Combine the talents of a master content creator and an on-screen beauty Queen and you get “Where’s the Money?”, the hilarious new Lionsgate film starring social media sensation Andrew Bachelor AKA King Bach and former “Vampire Diaries” star Kat Graham.
The film, which also stars Terry Crews, Mike Epps, Logan Paul, Allen Maldenado and Method Man, takes viewers on the adventurous journey of one young man who’s sent on a mission to recover stolen money hidden in a former flop house – a place that offers very cheap lodging with minimal services – now the home of an all-White fraternity. Using hilarity to confront race relations, Graham says the film dissects race by providing a universal platform to relay all too real messages. “I think comedy is the best way to address a lot of issues and kind of keep the conversation going and not have any predispositions of how somebody is who they are,” Graham said.
Bachelor says the film challenges viewers to get to know what a person is about before judging them. “This movie is about me pledging [into] a white fraternity, and at first, I go into there with my perception of these people, but when I get to really know who they are, I realize that there’s not difference races. There’s one race, and that race is humanity,” Bachelor declared.
Bachelor, who has built a massive community of online followers, including 14.5 million Instagram followers and more than 1.5 million YouTube subscribers, says using his talents as a writer and producer helped him transition from social media stardom to acting in film and television. “I learned from everybody, I learned from the acting, I learned from the producing, I learned set etiquette, and it was a great learning experience,” Bachelor said.
In terms of on-camera chemistry, the duo said that it was a breeze working together on-set, shooting the entire movie in all of 16 days. “It was so great to be able to figure out who these characters were and what they meant to each other and genuinely be friends, I think that’s important for this film to work, specifically for my character,” Graham said. Graham also says that it was “a breath of fresh air” to act in a comedy role, having been accustomed to working in more dramatic roles.
Bachelor and Graham also spoke to the Sentinel about the challenges they sometimes face as Black actors. Graham says that when she encounters actors her age who aren’t Black, she doesn’t see the same plight to acquire secure major opportunities in film and television. “Being Black in this industry, you have to be able to do it all, you are like required almost,” she said.
“As a Black actress, I feel like I’ve had to work twice as hard as maybe someone else who isn’t Black. You have to write and you have to create and you have to produce and you have to kind of know the ins-and-the-outs. You have to find every single way to succeed, even if you have create it yourself, which a lot of us have to,” Graham continued.
Bachelor shared that he’s always had his mind set on creating and telling his own stories, paving the way for his success. “I’ve always been a creative type, so I never had to really go through the process of reaching out; I was always my own employer. I would create, I would write, I would produce and I guess that’s why I’m successful in where I am,” Bachelor said.
“Where’s the Money?”, starring Andrew Bachelor, Kat Graham and Logan Paul follows a young man from South Central Los Angeles who is forced to pledge an all white fraternity to recover a stash of stolen money. (Photo Courtesy: Lionsgate)
In terms of advice for Black artists and entrepreneurs, Bachelor and Graham says it’s critical to make smart investments into your future. “We invest into ourselves on so many levels. I think that a lot of people wait on other people to get things going. You shouldn’t wait on anyone. If they give it to you, they’re quick to take it back and take away your credit,” Graham said. “Don’t stop building just because somebody doesn’t want to recognize your Black excellence,” she continued.
While Graham is preparing to star as Tammi Terrell in an upcoming biopic, Bachelor says he wouldn’t mind starring as Michael Jackson, Denzel Washington or Robert Downey Jr. in a biopic, quiet as kept. “Where’s the Money?” hit’s select theatres on October 20 and was released on DVD and digital HD on October 24, 2017. To see the recap our exclusive interview with Bachelor and Graham, visit www.lasentinel.net.
