Sing Sing’s Clarence Maclin inspired the film and plays himself in “starmaking” role

“Clarence Maclin didn’t know he had a knack for acting until he was in prison, where he found the Rehabilitation Through the Arts Program and an appreciation for Shakespeare. His experience provided the inspiration for Sing Sing, where he plays himself in a cast that includes Oscar nominees Colman Domingo and Paul Raci as well as a group of formerly incarcerated men.

I would like to be able to show this in every prison in the country … Sometimes a little bit of hope is all you need.

“‘It almost was overwhelming when I had to go back and put the greens on again and go back into that mindset of being in prison,’ Maclin, 58, said. ‘However the purpose of what we were doing outweighed the apprehension.’

“After working on the idea for years, he loved being on set and said there were ‘no butterflies’ when it came to acting in front of the camera. Domingo, he said, helped him appreciate the nuance that the camera can capture.

“A breakout film from last fall’s Toronto Film Festival, more than a few Sing Sing reviews have called Maclin’s performance starmaking. He’s read them and still can’t believe it. But mostly, he’s excited to take the film on the road and get the message out.

“‘I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but luckily I got an opportunity to redirect and try to correct some of those,’ said Maclin, who was incarcerated for more than 15 years for armed robbery. ‘I would like to be able to show this in every prison in the country and do a question and answer. Sometimes a little bit of hope is all you need.’

“Sing Sing opens in limited release on July 12 and an expansion will follow in August.”

Read more at AJC.com.