How ‘Chevalier’ Star Kelvin Harrison Jr. Became ‘The Black Mozart’

Before venturing into acting, Kelvin Harrison Jr. was on track to be a musician. He grew up with musically skilled parents, played a series of instruments, and trained under jazz drummer Jason Marsalis. With his new role in Chevalier, he’s returned to his musical roots, but faced two challenges: polishing up his knowledge of the violin, and being as good (if not better) than Mozart.

Of course, the versatile 28-year-old actor already has the résumé of a virtuoso. He’s starred in prestige pictures (Mudbound, The Trial of the Chicago 7), breezy rom-coms (The High Note), emotionally weighty dramas (Waves, The Photograph), timely social thrillers (Monsters and Men, Luce), and creepy horror features (It Comes at Night). He’s also starred in several musical projects such as Cyrano, Elvis, and his latest, Chevalier, where Harrison Jr. plays his most high-profile role yet, as the famed French-Creole composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

Directed by TV veteran Stephen Williams (Lost, Watchmen) and written by Atlanta scribe Stefani Robinson, Chevalier follows Bologne as he attempts to make a name for himself in pre-French Revolution Paris. Historically, Bologne has been deemed “the Black Mozart,” but Chevalier depicts the virtuoso violinist as much more than that simplistic title. The film explores his fencing skills, his clandestine affair with opera singer Marie-Josephine (Samara Weaving), his brief friendship with Queen Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton), and his rekindled relationship with his mother Nanon (Ronke Adekoluejo).

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