When Samuel L. Jackson first read the script of "187," the character of Trevor was white, yet Jackson immediately connected with the story. He discussed his feelings that the movie would be more interesting if the main character's race changed. "I thought if the teacher were ethnic, dealing with ethnic students, and being attacked the same way that we commonly see white teachers attacked, it would say this has nothing to do with race, but more with authority figures," recalls Jackson of the preliminary meetings.

Jackson related that he had come from a family where teaching was a respected profession, as his aunt was a teacher when he was growing up. "I looked at the character of Trevor as being an old-time teacher, someone who's always wanted to be a teacher because he wants to make a difference. My aunt was the same way," says Jackson.

Reynolds relates, "Sam's got such charisma and dignity. He's the kind of person you just look at and respect, and that's what the character of Trevor is. Because of his upbringing, he understood the world of the teacher and their dilemmas."

To round out the cast, the filmmakers brought in respected actor John Heard and lauded Canadian actress Kelly Rowan to play fellow teachers Dave Childress and Ellen Henry. Young actors Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez, Karina Arroyave, Jonah Rooney and Lobo Sebastian were hired to play some of the troubled students in Trevor's classroom.

Recalls Kelly Rowan, "I felt very fortunate that I went to school in Canada. It made me realize what a profound effect teachers have on people's lives. Most instructors start out with a passion for education, but in places like this, that passion deteriorates. They start out loving what they do, but they end up doing it in anarchy. So it's like a fall from grace."

Scott Yagemann comments, "There's a euphoria that comes from teaching, when you're connecting with the kids. You actually get a high. But in some cases, the system doesn't support that connection, and the teacher is burnt out and destroyed by the environment. Trevor's classroom is his sanctuary and once it's destroyed, everyone has to deal with the consequences."

What the filmmakers ultimately discovered was that teachers today are like soldiers in the trenches who are suffering from battle fatigue. "You see it in their eyes," says Reynolds. "They're worn down, and the tragedy of all this is that these were people who were enthusiastic about teaching but are put into a system that doesn't work. They get ground down and just hang in to collect a paycheck. They just want to survive."

As Yagemann points out, the problems in schools today are inevitable due to an unofficial dictate he heard from more than one school principal: "I was told more than once, 'You have to first earn their respect.' And I said, 'Wait, shouldn't I have to earn their disrespect? I should be respected the minute I walk in the classroom.' It's a whole different set of rules from when today's adults went to school."

"When I went to school," says Samuel L. Jackson, "teachers had reputations, not students."

"This movie is going to challenge and unsettle some people, but some people need to be challenged and unsettled," the director concludes. "Kids understand how dangerous the world of public schools is -- parents just don't get it."

© 1997 Warner Bros.