"It was like one of those commercials where the guy comes into town and everybody's gone," he recalls. "In this case, everybody was at the audition."

As it turned out, Hagen was one of the lucky ones. Not only was he called back for another round of auditions, but he was eventually hired to play the court artist who sketches the rebel slaves as they make their legal and moral case for freedom.

"I'm easy to spot in the movie," he quips. "I'm the one who's always carrying the big portfolio."

But Hagen, a RISD-trained artist who's known for his finely detailed paintings and drawings, didn't stop there. He also used his time on the Amistad set to make his own sketches of the movie's cast -- an all-star lineup that included Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, Matthew McConaughey and Djimon Hounsou, the West African-born actor who plays the slaves' charismatic leader, Cinque.

Now about 20 of Hagen's sketches and drawings are on display as part of Amistad Speaks, a new exhibit and lecture series at the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society. (See end of story for more information on dates and times.)

"It's a kind of a de-briefing of the movie," says the society's interim director, Joaquina Bela Teixeira. "In many ways, Amistad is a very powerful and historically accurate film. But there's a lot more to the story than what you see on the screen."

To help fill in the historical gaps, the Black Heritage Society has brought together a selection of 19th-century books, pamphlets and other documents relating to the slave trade, most of it on loan from the New Haven Colonial Historical Society.

At the same time, the society has been able to borrow costume sketches, photographs and other documentary material from DreamWorks, the Hollywood studio that produced Amistad.

"What we're trying to do is use the interest generated by the film to help people learn more about the history behind it," says Teixeira. "For example, it's ironic that most of the filming for Amistad took place in Newport and Providence, two cities that were heavily involved in the slave trade."

Teixeira also asked Hagen to contribute some of his drawings. "As soon as I heard about them, I knew they'd be perfect for the show," she says.

Old Master style

Hagen, whose easygoing manner contrasts with the meticulous Old Master style of his drawings, says that working on the Amistad drawings was easy.

"I was very lucky. Since I had a part in the movie, I was treated as a member of the cast. I had access to most of the actors and more of the places where the crew was shooting."

Even so, Hagen didn't try to make finished drawings on the set.

"It takes me about seven or eight hours to do a complete drawing," he says. "So I usually just sketched in the outlines and made some notes on lighting and stuff. Then I'd finish the drawing at home."

Visitors to Amistad Speaks will find portraits of most of the movie's main characters, including Hopkins as ex-President John Quincy Adams, Freeman as the Abolitionist leader Joadson, Hounsou as Cinque, and McConaughey as Roger Baldwin, the New Haven lawyer who represents the slaves.

Also on display are portraits of British actor Nigel Hawthorne, who played President Martin Van Buren, and Mariah Campbell, an actress who played one of Amistad slaves.

Asked how the actors felt about being sketched, Hagen says that while most were "very cooperative," Hopkins was his favorite.

"I'd say, `Could you turn your head just a little bit to the left?' and he'd say, `No problem.' He was very friendly and unpretentious."

Spielberg's portrait

One drawing that isn't on display is a portrait Hagen gave to Spielberg showing the director and his daughter Sasha.

"He's a real family man and spent a lot of time with his kids, even on the set," says Hagen. "One day I just walked up and handed him a drawing of him with his daughter.

"He was with his wife, Kate Capshaw, and they both just went `Wow, that's incredible.' "

Amistad Speaks continues through March 31 at the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, 202 Washington St. in Providence. Hours are Mon.-Fri. 10-4:30 and Sat. 10-2. In conjunction with the exhibit, RIBHS is hosting a series of lectures and events. On Feb. 10 at 7 p.m., historian Richard Lobban will discuss the U.S. Navy's attempts to end the slave trade. On Friday Feb. 27, the Society will hold its Annual Heritage Ball from 8-1 p.m. And on Sat. Feb. 28 there will be a daylong Young Conference on Diversity. For more information, call 751-3490.

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