When Ms. Wallace speaks of B.I.G., one can tell that she remembers her brilliant child who would give her oral reports on the books he completed reading, or she is remembering what a great conversationalist he was or how he would often call to check in on her and his daughter, T’yanna, when he was on the road. Ms Wallace described her son: “He was a person that was loved, that I loved, who cared and that I cared for, a father who was cared for and a very, very dear friend. Someone with a big heart, a kind and gentle human being.”

By: MC

But after the writers of the film interviewed all of B.I.G.’s closest friends and associates to get the true complexity of his life, Ms. Wallace became aware of some negative things about her son that she wasn’t ready to hear or see but hoped to be able to accept when she views the final edit of the film. “I don’t want to clear his name because to be honest some of those things were true. But I wanted them to see the good things. I also wanted them to see the man behind the negative.”

Partly because of Voletta’s undying love for her son, Biggie’s daughter T’yanna and son C.J., who were barely 3-years-old and 4-months-old respectively at the time of their father’s death, know and respect their father’s story. She has also helped to curate a couple of Biggie’s posthumous albums, created the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation and has worked to advance cancer research. But the day of the film still looms large in her mind, and perhaps she’s not quite prepared for what it will bring. “Maybe I’ll cry my heart out; maybe I’ll just laugh myself silly. I really don’t know what I’m going to do after I see the film.” She continued, “Maybe I’ll go on vacation or have a great party.” The latter, she says, is probably what B.I.G. would have wanted.—AIMSTAR

HOLD YOU DOWN

AS ONE OF THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS OF THE NEW FILM NOTORIOUS, WAYNE BARROW IS DETERMINED TO SEE THE MEMORY OF HIS LONG-TIME FRIEND GET THE LIGHT IT DESERVES. BUT CAN HE PLEASE EVERYONE?

A movie based on an icon is a huge undertaking. How are you feeling about this movie Notorious?

I haven’t had an opportunity to engulf it all. However, I’m feeling good about being able to bring to the big screen an icon like Christopher.

The first biopic done on a rapper sounds like a monster project, how long have you been planning it?

Ms. Wallace has been planning this for eight or nine years. She kept running into the wrong people and she was frustrated. So Mark Pitts and myself stepped in. I wasn’t about to allow anybody to make it what they wanted it to be. I wanted to make sure those that knew him best had a voice and that that voice was going to bring you this film.

Ms. Wallace had a specific vision of her son. Was it hard for you to show her the rougher sides of Biggie?

One of the things she and I discussed was that there’s a lot of things you don’t know, but you can’t sugarcoat this into a mother’s story. She thought about it and said, “You’re right. I don’t know about him and Kim, Puff, Mark, Wayne, nobody else. I know me and my son’s relationship, and at the end of the day that’s my major concern.”

As careful as you were, was there ever a scene or two that you wish you didn’t have to show her?

I had to be respectful of her as a mother knowing that she lost her only son. Ms. Wallace was on set with me every day, she saw every shot. And we’re talking about funeral scenes, Biggie as a child, some heavy shit this woman sat through. She had her moments but she snapped right back.

What was your take on Jamal “Gravy” Woolard as Biggie? Did you know instantly that he’d be the one?

He just brought the character alive. Ms Wallace looked at me and Mark and said, “That’s my son.” We we’re done. My cast was amazing. Derek Luke playing Puff, Naturi as Lil’ Kim, Angela Bassett for Ms. Wallace. The highlight for me is when Biggie’s son read. He is literally his father’s child, hands down.

With such a beloved figure as Biggie, do you worry you won’t please everyone?

There’s 20-plus million people that feel like they have ownership of this film, this story, Christopher Wallace. My only concern was Voletta Wallace, CJ and T’yanna. Everybody else, stand in line and enjoy the show.