Playing MLK: Actor David Oyelowo on Selma | The Huffington Post Playing MLK: Actor David Oyelowo on Selma 12/18/2014 08:28 am ET | Updated Feb 17, 2015 Nell Minow Movie critic, corporate governance analyst British actor David Oyelowo plays Dr. Martin Luther King in director Ava DuVernay's new film Selma, the story of Dr. King's march from Selma, Alabama to the state capital in Montgomery, on behalf of the right to vote. At the time, black citizens were denied the right to vote in the South through impossible " literacy tests " and poll taxes. Oyelowo spoke to me about the importance of showing the audience the man Dr. King was in private as well as his public appearances. For me as an actor, you can't take anything, any of those scenes, any of who he was in isolation. When we think of Dr. King, those are the things that flash through our heads -- we think of speeches, we think of him talking to presidents, we think of him talking to the press.

And so even though those scenes were important to me, they were always being thought of by me through the lens of how are they going to be juxtaposed? So in a scene with Lyndon Johnson [played by Tom Wilkinson], I have so much I want to say. I want to think of how that juxtaposes with the scene with my wife where I don't have the words, where I don't have a strategy, where to be perfectly honest, I have less mental capacity to engage with what's going on in the home and so therefore I've run out of resources to deal with what's going on at home. So in many ways the robustness, the strategy, the tactician that you see in front of LBJ shows one side of him. And the ferocity, the degree of cajoling, the degree of at times dampening himself down. You see that more clearly because of what we learn in the more private moments. While the movie focuses only on a few weeks in Dr. King's life, Oyelowo found a way to show Dr. King's views and tactics evolving. One of the things I really loved was the progression of these scenes with LBJ.

As King, I come in initially, very amenable, almost curtailing myself because I know I am politic as well and I'm there to try to get something. And before I know it, it's not quite the answers I am looking for. That relationship matures over time. You can see that over the three scenes together. We look to them as a gradation, as a progression in a sense where you see the man maturing. What meant the most to him was being able to create a full-scale character through Dr. King's interactions with a wide range of people from his wife, Coretta Scott King (Carmen Ejogo, who also played Mrs. King in the superb film Boycott) to the President of the United States and to a young college student named John Lewis (Stephan James), who will go on not just to vote but to run for office and serve in Congress. What I really gain satisfaction from is watching the film, seeing those scenes juxtaposed with the same guy in a car with a young John Lewis pushing and with LBJ not budging, feeling this is just not working.

I went in there and gave it my all and this young man is quoting me back to me saying, "Fear not, we've come so far to turn back now." That's what you're looking for an actor is that layering that enables you to go big in certain scenes and then go really small in others. In Selma, we see the most private moments of Dr. King with his wife, their relationship strained by his activism and the risks he is taking, and by tapes the FBI sent to Mrs. King revealing her husband's affairs. Oyelowo explained why those scenes were "a gift" to him as an actor. It started with Ava really. I mean the original incarnation of the script didn't have that. Literally I only had a phone call with her character, there was no face time at all. I think this is one of the beauties, one of the benefits of having a female director who comes at it with a different perspective, a layered perspective. A perspective on how important it is to show that relationship that a white man wouldn't necessarily come at it with which is what the original writer is. Those scenes were just a gift to an actor, a gift to the audience.

That scene has come up time and again as one of people's favorite scenes. And I think not only is it an opportunity to see behind the veil, but it is an opportunity to see themselves. So many men in particular see that. Isn't it ironic that it takes a woman to show us men who we are? So many men watch that and go "Ooh! I felt that scene." You can feel a little silent rumble go through the audience at that point. And that is a reaction you are very likely not to get in the usual bio pics. You tend to not be going, "Oh yes I know what it feels like to be that great man or that great woman." Well in that scene, you do and that is what this film does I think so beautifully -- to humanize these people, to make you see yourself in these people. I truly believe we go to the movies to see ourselves and I think that's why you walk away seeing this man as even greater than you may have perceived him to be before because he is you and yet he did it anyway.

