Q&A: Glynn Turman, actor and "King of the Evening"

Tyson Beckford stars as Homer Hobbs, a young man fresh off the chain gang who lands in a boarding house with a down-on-his-luck elder Clarence Brown, played by Turman. Set in the midst of the Great Depression, the men (and women) are seeking hope, which they find on Sunday nights in a neighborhood hall as the men piece together the finest wardrobes they can afford (or steal) to compete for five dollars and the title "King of the Evening."

The Emmy-winning Turman, who appears in "The Takers" this summer with Matt Dillon and Idris Elba, took some time to chat about the film, which is playing in theaters now.

Q: You filmed "Kings of the Evening" in 2008. How do you feel about it finally making an appearance in select theaters?

A: I’m very happy that it has finally made it before the public. It has been a long journey. It is an independent film that we put a lot of hard work into.

Q: In the film, your character becomes almost obsessed with becoming a king of the evening. How much do you think the way we dress really correlates to how we feel about ourselves?

A: I think there is a definite positive message in the saying that if we hold ourselves to a certain standard and try to live up to it, we feel better about ourselves when and if we do reach that goal. It is more about holding on to hope, giving someone something to hope for. My character was obsessed with being a king of the evening. He was obsessed with trying to hold on to some form of hope.

Q: The film is set in the depression era. We aren't quite in a depression, but it has gotten pretty bad. What lessons can people today take away from the film?

A: The thing I think the film showed was the sense that as bad as things were, the community continued to come together and support one another. The struggle, when tackled by the community, is not only bearable, but something that can be overcome.