Wise, now 47, was the oldest of the five, and the only one to be tried as an adult. #BB22: How Exactly Does A Triple Eviction Work? There are no reports of Jerome dating anyone at the moment. But it was also my therapy. One of the standout performances–in a pretty flawless cast–is Jharrel Jerome, whose work as Korey Wise was so powerful that Oprah Winfrey herself singled him out for praise. Read on for Newsweek's interview with Jharrel Jerome below. I found my sound recently, and music is something that has always been in my life—it’s been my culture.”. It's hard to escape pangs of heartbreak while watching each member of the Central Park Five's story unravel on the small screen. The four-episode series, releasing on the streaming giant on Friday, provides a glimpse into the suffering the young boys endured from the moment they were picked up by police throughout the years they spent behind bars and, for some, the hardships they faced as registered sex offenders following their return home. Everyone gets a kiss , A post shared by Jharrel Jerome (@jharreljerome) on May 7, 2017 at 6:39pm PDT, “But then I realized that Kevin is really all of us; he really is a lot of us. That's who he is. On his mother’s suggestion, Jerome began acting through a youth theater group. Jerome’s very convincing portrayal of the bisexual teen had many wondering if he is gay in real life. Ava DuVernay's devastating Netflix series When They See Us, which tells the true story of the Central Park Five, has been deservedly showered with praise since its May debut, and it picked up 16 Emmy nominations ahead of this weekend's awards. But the project still hasn't left me. It just has the facts but you don't have the emotion, you don't have the family aspect, you don't have what the script will give you. What to Know About the Central Park Five Series, Preview: Oprah Interviews the Central Park Five, 5 Facts To Know About The Central Park Five, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Our editors handpick the products that we feature. Social Media Star Zaywoah Dead: Who Is He? You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, The Handmaid's Tale Season 4 Is Delayed Until 2021. The incessant media coverage painted the boys as monsters. The fact that we were able to win off of user votes… proof that we are headed in the right direction. Police conducted a sweep in Harlem neighborhoods and took a number of black and Latino boys fitting a certain description to police stations for questioning. In a second trial later that year, Richardson was convicted of attempted murder, rape, assault, and robbery, while Wise was convicted of sexual abuse, assault, and riot. Jharrel Jerome is nominated for an Emmy for his performance in Ava DuVernay's acclaimed When They See Us. We were just baby boys, we were just trying to be entrepreneurs, having fun being kids." I just needed to call Korey. That changes when Netflix releases When They See Us, the highly anticipated Ava DuVernay-directed series on the Central Park Five, told from their and their family's perception. As outrage surrounding case ensued, the voices of the accused were never included in the public discourse. As depicted in When They See Us, Wise went voluntarily to the police station to accompany his younger friend, Yusef Salaam, who had been brought in for questioning as police began their search for suspects. Reyes's specific knowledge of the details of the crime, along with a DNA test, confirmed that he was guilty. By the end of his lengthy interrogation, Wise had given multiple statements and recorded two videotaped confessions, all of which contradicted each other and were inconsistent with the established facts of the crime. "It was hard to find those moments because you don’t see that unless you actually meet the man and see him smile yourself. We may earn commission from the links on this page. That's what kept me grounded in the work and through all the pain, through all the sorrow that came with this role. That put everything into perspective for me about the kind of man he is. Oprah Magazine participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. However, Jerome said he was proud to bring life to a character and story that otherwise would have remained overlooked. I went to jail and I was able to get a college degree. Jharrel has limited activity on social media, but his dad has featured in his posts a handful of times. He’s unique, and everything about him is unique. In 2015, he pledged $190,000 to support the Innocence Project at the University of Colorado Law School, which was subsequently renamed in his honor. The Central Park Five, now re-christened the Exonerated Five, were five Black and Latino teenagers who, in 1989, were wrongfully convicted of attacking and raping a white woman. How familiar were you with the story of Central Park Five before filming?