Follow Nell Minow on Twitter: More: David Oyelowo on Playing Martin Luther King Jr., Ebola Fears, and Race in Hollywood - The Daily Beast Breakout Year David Oyelowo on Playing Martin Luther King Jr., Ebola Fears, and Race in Hollywood The talented British actor discusses playing a complex terrorist in the new film Default, his awards bait turn as MLK in the upcoming biopic Selma, and his long road to the top. Marlow Stern 10.15.14 9:45 AM ET No disrespect to Ben Affleck, but 2014 is the year of David Oyelowo. After years of cutting his teeth on the British stage and small screen, the 38-year-old actor has reached the Hollywood summit, starring in five films released during the packed awards season months. There’s his secretive role as an astronaut in Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi blockbuster Interstellar; his turn in J.C. Chandor’s New York crime drama A Most Violent Year; as Nina Simone’s manager, Clifton Henderson, in the biopic Nina; and, of course, his portrayal of the late, great Martin Luther King, Jr.

in Ava DuVernay’s MLK biopic Selma, which traces the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by Dr. King. The first film to feature Oyelowo is Simon Brand’s thriller Default, in theaters Oct. 17. He stars as Atlas, the purported leader of a group of Somali terrorists who hijack a plane and take the news crew onboard hostage as it departs from the Seychelles. What follows is a battle of wits between the so-called “pirates” and journalists onboard, and we soon learn that Atlas isn’t at all what he seems. The movie is shot found-footage-style, a la The Blair Witch Project, was filmed in just three weeks in a studio-warehouse outside of L.A., and tackles the very relevant theme of the convoluted relationship between terrorists and the media. In a wide-ranging conversation, The Daily Beast spoke to Oyelowo about his myriad projects, the media’s perception of terrorists, preparing for the role of his life in Dr. King, and why black actors are rewarded for playing the victim. With Default, what drew you to the character of Atlas?

We tend to lazily label these characters “terrorists,” but he is more complex than that. That’s exactly it, isn’t it? For me, personally, having lived in Africa for a good portion of my life—my parents are from Nigeria, and I lived there from the age of 6-13—and having lived most of my life in the West, I’m very aware that in the U.K. and in America the view of Africa is very one-sided, and very small, and largely transmitted into people’s minds by news outlets. And often, news outlets have their own agenda, or their sensationalist, or they’re one-sided, or they’re just not painting the full picture. When it comes to Somalia, the full story of why these so-called “pirates” began isn’t out there. They lost their government, the world decided to use that as an advantageous moment to dump all their waste on their shores, which killed all their fish, and they lost their livelihood. So, the only way they felt they could survive was to literally hijack Western ships off their coast.

That’s what gave birth to the so-called “Somali pirates.” I took the film because I’m aware that it’s a more complex issue than just labeling someone a “terrorist,” and I felt this film did that effectively. The film also touches on the way modern-day terrorists handle the media. Parallels will inevitably be made to the current situation with ISIS, but it does seem like there’s this generation of terrorists now who were raised on both reality television and the horrific saga of Daniel Pearl, and have learned how to manipulate new media to their own evil ends. Yes, I think you’re absolutely right about that. There’s an element of “you live by the sword, you die by the sword.” The very means by which a lot of these nations—especially Third World nations—have been vilified, marginalized, and taken advantage of—i.e. the news—and especially here in America where politicians as well as news outlets generally use fear and sensationalism as a way to keep the audience captivated, the people who have been subjected to this have been shown the potency of it by the media, so they’re using the media.

