Jussie Smollett is reportedly not benefiting from the new documentary about him.
Gagan Rehill directed a The Truth About Jussie Smollett? for Netflix. The documentary, which examines the 43-year-old actor allegedly staging a hate crime hoax, was released on August 22.
Now, Gagan is speaking to Variety about the documentary.
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According to Gagan, The Truth About Jussie Smollett? is meant to show all perspectives and the cultural context of the alleged hoax. The director said that he wanted to interview a wide variety of people and wanted to show the way movements like Black Lives Matter have impacted the conversations around Jussie‘s story.
The director told Variety that, to his knowledge, Jussie was not paid for the documentary.
“I know that Jussie wasn’t paid. There are a lot of people who were involved in the pool of access before I came along. But what I understood and was key to me was that Jussie wasn’t paid,” Gagan told the publication.
He also went on to say that the goal of the documentary was not to help rehabilitate Jussie‘s image. Instead, the goal to show people all sides of the story and let them choose what to believe.
“This is certainly not the purpose of this film. It’s not a miscarriage of justice film in any way. It’s more an opportunity for people to watch, watch him, and see what they believe. So, no. It’s certainly no intention of the film or mine to help rehabilitate his career in any way,” Gagan told the publication.
