Wahlberg, Abdul-Mateen on moral compromise in 'By Any Means'

The cast and crew of the civil rights-era crime thriller "By Any Means" gathered in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening for the film's premiere. The movie follows FBI agent Wayne Stryder, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who teams up with mafia hitman Greg Scarpa, portrayed by Mark Wahlberg, to solve the murder of civil rights leader Vernon Darmer.

Abdul-Mateen said his character's central struggle lies in the moral compromises he makes while pursuing justice. "You have to have something for yourself that you know is true," he said, adding that for Wayne, those values are honor, integrity, and family. He noted that the character goes against his own principles at points, calling the arc "a cautionary tale" rather than a straightforward success story.

Wahlberg praised his co-star's ability to convey emotion with minimal dialogue. "He can convey so much emotion, but just having the camera linger on his face," Wahlberg said, noting that Abdul-Mateen's presence and strength make him "one to watch."

Director Elegance Bratton said he insisted on treating every character—whether FBI agents, Klan members, victims, or perpetrators—as fully human. He worked with actor Ethan Embry to depict Klan leader Sam Bowers as both monstrous and understandable, exploring how a person becomes that way.

Embry stressed the importance of confronting history, even its ugliest chapters, as a safeguard against repetition. "Knowing what we did is the only thing that keeps us from repeating," he said.

"By Any Means" is scheduled for release in the U.S. on September 4.