Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1531774
on his goals, as well as pages from his writings, law research and his family pictures. He had stacks of law books around him while his clothes were tucked under his bunk bed. Divine Eye, on the other hand, was on top of the food chain inside the prison. He was making so much money selling drugs and as a loan shark that his problem was how to securely store that cash across the prison. The way his cell looked was the exact opposite of Divine G's—it was all about exterior and showing off. He flexed by having stacks of canned food, an in-prison status symbol, he color coordinated it in burgundy with towels and bedsheets. He would seemingly "hide" but actually display a pair of Jordans under his bed. This flashiness, which was easy to read to anyone inside the prison, also served as a distraction from all the illegal stuff he expertly kept hidden in plain sight inside his tiny cell. But Divine Eye has always been an artist, and there is a glimpse of that in his cell. Before RTA made space for his acting talent to shine, he always loved Shakespeare, his artistry was evident through books and wildlife drawings in his cell. The movie shows the radical transformation of self he goes through by participating in the theatre program. He shared that in real life, his cell caught up with his inner world—he eventually stripped away the pointless status symbols and gave away his cool clothes to those who were lacking. Even though the film did not shoot in the real Sing Sing prison, in which the cells are even smaller and more exposed than the ones at Downstate, the prison experience was real. Most of our formerly incarcerated actors were processed at Downstate and served time there. Divine Eye was even incarcerated right above his movie cell. Divine G confessed his cell looked so real he started hyperventilating during a set visit, while Divine Eye had a phantom itch of the green prison uniform he put back on for the role. Going back to prison for the cast was a traumatic experience that was not taken lightly by anybody. Most of them served decades-long sentences. The film's creators made sure a counsellor was on call, while the men, along with Brent Buell, were there to support each other unconditionally. Yet it was an active choice of the formerly incarcerated cast to proceed despite the apprehension, as the story they wanted to tell was bigger than that. E. DIVINE EYE (PLAYED BY HIMSELF) INSIDE HIS CELL AT DOWNSTATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY. PRODUCTION STILL. F. SET SKETCH FOR BREAKIN' THE MUMMY'S CODE, EGYPTIAN SET. DRAWN IN PHOTOSHOP BY RUTA KISKYTE. E F