Gangsters, dreamers, and risk-takers collide inFight Night: The Million Dollar Heist. Based on the podcast of the same name, Fight Night recounts thetrue events of Muhammad Ali’s 1970 comeback fightand the daring robbery that occurred in its immediate aftermath. Kevin Hart stars as Gordon Williams, AKA The Chicken Man, who hosts a doomed party that gets hit by armed thugs.
Artrece Johnson plays Faye Williams, the long-suffering housewife to Chicken Man. Despite his philandering and financial woes, she stands by her man; even if he lets her down time and again, she won’t allow that to get in the way of her love for the family unit they’ve built together. Elsewhere inFight Night, Don Cheadle plays the detective assigned to Williams' case, whileSamuel L. Jacksonand Terrence Howard play ruthless gangsters who will stop at nothing to get their money back, all while trying to stake a claim in Atlanta, Georgia, the “Black Mecca.”
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist Cast & Character Guide
An assemblage of big-name actors join together in Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist to depict one of the biggest heists in Atlanta’s history.
Screen Rantinterviewed Artrece Johnson about her work on the show as it rapidly approaches its October 10 finale on thePeacock streaming network. She spoke about her take on the complex relationship between Faye and her husband, and the 1970s style of the show, from the vintage clothing to the best-in-class hair department. Finally, she discussed her appreciation forFight Nightas a love letter to her hometown, Atlanta, Georgia.
Fight Night’s Artrece Johnson on Her Role As The Long-Suffering Housewife
“She holds everything close to her heart, so you don’t really know what she’s capable of.”
Screen Rant: I love the show, and your character is so pivotal to that love. She makes it feel so real. I get from your performance that she’s
someone who’s been through enough where she knows exactly how much she can take before she starts fighting back. Can you tell me a little bit about her inner toughness and kind of having to live in this world surrounded by hustlers, not to mention racism and sexism?
Artrece Johnson: Well, I feel like Faye is not a stranger to the world that she’s surrounded by, like the hustling and things like that, just based on the backstory that I created for her. But I do like to describe her as a quiet storm. She’s coming, but you don’t really know what is going to happen when she arrives. She has a lot of tricks up her sleeve. I think she holds everything close to her heart, so you don’t really know what she’s capable of.
But I think the battle for her is just living in the time period that she’s living in, because I feel like women nowadays are definitely not going to put up with as many things as she put up with. But it is the 70s, it is the racist South. She doesn’t have a job, she has three kids with this man… It’s a lot to think about when wanting to fight back about anything, really. So I tried my best to play her with all of those things, taking all of those things into consideration.
I’m thinking about your interactions with Kevin as Chicken Man. He and Faye do love each other, but there’s also this understanding where she’s been through enough, where she’s like, if you’re going to hurt me, don’t even let me know anymore. Can you tell me a little bit about their dynamic?
Artrece Johnson: Well, I think you kind of basically described it. She’s like, I’ve been through this so long that I don’t want to know, and I’m just trying to get through this life with the man that I love. And it is tough, because I know he loves me, but I’m also being hurt in the midst. I think the hard thing is, like I said before, the fact that he is the sole provider. They’re in the racist South. As Faye, I don’t have a job, I don’t have a degree. I’m a stay-at-home mom, and I’m trying to keep my family together, and trying to keep a healthy household as best I can. He is the go-getter, the say-so-er, and all of those things. It’s tough.
But at the same time, she’s not going to take it lying down, so to speak. Your scenes with Taraji are just as intense as anything with the guns, and then the guns come out anyway!
Artrece Johnson: (Laughs) Yeah, that was so fun shooting that scene. I actually learned how to use the gun five minutes before we shot! So, that was a long day for me that day, because that shotgun is so heavy, and I didn’t realize that it was going to be that heavy. But it was so fun, Taraji is such a great scene partner. She’s so nice and sweet. I really enjoyed working with both of them. Taraji and Kevin, two very sweet people.
The Glamorous 70s Style Of Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist Helps The Characterization
“I was just so excited to see all these vintage pieces.”
I can’t talk about this show without talking about the 70s fashion, style, hair. I mean… Tell me everything.
