While rodeo movies have been part of the cinematic landscape for decades, the venerable legacy of black cowboys has been largely unexplored.
Austin filmmaker Annie Silverstein didn’t originally set out to fill that gap until she met Wayne Rogers, a Texas bullfighter who paved the path to Bull, which is Silverstein’s feature directorial debut.
The film began as an expansion of Silverstein’s acclaimed 2014 thesis short film, Skunk, about a wayward teenage girl navigating a hardscrabble upbringing. In the feature, she knew a pivotal moment would involve her breaking into a neighbor’s house. But who was the neighbor?
That’s where Rogers came in. Silverstein met him by chance at a traveling black rodeo in California, and agreed to visit his regular gig the following weekend at the Old William Johnson arena, about 60 miles west of Houston.
“We started going to a lot of backyard rodeos and talking to bullfighters, and the story emerged from that,” Silverstein said by phone. “The character is an amalgamation of people we met.”
The film explores the intersecting lives of Abe (Rob Morgan) — a veteran bullfighter struggling to make a living and to kick an opioid addiction that stems from his numerous injuries — and Kris (Amber Havard), a rebellious and socially awkward teen with incarcerated parents. Eventually, her curiosity and his wisdom bring their broken worlds together.
“This came from an unconscious place,” said Silverstein, who co-wrote the screenplay with her husband, Johnny McAllister. “The story is about connections and finding family from outside of your blood family.”
Silverstein wound up filming most of the action sequences during actual rodeos at Old William Johnson. Rogers, performing his regular duties, became one of Morgan’s stunt doubles.
“In between rides, Rob would run on to the dirt and we would shoot him running around, and then as soon as the next rider was ready, he would run off and Wayne would run on and bullfight,” Silverstein said. “We had three cameras going, but you can’t control what was going to happen. It was totally insane.”
Meanwhile, the character of Kris stems from Silverstein’s background as a social worker before she relocated to Austin to earn her master’s degree. During an extensive search, the film’s casting director found Havard at an Austin-area middle school.
The acting newcomer was one of many hopefuls for the role, except her interview was virtually lost due to a technical glitch. Silverstein only was able to see Havard react to instructions for a few seconds, but wound up casting her anyway.
“Her listening was so incredibly active. Her eyes were so expressive and there was so much going on in her head,” Silverstein said. “That was so much a part of the character. Kris has so much that she’s holding and containing, but there’s so much life in her. I saw it in [Amber’s] face.”
The film debuted last year at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France (where Skunk also screened), although its regional premiere at this spring’s South by Southwest Film Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That also scrapped the film’s intended theatrical release. Instead, Bull will be available via online platforms beginning Friday.
