
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