Like most Americans, I suspect, I have been only peripherally aware of the events that took place in March 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King led three historic (and very dangerous) voting rights marches from Selma, Alabama to the Alabama state capital, Montgomery. I understood the importance of the march, and (vaguely, I admit) what it accomplished, but I didn’t know the real story—the challenges, the terror, the resistance, and the implications—of this seminal cultural and political showdown. Director Ava DuVernay brings the truth to the fore in her new film Selma, the best film yet to focus on Dr. King and his iconic role in the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 60s.
Actor David Oyelowo, who portrays King in Selma, has given us a performance for the ages, and one likely to be recognized when Oscar announces the Best Actor nods in January. Oyelowo, a (still-young) veteran of the British stage, brings a deep humanity and vulnerability to the character of King, showing us the man beneath the mythology, and, in turn, further heightening our respect and admiration for the heroic cultural leader.
I sat down with Oyelowo in San Francisco recently, and we talked about the timeless message of Selma, the immense challenge of stepping into Martin Luther King’s shoes, and the years of struggle to finally bring this film to the public.
Oyelowo explained how the triumph of Selma is underscored by the fact that it took years of struggle and commitment to even get the film made. He had been attached to the project early on, and remained committed and focused on his dream of playing King throughout the long development process. He recalled: “It was a seven year journey of disappointment, frustration, anticipation, and excitement to get this off the ground. The blessing in disguise of all that waiting was that I knew, somewhere in my spirit, that it was my destiny to do this role. I watched everything I could in terms of documentary film, I read books, talked with people who knew him, and spent time with his family. I went to where he was born, and where he died. Once it became time to actually create the film, there was weight gain that needed to take place—a physical assimilation—and what I can only describe as spiritual work. This man was governed by his spiritual life and conviction, and I felt I needed to really open myself up in order to show that.”
With his theatrical background and oratorical skills, Oyelowo came well-prepared to capture King’s legendary speaking voice, but he also had to find the source of commitment and belief that made truly King inspirational. “The thing is that there was a difference between King in the pulpit, or at a podium, and him just talking to someone in, say, a corridor He was taken up, there was something transcendent in him. The question was what was going on with this man internally to get him to this heightened place where he is able to move thousands—millions—of people by the power of his words. That was an intimidating prospect, but one I felt I needed to get my arms around.”
I mentioned Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, in which Oyelowo had a small, but very poignant, role, especially when considered in the same context as Selma. He described his connection between the two films: “I have a scene with Colman Domingo—who plays Ralph Abernathy in Selma—we both stood before Daniel Day Lewis, and I say to him, ‘maybe one day we’ll get the vote.’ That was the winter of 1865. In Selma, there is a scene where I am sitting next to Colman Domingo and I am brooding over the fact of whether or not we will actually get the vote. And that’s 1965. Same actors, 100 years apart. It beautifully crystallizes how long the process towards freedom has been for people of color in this country.”
I expressed that I thought Selma brought a depth to our understanding of Martin Luther King that might have been lost in a three-hour biopic, and Oyelowo agreed, adding: “The genius of the script by Paul Webb and Ava DuVernay was to focus in on just those three months, because to tell such a full rich life, one that has so many chapters, you may end up with an unsatisfactory film that just touched on the elements of his big life. This film really mines what was going on in the internal life of King and those involved in the movement. And that is what we look for in movies. We are looking for ourselves. You ask yourself, ‘If I were him, what would I do?’ Selma demystifies, but at the same time further elevates, the beauty of the man.”
It’s so true. I was moved to tears by Selma. It is a great American film with a timeless message. As we celebrate the holiday season, and share that feeling of equality that feels so natural during the holidays, I hope we come to understand that we really can treat each other this way every day of the year.
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