Amandla Stenberg Previews ‘The Hate U Give’ Movie Adaptation

Las Vegas -- “The Hate U Give” has gone from a best-selling young-adult novel to the big screen. On Thursday, 20th Century Fox released the trailer for the upcoming drama as part of its CinemaCon presentation.

Amandla Stenberg, who portrays lead character Starr Carter, a teen who must balance her life in two worlds: the poor and mostly black neighborhood where she lives and the predominantly white prep school she attends. Her life is further turned upside down when she witnesses the shooting of her male friend Khalil (Algee Smith) by a police officer.

“I am so proud of this film,” Sternberg told CinemaCon attendees. The 19-year-old actress, who is also starring in the studio’s film “The Darkest Minds,” said she saw the movie as feeding an “appetite for new voices.”

Director George Tillman Jr. was also captivated by the book, written by Angie Thomas.

“For me, it all began in January 2016 when I got a call to read an unpublished book by a new author called Angie Thomas. I was finishing another project at the time on a snowy day in Brooklyn and was reluctant to give my attention to it, but something inside told me to take 30 minutes to read it. These 30 minutes changed my life,” he said Thursday.

“I vividly remember the opening lines of the novel when the protagonist Starr Carter says: ‘I shouldn’t have come to this house party. I’m not even sure I belong at this party. That’s not on some bougie [expletive], either. There are just some places where it’s not enough to be me. Either versions of me.’ That statement, ‘It’s not enough to be me,’ really hit home.

...I’ve always connected with that feeling of not thinking I’m enough. Struggling with the idea of trying to be two people. I think this is something a lot of individuals, but especially black people and other minorities in America, can relate to. That one phrase instantly fostered a strong emotional connection within me, and I knew this was a story I had to tell.”

“The Hate U Give” also stars Regina Hall, Common, Russell Hornsby, Anthony Mackie, Issa Rae, Lamar Johnson and Sabrina Carpenter. The film hit theaters later this year.