I’m not for one second condoning the actions of terrorists at all, but I do think there’s a kind of terrorism that the media carries out on its own citizens, certainly in this country—and it’s fear. You cannot watch the news without feeling terrorized. You feel like you need to bunker up, hide away, and arm yourself. We have also been groomed to watch the news a certain way, and people know the world is watching and use it for their evil intent. Guillermo/Amplify "Default" Fox News does seem to be one of the bigger perpetuators of this news culture of “fear” you speak of. The thing I will say about that is it’s supply-and-demand. If there wasn’t a section of society that was lapping this up, and to be perfectly honest agreeing with bigotry, then that channel would go out of business right away—or any channel that was perpetrating what I would call one-sided journalism. So we’re all to blame, in a sense. And that’s the point my character Atlas is making.

He’s saying, “You think you know who I am based on a couple of soundbites or a couple of one-sided pieces of journalism, but let me show you who I am, and then let’s let the world decide once they’ve had a more comprehensive and contextual view.” I think that any channel, whether it’s Fox, CNN, or whatever, if they were truly giving a 360-view of what’s going on, we would be better equipped to not slap judgments on people we really don’t understand. Speaking of Africa and “fear” in the news, there’s this Ebola scare going on now. A lot of the news coverage in the States strikes me as pretty xenophobic—this fear of Africa as the “Dark Continent” that spreads disease. It’s fear, but it’s a potent mix, isn’t it? It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. “Of course it came from Africa! Of course the ‘Dark Continent’ is to blame for Ebola!” It plays on that prejudice, and that fear. Then, what it also does is it preys on our worst fears. You see this in movies all the time—they’re constantly showing Armageddon, and the world ending.

The reason those films do so well is because they’re pushing this potent button within us that makes us panic and think, “The world is going to end tomorrow… how would I react? How would it affect my family, and my circumstances?” I’m as guilty as anyone else as a father and as a husband of thinking, “How will this affect me?” But if you get this 24-hour, ‘round-the-clock reporting that is perpetuating fear, before you know it you’re glued to it. When I first read the script for Default, I thought it was so compelling that the very weapon this terrorist is going to use is the media. That’s the means by which he’ll get his message out, as opposed to an act of terrorism in terms of killing people, and blowing things up. I find it to be a very interesting concept—turning the weapons on who he perceives to be the perpetrators. You had to deal with the ugly side of the media early on in your career, when you portrayed King Henry VI on the stage in London. You were the first black actor to play an English king in a major Shakespeare production, and the media treated it bizarrely. They treated it oddly in that it was a big deal.

To a certain degree, I’ve made peace with the fact that it was a big deal because I’ve seen it open doors for a lot of actors who came after me and have seen things change as a result. But at the time, I genuinely didn’t think about race when I auditioned for the role, or even when I got cast for the role. It wasn’t until we were rehearsing that this big hullabaloo built up about the fact that it was the first time this opportunity had been afforded to someone. But like I always say: when you’re a minority or something new, the onus is on you to be even better than what people are expecting, because it’s the only way they’re not going to crucify you, and the only way that the door doesn’t slam on everyone trying to come in after you. It was fuel for me to do as good a job as possible for that role, and thankfully when the play opened, it went from being “suspect” to “the show is great!” Get The Beast In Your Inbox! Daily DigestStart and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast. Cheat SheetA speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).

By clicking "Subscribe," you agree to have read the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Subscribe Thank You! You are now subscribed to the Daily Digest and Cheat Sheet. We will not share your email with anyone for any reason Selma is going to be a big deal. This is the first major film biopic of Martin Luther King, Jr., and you’re playing him. It’s crazy that there hasn’t been a biopic on him made yet. It’s absolutely bizarre! The world in which a J. Edgar Hoover movie exists before an MLK movie is utterly bizarre to me. He’s never been in a feature film as the main protagonist. He’s been a peripheral character in feature films and been in TV movies, but you think: the only human being to have their own holiday named after them in the 20th century and in the canon of cinema there isn’t a movie? Even Hoffa has his own movie! It’s ridiculous. So yes, it’s bizarre, but I’m not complaining seeing as if it had happened before, I might not get the chance to do it now. Lee Daniels was originally signed on to direct. Did he cast you?

