*She’s an outstanding actress, PERIOD! Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor has been acting for almost three decades and it shows!
This month, she portrays a grandparent in the Jim Crow South in the Amazon MGM Studios “Nickel Boys,“ directed by RaMell Ross.
Fans will see Ellis-Taylor deliver a passionately perfect performance as her character parents a grandson with unwavering faith and love.
We spoke to the San Francisco native about her ancestors, acting, and accolades.
Q: You play a maternal figure in this role. What was the most challenging part of having to play this character?
AET: My attraction [to this character] was Ramel. I wasn’t that familiar with [Colson Whiteheads’] book. I just wanted to be in Ramel’s world. And then when I read the book, I thought the writing was tremendous.
I didn’t have any idea what the film was going to be like. I didn’t know Ramel was going to shoot the film from the first person’s perspective until I showed up for work. Surprise, surprise!
Q: After you showed up and saw how it was being shot, what were your thoughts
AET: Girl…one of the hardest scenes in the film was my first day of shooting. I’m acting with the camera. As opposed to acting with Ethan [Herisse] – a person. I’m acting with whatever the camera’s name is. I had all these big visions in my mind about what I was going to do in my scene.
Q: You’re going to be honored with the Impact Award at The Critics Choice Association Celebration of Black Cinema on December 9th. Why is it important for you to be impactful to other people?
AET: I don’t know how not to be. You know what I mean? I’m not a single-issue voter. I come from a community of women who took care of other people. My childhood was spent in the back of my grandmother’s car going to check on the sick and shut-in, as we used to call it, going to feed people, going to pray for people and pray with people. She was community-building and community-saving. I don’t know how to be anything else. That was my first example of human-hood, not womanhood, human-hood, not humanity, human-hood. She taught me that without teaching me anything, without saying to me, ‘Girl, what you need to do [is this or that]. I don’t know how to do anything else.
Amazon MGM Studios’ “Nickel Boys” will have a limited theatrical release on December 13.
For more details follow #NickelBoys | @NickelBoysMovie
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.com: RaMell Ross’ ‘Nickel Boys’ is Well Written & Highly Artistic
