Mario Van Peebles On His New Film “A Clean Shot,” George Floyd, “New Jack City,” Planking & More

From writer-director Nick Leisure, and starring Mario Van Peebles (New Jack City, Posse), Mandela Van Peebles (Jigsaw), Jessica Meza (General Hospital), David Fernandez Jr (End Of Watch), Marshal Hilton (Echoes Of Fear), and Glenn Plummer (Sons Of Anarchy), A Clear Shot is a new film coming to DVD and Digital today — June 2, 2020 — via the Flagler Beach, Florida-based Uncork’d Entertainment.

A Clear Shot was inspired by the true story of the 1991 Good Guys Electronics Store siege in Sacramento, California, the largest hostage siege negotiation ever attempted in the U.S. The film examines a bizarre turn of events as law enforcement attempts to save the hostages, as well the emotional trials and social pressures of immigrant assimilation into the American culture. Mario Van Peebles has top billing in A Clear Shot, portraying Rick Gomez, the Sacramento P.D.’s top negotiator.

Mario Van Peebles first appeared on-screen as an actor in the late 1960s as a child. He appeared his father Melvin Van Peeble’s innovative film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song in the early 1970s and ultimately got serious about acting in the early 1980s. Van Peebles also found success as a director in the late 1980s, directing an episode of Sonny Spoon before handling several episodes of 21 Jump Street. However, his break-out success as a director came with directing 1991’s New Jack City.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Mario Van Peebles by phone on June 1, 2020 — in the midst of not only the COVID-19 pandemic but also our nation’s difficulties related to the senseless killing of George Floyd– about A Clear Shot, his multi-generational family of entertainers, his forthcoming bio-pic of Salt-N-Pepa, finding success as a director and plenty more. A funny, interesting and patient interview subject, to say the very least, as he kept things simultaneously light and reflective.

More on Mario Van Peebles can be found online at www.twitter.com/MarioVanPeebles and www.instagram.com/mariovanpeebles. The official trailer for A Clear Shot can be streamed below.

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Tags: George Floyd, Jaws 4, Mandela Van Peebles, Mario Van Peebles, Melvin Van Peebles, New Jack City, Rappin', Salt-N-Pepa

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."