Forest Whitaker plays Bumpy Johnson the notorious gangster on Epix’ new ‘Godfather of Harlem’ TV series.
Godfather of Harlem tells the true story of crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who in the early 1960s returned from prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Genovese crime family, he starts a brutal battle for control, where he forms an alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X.
Both sides of Johnson — cold-blooded villain and neighborhood hero — are explored in “Godfather of Harlem.” Premiering Sunday night on Epix, it stars Forest Whitaker, 58, who won an Oscar for portraying Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland.” Though Whitaker initially intended to produce the limited series, he signed on to star when the script deepened.
“We shaped the character all the way through,” Whitaker tells The Post. “Sort of ‘The Education of Bumpy Johnson.’ How his own actions caused chaos in his own life.”
When we first meet him, in 1963, Bumpy’s coming back home to the Lenox Terrace apartments after spending 11 years at Alcatraz. The streets he used to run have been overtaken by the mob, represented here by Vincent “Chin” Gigante (Vincent D’Onofrio), a foul-mouthed racist who underestimates Johnson’s ability to play catch-up. Playing Chin was a challenge, D’Onofrio says.
“Half of our crew was black, 75 percent of our cast was black, [and] I’m saying the N-word for the whole day,” the actor tells The Post. “If that doesn’t leave you with a sick feeling in your stomach, I don’t know what does.”
Johnson clashes with the mob throughout the first four episodes as Gigante and his crew try to thwart his desire to encroach upon their territory. If Johnson doesn’t get what he wants, he whips out an 8-inch switchblade. An early, extremely brutal encounter with a naked mobster named Zambrano may leave viewers feeling faint.
“He’s savage, but he has a really clear code line,” Whitaker says. “Zambrano tried to kill him. There’s no question that he should kill that guy. The only question was, ‘Would he get blamed? Would he get caught because he was a made guy?’ ”
Godfather Of Harlem airs on Sundays on Epix.
