Jussie Smollett.Photo: Rob Kim/Getty
Jussie Smolletthas returned to the red carpet.
On Friday evening, the 39-year-old actor attended a screening of his new filmB-Boy Bluesat the AMC Magic Johnson Harlem multiplex in New York City — his first red carpet since hisalleged 2019 hate crime attackin Chicago and subsequent legal troubles.
For the outing, theEmpirealum wore a black turtleneck and gray jacket as he smiled and posed for cameras before him.
On her Instagram Story, Smollett’s sister,Jurnee Smollett, also praised the project — which marks her older brother’s first time directing a film (Jussie previously directed two episodes ofEmpireas well as several music videos).
Jussie Smollett/Instagram
“So proud of you @jussiesmollett!!,” the actress, 35,wrotealongside a photo of the siblings from the event. “Congrats on making your feature directorial debut with @bboybluesthefilm! Can’t wait for the world to see the magic you all have created in this film!”
The film follows the complicated relationship between Mitchell Crawford, a 27-year-old journalist, and Raheim Rivers, a 21-year-old bike messenger and banjee boy, sometimes known as a B-boy.
Leon Bennett/Getty
The pair fall in love after meeting in a gay bar in Greenwich Village in the summer of 1993 but are soon faced with a world of homophobia and violence.
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Hardy’sB-Boywas the first in a series of five additional books that remain a pivotal piece of literature for the LGBTQ+ community.
Smollett’s appearance at the film’s screening came just days before the actor is set to face a jury over the disorderly conduct charges against him surrounding the alleged hate crime he said he was involved in back in 2019.
Lawyers for the actor recently tried to dismiss the case, but a judge denied the motion last month,NBC Newsreported. The trial is now set to begin on Nov. 29.
Smollett, an openly gay Black actor, was originallyindicted in March 2019 with 16 counts of disorderly conductforallegedly filing a false reportin Chicago when he claimedtwo men attacked himon Jan. 29, 2019, while spewing racist and homophobic slurs. He pleaded not guilty to allegations that he lied to police about the incident, which authorities claimed he had staged with two acquaintances to draw attention to himself.
source: people.com
