BET network television series Rebel takes place in Oakland, CA with episodes centering around a hardened and jaded private eye with a twist. Rebecca Knight played by Danielle Mone Truitt is cast in the lead role. She is the female version of the quintessential PI complete with lost love and a hard luck story. The weekly show is addictive and leaves fans anxious for the airing of the next episode. There’s more to the show than meets the eye so to speak.
Here are five things that you didn’t know about Rebel.
1. Lauren London Who Plays Kim was teased as a child by family members
In an interview, Lauren shared that she had it a little rough growing up. Her father is Jewish and her mother is African-American. She remembers both the white and black sides of her family
teasing her because of her mixed race ethnicity. Today, she shares freely that ethnicity is the thing that helps a person find themselves.
2. The pilot didn’t receive the best reviews
Critics were hard on the 120 minute pilot of Rebel. The origin story is told and critics assigned terms including “bloated” and “melodramatic” to their evaluation of the kickoff episode. While it is a bit tough to transfer all of the elements of the stereotypical rough and jaded PI into a beautiful female, the writers did a decent job. Hey, lets face it, there will always be hard core fans of the private detective and crime solving genre. Casting a woman into the role gives it a new twist with a little extra oomph.
3. Danielle Mone Truitt helps others in need
Danielle is busy with her new starring role as Rebel, but she makes time in her personal life to help others. She dedicates spare time alongside her minister husband for charity work. Mone Truitt is active in a community outreach program that brings people together in crisis and helps to empower them to rise above their circumstances and offer one another support.
4. Danielle co-facilitates “The LivingRoom” ministry
She is dedicated to her Christian faith and is actively involved with Saturday night meetings to win others to Christ. She and her husband sponsor worship services and community drives to help the homeless, but this isn’t all that they do. They also go to police stations to pray and offer scholarships for students. She is doing everything she can to improve the lives of others in her corner of the world.
5. Director John Singleton took inspiration from the 40s
In a recent interview John disclosed that he wanted to present Rebel as a woman struggling to deal with trauma and tragic events in her life, but in a different way. He resorted to reviewing films from the 1940s NOIR and found the inspiration that he was looking for. He gleaned lighting techniques, presentation, character development and ambiance from the old detective films. He integrated elements into the production of Rebel.
Final thoughts
Rebel is sure to be a hit with dyed in the wool detective genre fans. It has the potential for appealing to a wider segment of the population because of the infusion of techniques from the fim Noir age. In addition, the cast rings its own special set of contributions to the flavor of the show. This is a must see for all old detective movie fans because you’re apt to find someting you like and you may even gain a new favorite.
Follow Us
