'Red Tails' Actor, Melonie Diaz Join Cast of 'Fruitvale' (Exclusive)

Red Tails actor Tristan Wilds and Melonie Diaz have joined the cast off Fruitvale, the indie drama about a true-life police shooting being produced by Forest Whitaker and his Significant Productions partner Nina Yang.

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Ryan Coogler is making is feature debut writing and directing the pic, which is timely as it’s being made while in the shadow the controversy surrounding the Feb. 26 death of Trayvon Martin, a black teenager who was shot and killed by a local neighborhood watch officer in Florida.

Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle) and Oscar winner Octavia Spencer are already on board the Fruitvale, which tells the story of Oscar Grant, a young black man detained on New Year’s Day 2009 by the Bay Area Rapid Transit police and shot in the back and killed. The event was captured by many cell phone cameras, with the ensuing trial and its verdict causing protests and riots.

Wilds will play Grant’s best friend while Diaz is the mother of his young child.

Wilds, repped by ICM and MKS&D Talent, worked with Jordan on the George Lucas-produced World War Two aerial war move Red Tails and was one of the movie’s breakouts. He is also one of the stars of 90210 and appeared in HBO’s The Wire as well as the movie The Secret Life of Bees.

Diaz has appeared on such TV shows as Person of Interest and CSI: Miami. She is repped by UTA and Thruline.