Artrece Johnson: The hair department and the costume department are the best people in the business. I mean, everybody has been talking about the hair and the costuming. They were just the best. Like, a lot of the clothes I wore were vintage. They were exactly from the 70s. Some of the stuff, I was like, wait, am I a size four or am I a six? Because vintage clothing does not stretch. It is made to order. I think, also, back in the day, we were just probably smaller. But yeah, the clothes were sourced from all over, rented and everything. Customized, very beautiful pieces. So many pieces that were not even in the show. Like, the fittings were some of my favorite parts because I just, I love clothes. I love fashion. I was just so excited to see all these vintage pieces.
And then the entire hair department, I actually worked with Mona within the hair department. She is amazing. A lot of us got wigs custom made. So they would custom them and style them and fit them to us. And yeah, those were our wigs. And they were based on different big 70s names, like Cher or Diane Carroll, all of these different people. They would say, “Okay, we’re going to use her as inspiration for you.” You know, like we all got, you know, Foxy Brown or whoever, we all got an inspirational character to go off of when it came to our hair. It was amazing. Even like for the guys, some of them were bald, some of them had short fades, and the hair team was just so good, the hair looked like it was really growing out of their head. They did an amazing job with the hair. I loved it.
Your character has such a unique chic about her where it’s a different style than everyone else. It’s almost like ’60s housewife glam, but updated to be the Black and Proud version of that. Am I completely in left field or is that Faye’s vibe?
Artrece Johnson: Actually, that is the case because I was 70s, but not so 70s. I was a stay-at-home mom. And also, the situation happened in 1970. So there’s still elements of the 60s in my, in my clothing and stuff, so yeah, you’re right.
Fight Night Star Artrece Johnson On The “Black Mecca” Of Atlanta, Georgia
“There’s room out there for you. There’s room for you to do whatever it is you want to do in this life.”
You don’t need me to tell you, but you look amazing in the show. Everyone looks incredible. And like, if this doesn’t get those Emmys wins for hair and costumes, then there’s really something wrong.
Artrece Johnson: Look, we’re crossing our fingers, but you know, honestly, I’m just so grateful to have been a part of the show and to have met the people I’ve met on the show, I’ve made friends and, and also, the feedback that we’ve been getting, everyone loves it. And that is so great. I think we just all came together wanting to do our best job, wanting to make something that people will love. And the outpour has been so positive and everybody has been reaching out and saying how much they love the show. Every department, every person who is part of the show really did their job to the best of their ability.
Is there any one particular takeaway that you want viewers, particularly younger viewers who kind of don’t know the history of the South and Black culture in America, anything that you want them to take away from the show that they can carry with them into the future?
Artrece Johnson: I would love for people to know that Atlanta is a true… If you don’t have any representation of Black people thriving in the world, and that’s in any given field, Atlanta is a place where you can see that. We talk about that in the show about how, technically, this situation that the show is about is what started Atlanta to be the Black Mecca where Black people thrive. And it still is, it really is a Black Mecca. You can go to Atlanta and you can see Black people that thrive in any field that they want, you know, it really uplifts Black people to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be. There’s room, there’s room out there for you. There’s room for you to do whatever it is you want to do in this life.
About Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, based on the acclaimed iHeart true-crime podcast, follows the infamous story of how an armed robbery on the night of Muhammad Ali’s historic 1970 comeback fight changed not only one man’s life but ultimately transformed Atlanta into the “Black Mecca.” When a hustler named Chicken Man (Kevin Hart) hosts an afterparty to celebrate the fight with a guest list of the country’s wealthiest, the night ends with the most brazen criminal underworld heist in Atlanta’s history. Suspected of masterminding the crime, Chicken Man is hellbent on clearing his name but must convince his old adversary, J.D. Hudson (Don Cheadle), one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force, who is tasked with bringing those responsible to justice.
More About Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
Check out our otherFight Nightinterview here:
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heistis streaming now on Peacock with the finale airing on Thursday, Oct. 10.
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist
Cast
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist is a crime drama television series created for Peacock. Based on the true-crime podcast, the series recounts the night in 1970 when Muhammad Ali achieved a comeback, all the while a dangerous armed robbery changed the landscape of the city forever.
