Four young stars of the film pitched in at American Coney Island to help give away 316 coneys
The cast of « Detroit » is in the city prepping for Tuesday’s world premiere and talking to community groups about the intense, powerful movie set in the summer of 1967.
It’s also taking time to celebrate the contemporary version of the city, which turned 316 years old Monday.
To mark the brithday, actors Joseph David-Jones, Nathan Davis Jr., Peyton Alex Smith and Ephraim Sykes were at American Coney Island in downtown Detroit to pitch in with a giveaway of 316 coney dogs.
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As a line formed Monday morning outside the landmark eatery, the « Detroit » stars arrived and donned staff aprons to pass out coney dogs, mingle with customers and pose for photos with fans eager to see the movie. « Detroit » opens in limited release July 28 and nationwide August 4.
« Detroit right now continues to be a center of American culture, » said Sykes, who starred in the « Hairspray Live! » production that aired in December on NBC.
Sykes plays a member of the Dramatics in the film, the singing group that was appearing at a Fox Theatre revue when the violence that lasted for five days and left 43 people dead erupted in 1967.
David-Jones, who’s known for the TV series « Nashville » and films like « Allegiant, » said he and other actors visited American Coney Island in 2016 during the brief stint of filming on « Detroit » in the Motor City.
He sampled his first coney dog a year ago and got some training in making them Monday. « They’re good, man, » said David-Jones of the Detroit delicacy. « And they’re so quick at making them good. »
American Coney Island owner Grace Keros said it was great to have participants from such a serious project be part of a happy occasion for modern-day Detroit.
« It’s giving back with something fun, » said Keros.
Contact Detroit Free Press writer Julie Hinds: 313-222-6427 or jhinds@freepress.com.
