REEL FACE: | REAL FACE: |
John David Washington
Born: July 28, 1984 Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA | Ron Stallworth
Born: June 18, 1953 |
Adam Driver
Born: November 19, 1983 Birthplace: San Diego, California, USA | "Flip Zimmerman"
His real name and identity is unknown. He retired as a sergeant. Named "Chuck" in the book. |
Topher Grace
Born: July 12, 1978 Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA | David Duke
Born: July 1, 1950 Birthplace: Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA |
Corey Hawkins
Born: October 22, 1988 Birthplace: Washington, D.C., USA | Stokely Carmichael
Born: June 29, 1941 Birthplace: Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Death: November 15, 1998, Conakry, Guinea |
Yes. The BlacKkKlansman true story confirms that in the 1970s Ron Stallworth became the first African-American police officer and detective to work for the Colorado Springs Police Department. He joined the department as a cadet on November 13, 1972. He was sworn in as an officer on June 18, 1974, his 21st birthday.
Yes. In October 1978, African-American detective Ron Stallworth successfully infiltrated the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs, CO. The movie is based on Stallworth's 2014 book Black Klansman, which details his experience. Like in the movie, he initiated contact by responding to a classified ad in the local newspaper. "I was sitting in my office reading the local newspaper," says Stallworth, "saw an ad that said Ku Klux Klan. For information, there was a P.O. Box [address]." He sent a letter with his phone number (In the movie, the ad contains a phone number, not a P.O. Box, which was done to keep the story moving).
In real life, the Klan called him after receiving his letter, and his subsequent communication with the them happened over the phone. When it came time to meet the Klan members face-to-face, he utilized the help of a white undercover narcotics officer (Adam Driver in the movie), who posed as Stallworth for all in-person meetings with the Klan. -KTSM Ron Stallworth Interview
In researching the BlacKkKlansman true story, we learned that when Stallworth responded via mail to the classified Klan ad in the newspaper, he put his real name on the letter he wrote because he didn't think it would lead to an undercover investigation. "The simple answer is I was not thinking of a future investigation when I mailed the note," he said in his book. "I was seeking a reply, expecting it would be in the form of literature such as a pamphlet or brochure of some kind. All in all I did not believe my efforts would have any traction beyond a few mundane auto-mailed responses."
Yes. This is the story that the real Ron Stallworth said he used to convince the clan of his undercover identity. "Hi, this is Ken [O'Dell], we got your letter. Why do you want to join the Klan?" Stallworth recalled the voice saying on the other end of the phone.
"I said, 'My sister is dating a black man, and every time he puts his filthy black hands on her pure white body, I cringe, I want to do something.' He said, 'You're just the kinda guy we want.'" -KTSM.com
During his initial conversation with the KKK, Stallworth also expressed a dislike for minorities and used all the derogatory nicknames he could think of.
No. In the BlacKkKlansman movie, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) develops a relationship with an activist college student named Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier). Director Spike Lee has said that Patrice is fictional and was inspired by the women of the Black Power Movement. Stallworth did attend a black student event just before the undercover investigation started, but that's where the similarities with real life end. He never met a "pig"-hating student activist whom he had a romance with.
No. In the movie, Ron Stallworth's partner, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) is accused of being Jewish by the KKK. Flip's entire Jewish heritage in the film is fictional, and so is the lie detector test that the KKK forces him to take. It's a tense moment and Stallworth hurries in to save the day while making sure not to blow the investigation. In the book, Stallworth never mentions that his partner on the case is Jewish. The filmmakers seem to have added this element to the movie so that Flip has "skin in the game," as Stallworth (John David Washington) says in the film.
Yes. "[The Colorado Springs chapter] was under the auspices of David Duke's Invisible Empire," Stallworth told NPR. "I had mailed in my application, and after I didn't receive any response in about a two, three week period, I decided to go directly to the horse's mouth, so to speak, and I called David Duke directly down in New Orleans. And the day I called, lo and behold, he answered the phone." Duke told Stallworth that there was a delay in processing applications and that he would personally see that Stallworth's application was processed and sent back to him. It wasn't long before Stallworth received his Certificate of Citizenship in the KKK's Invisible Empire (pictured below), which was signed by David Duke. Stallworth says that he continued to talk to Klan leader David Duke "off and on during the course of [the] investigation."
Yes, but the encounter wasn't part of Stallworth's undercover work. The BlacKkKlansman true story supports what's seen in the movie. Stallworth's chief assigned him to protect David Duke during Duke's January 10, 1979 visit to Colorado Springs. "That's fine," said Duke after Stallworth introduced himself. "I appreciate the police department's efforts. Thank you." Stallworth joined Duke and his fellow Klan members at a local steakhouse for lunch. Unlike the movie, it was a regular restaurant and Duke's visit wasn't part of any ceremony. Stallworth's partner on the undercover case, portrayed by Adam Driver in the movie, was posing as the "white" Stallworth at the time and was present at the lunch. During the meal, Stallworth, who had brought a Polaroid camera, asked Duke for a favor.
"Mr. Duke, no one will ever believe me if I tell them I was your bodyguard. Would you mind taking a picture with me?" Duke agreed and Stallworth's partner, who was working undercover, took the picture. Stallworth, who stood between Duke and another Klansman, the Grand Dragon of Colorado, placed his arms around their shoulders at the last minute, just before his partner snapped the picture. Duke lunged for the picture but Stallworth was "a split second faster" and got to the photo first. Duke reached toward Stallworth but Stallworth warned him, "If you touch me, I’ll arrest you for assault on a police officer. That’s worth about five years in prison. DON’T DO IT!" Duke, furious, stepped back. Unfortunately, the photo has since been lost. -NYPost.com
Unlike the film, the investigation wasn't stopped because an ex-con discovered Flip's identity, or a bombing made things too risky for the department. It was stopped because Ron Stallworth's chief was worried about the police department having ties to the KKK and what that could mean for the department's public image if it got out. This hesitation within the department is accurately conveyed in the movie.
No. The real-life case didn't have as satisfying of an ending as the movie. Stallworth never revealed his true identity to David Duke over the phone. In fact, he never talked about the assignment until his book was published in 2014. The phone reveal is a sock-it-to-him moment in the movie, especially since Duke had previously bragged to Stallworth that he could always tell when he was talking to a black man (which he did in real life too).
Another aspect of the movie's ending that differs from reality is Stallworth throwing away his KKK membership card the first chance he gets. In real life, he framed it as a memento from the investigation. His actual card is pictured below.
Yes. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, John David Washington recalled seeing Ron Stallworth's Ku Klux Klan membership card during their meeting. "He passed the card around for us to see and feel and it kind of just brought truth to everything he said, a validation."
Yes. John David Washington (pictured below with the real Ron Stallworth) is Denzel Washington's eldest son. He has previously starred in HBO's Ballers TV series alongside Dwayne Johnson. When he was young he had a small part in Spike Lee's 1992 film Malcom X, which saw his father in the title role.
Further investigate the BlacKkKlansman true story by watching the interview with the real Ron Stallworth below.