I read that he left to do The Butler, and then you convinced the powers that be to hire the brilliant Ava DuVernay to direct Selma. That’s right. I first read the script in 2007 when Stephen Frears was going to direct it, and this might sound a little strange, but I prayed to God having read the script and I genuinely felt God say to me, “You are going to play Martin Luther King in the film Selma,” and that happened to me on July 24, 2007. Unfortunately for me, Stephen Frears didn’t cast me after I auditioned for him, but several directors hovered around it in the interim, and Lee signed on to direct after the big noise that Precious made. I auditioned for Lee and thankfully he awarded me the part, and then we just struggled to get this film off the ground. Part of it was budgetary, part of it was anxiety around the family and what they’d think of the film. So, Lee and I went off and did The Paperboy and The Butler in the meantime, and Lee had felt he’d already done his Civil Rights film, so to speak.

I went and did a small film called Middle of Nowhere with this phenomenal director, and I just felt that Ava would tear this material up. I went to the producers with her name and with the film, and thankfully they agreed with me. Atsushi Nishijima/Paramount David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Jr., in "Selma." What sort of preparation did you do to play MLK? Did you speak to the family? There must be a lot of responsibility here as the first person to star as MLK in a studio biopic. Definitely. Early on, there was understandable suspicion on the part of the family about anyone making a film about their beloved, so early on the person I spoke with was Andrew Young, who was basically King’s right-hand man while he was alive, and an incredible source of information—the kind of source you can’t get from watching footage or reading books. I could ask him direct questions about the man and his day-to-day personality. With time, I became friends with Dexter King, Dr. King’s son, and a degree of trust was built. I’ve also been in contact with Bernice King, Dr.

King’s daughter, and strangely enough, I bumped into her the Friday before the Monday we were going to start shooting Selma at The King Center. She ended up praying with me and giving me her blessing to portray her Dad. That was a very significant moment for me, and we’ve been in contact ever since. It was huge for me to bridge that gap between the production and the family. Did you have to put on weight, or wear any prosthetics? There was a conversation about prosthetics, but I just feel they get in the way. Speaking of J. Edgar… [Laughs] Right. Exactly. They get in the way, they’re distracting, and you’re already fighting an uphill battle playing a real-life person. It has to be an embodiment and an inhabitation rather than a projection of the person, so if you’re not able to spiritually depict the person, there’s nothing you’ll be able to do by way of prosthetics that’s going to convince the audience you’re doing a good job of that. I felt very strongly that I didn’t want to use prosthetics and I put on thirty pounds—maybe a bit more—because he was rounder in the face and in the body than I certainly am normally.

I shaved my hairline back to approximate his. The rest of it was about internalizing who this man was from what I know, what I read, and what I heard, and then positioning myself in the circumstances that he was in. That’s a better way of getting to the truth, in my opinion. Were Oprah and Brad Pitt on the set at all? I know they both came on as producers, which helped Selma, get made. Oprah was on set a lot—she plays Annie Lee Cooper in the film, and she felt very strongly about the film. She and I became great friends after we did The Butler together, and she became a huge champion of mine which led to me asking her to come onboard as a producer, because even though Ava was onboard and doing brilliant work with the rewriting of Paul Webb’s script, I could just feel the same kind of thing starting to happen that happened with Lee when he was on the film. So, we were huge beneficiaries of Oprah coming onboard, and this wonderful happenstance of The Butler and 12 Years A Slave both doing over $200 million worldwide, so for a company like Paramount, it began to make business sense to take on a movie like Selma.

Between these powerhouse producers and the perceived changing climate in terms of what audiences are prepared to watch, we were off to the races. Oprah was a huge part of getting this film to go, and to Brad’s credit—and the rest of his company—he’s using his power to make films that otherwise wouldn’t get made, which is of course the case with 12 Years A Slave and Selma. With 12 Years A Slave, it’s great progress that it won the Academy Award for Best Picture, but when it comes to the Oscars and films that feature casts of color—in particular African-Americans—they’re usually portraying the subjugated victim. It’s things like 12 Years A Slave and The Help, but not the noble hero, in the case of something like The Butler, which was shut out at the Oscars. The victim, criminals, or the dregs of society. Yes. And with this year’s Oscars, people are already looking at the calendar and postulating that this year’s Oscars will be very white—and that Selma is really one of the only hopes when it comes to injecting some much-needed color into this year’s Academy Awards. I think we’re in the middle of a sea change.

