LaKeith Stanfield praises Boots Riley

LaKeith Stanfield used the rollout for “I Love Boosters” this week to praise writer-director Boots Riley as the film moved through late-stage festival and release conversations. Social posts dated May 20 circulated Stanfield’s remarks about Riley’s creative approach and the scope of the film, which opens in U.S. theaters on May 22. The comments landed as Riley’s latest feature drew renewed attention after its SXSW premiere in March and amid Cannes-related chatter around the 2026 festival. Stanfield and Riley are reuniting after “Sorry to Bother You,” Riley’s 2018 feature that starred Stanfield as Cassius Green. In “I Love Boosters,” Stanfield plays Pinky Ring Guy in a cast led by Keke Palmer and also featuring Naomi Ackie, Taylour Paige, Demi Moore, Don Cheadle, Eiza González, Will Poulter and Poppy Liu. (blackfilmandtv.com) ### Where did Stanfield’s praise surface? A May 20 social post from DiscussingFilm cited Stanfield praising Riley in an interview tied to “I Love Boosters,” including the line that the movie showed “the magic that movies can be.” The same post said Stanfield highlighted Riley’s ability to keep pushing the medium forward. May 20 interview coverage elsewhere also showed the two men promoting the film together. (awardswatch.com) BlackFilmandTV published an interview that day with Riley and Stanfield ahead of the movie’s May 22 release through Neon. ### What has Stanfield said about working with Riley before this week? AwardsWatch reported on May 5 that Stanfield described Riley as “such a great collaborator” while discussing his role in “I Love Boosters.” Stanfield said he brought ideas to the part and that Riley let him “throw things around,” describing a process that included shaping the character’s look from the hair outward. (discussingfilm.net) (blackfilmandtv.com) WWD reported in January that Stanfield had already been framing the film as something unusual, saying, “What I think I can safely say is no one has seen anything like this.” In the same interview, he said the project offered “a piece of art” that could critique a world “increasingly spearheaded by greed.” ### What is “I Love Boosters” about? (awardswatch.com) “I Love Boosters” follows a crew of shoplifters targeting a fashion empire, according to multiple interviews and festival materials. BlackFilmandTV said the story centers on Corvette, played by Keke Palmer, and the Velvet Gang as they steal high-end clothing in the Bay Area before taking aim at a fashion mogul played by Demi Moore. (wwd.com) TIME reported this week that the film follows shoplifters waging war against a fashion billionaire whose business relies on sweatshop labor, with Riley describing the movie as his “best work” and saying it deals with connections between workers across regions and a widening strike. ### Why does Riley’s role in the project stand out? Boots Riley has built a screen reputation around surreal comedy and political themes through “Sorry to Bother You” and the series “I’m a Virgo,” and coverage of “I Love Boosters” has placed the new film in that line of work. (blackfilmandtv.com) Deadline’s SXSW studio coverage quoted Palmer saying Riley’s work was “so whimsical, but also so much commentary,” and that reading the script for “I Love Boosters” gave her the same feeling. (time.com) CBR published a May 20 video feature saying Riley and Stanfield discussed the film’s surreal world, real-life inspirations and visuals that made Riley feel he was creating something audiences had not seen before. ### Where does the film go from here? March 12 marked the film’s SXSW premiere, according to Deadline’s festival coverage, and May 22 is its U.S. theatrical release date, according to BlackFilmandTV and other listings. (deadline.com) Neon is distributing the picture in the United States and Canada. May 22 is the next concrete milestone for Riley, Stanfield and the cast as “I Love Boosters” moves from festival screenings and interview clips into wide public release. (cbr.com) (blackfilmandtv.com) (deadline.com)