Idris Elba is cool, but Jharrel Jerome says Caleb McLaughlin is his real ‘Concrete Cowboy’

Emmy-winner Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us) was pumped to star alongside Idris Elba in the TIFF selection Concrete Cowboy. But he may have been even more excited to work with Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin, who not only heads up the cast of the movie, but who also makes his big-screen debut.“I was incredibly excited to meet Caleb. We had met a few times just in passing here and there, and I saw him on a plane once,” the Emmy-winner said during a Toronto International Film Festival press conference for Concrete Cowboy on September 13. “It was just full circle for me to see him on set. But it's cool because when I got to set I looked at Caleb the same way I look at Idris. I do—it's two distinguished actors. I don't care how young Caleb is, he's really put his foot in his career, and he's really done it. And he's really shone, and just watching him, and how he inspires his fans, and how he inspires people, inspired me. So when I got to set I was nervous to meet this little boy.”McLaughlin may be turning 19 years old in October, but he’s had plenty of time to amass fans on three seasons of Stranger Things (the fourth season is currently filming). In Concrete Cowboy he trades in the Upside Down for the real-life world of Black cowboys from Philadelphia’s Fletcher Street Stables. At the heart of that untold story is the relationship between a troubled boy named Cole (McLaughlin) and his father, Harp (Idris Elba). Jerome stars as Cole’s friend, and the likes of Lorraine Toussaint, Method Man, and real-life cowboy Jamil "Mil" Prattis round out the cast.

 

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“The best part for me in this film is that I think Caleb grew up in a lot of ways doing this role. It is a shift in his career. I think it's going to change him and I think it's going to change his life,” Jerome, who is 22-years-old himself, adds. “And I got to watch it. And I’m blessed that I got to watch it, because I really think that Caleb became a man doing this part.”[video_embed id='2034604']RELATED: What to expect from the first-ever 2020 TIFF Tribute Awards [/video_embed]So how does Elba feel about Jerome’s assessment of his on-screen son? He revealed that he’s just as proud of McLaughlin as everyone else who made the movie was. “This is Caleb's first movie. First movie! And I was so proud,” he said. “And I think we all are, to be able to witness his performance and his stepping into some really big shoes, because it's a very big role and it's a very important one.”While McLaughlin was a little more hesitant to talk about his self-growth on the panel, when he was asked if he agreed he "grew up" while working on Concrete Cowboy, he said he did.“I feel like I’ve learned a lot just from being on the film, because usually moments like this for me is almost like my senior year of high school,” he said. “I was homeschooled for most of my life. So being on this set was definitely something like that. I've learned a lot. I've grown, like what Jharrel was saying, I've grown into the young man that I am today. I’m totally different than last year, mindset-wise and just talking to Jharrel even off-set, besides just going over the scenes, we were just [having some] real deep conversations and we really grew a great bond. But I agree, I agree.”Concrete Cowboy makes its world debut at TIFF on September 13. The Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 10 to September 19.[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Golden Retriever puppies have their first pool experience [/video_embed]