What happened last year is it was the very first time where you had four films that had genuine notoriety with phenomenal performances by black actors in the central role in films where they were the driving force—they were the protagonists. That was 12 Years A Slave, The Butler, Fruitvale Station, and Mandela. And two of those films experienced massive financial success. Up until that point, any film with a black subject matter, unless it was Denzel or Will Smith, you had a white character driving the story with black peripheral characters on the sidelines because there was this notion that “black doesn’t travel.” That notion was shattered this year, and I was a big beneficiary of that in Selma getting green-lit. The next step forward will be that there is enough contextualization of the black experience so that we’re not only being celebrated by playing the victim, which again is a self-fulfilling prophecy. There’s a patronizing attitude of, “Oh, these people have struggled and we really must celebrate when they show us their struggle,” as opposed to letting us be heroes. Right. There also isn’t much diversity either when it comes to superheroes.

I read a ridiculous article in The Hollywood Reporter recently that asked, “Who’s the New Denzel?” The reason why this article is ridiculous is because it seemed to blame the actors that had come up in the wake of Denzel, Eddie Murphy, and all that, when it really has to do with opportunity. The only way I get to play a role like Dr. King is because Tom Hardy, Ryan Gosling, and Shia LaBeouf couldn’t play Martin Luther King. If they could, I wouldn’t be. So on top of that, so rarely we’re allowed to play heroes—i.e. the driving force within our own story, and the one who saves the day. Again, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. People always ask me, “Why so many historical dramas?” Because those are the best roles I get to play and I get to play heroes in those roles. The tide is turning, and hopefully those that come after me will get to play heroes that Ryan Gosling could also play. It’s all intertwined. I also think The Academy is just too old.

It’s very old-fashioned, and until there is more diversity, and until there is a more reflective social demographic within not just The Academy but people who make the decisions generally, then we won’t see real change. This is neither here nor there, but Idris Elba tweeted out a photo of you, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and himself that read, “The Squad… coming soon.” Are you three starring in a badass film together? [Laughs] That would be great! I love Idris, and Chiwetel and I went to drama school together and were actually in youth theater together as teenagers, so we go way back. I love his work and he’s been a huge beacon for me in terms of what’s achievable, and a positive inspiration for me moving to America and wanting to work in Hollywood. You never know! I can tell you there’s nothing specific brewing, but that would be a very attractive prospect for me. These are exciting times for you. It took you quite a while to climb the Hollywood mountain, so to speak. I graduated from drama school 16 years ago, so it has taken a while. Part of that has just been circumstantial and part of that has been by design.

I truly think a long career is to keep the audience guessing and not being able to be boxed, and for me, I’m not hell-bent on playing the lead in things as long its an interesting character with phenomenally talented people, and it’s a script that I feel is genuinely innovative, creative, and potentially interesting for an audience. To do that, you’ve got to turn a lot of not-so-good stuff down. I’ve turned some stuff down that probably would have made me more well-known quicker, but I’m in this for the long haul. Like it says in the Bible, “An inheritance gained quickly will not be blessed in the end,” and that’s the pattern that I’ve tried to follow. READ THIS LIST Playing MLK: Actor David Oyelowo on Selma | The Chicago Defender Playing MLK: Actor David Oyelowo on Selma Posted 2 years ago. 315 reads David Oyelowo British actor David Oyelowo plays Dr. Martin Luther King in director Ava DuVernay’s new film Selma, the story of Dr. King’s march from Selma, Alabama to the state capital in Montgomery, on behalf of the right to vote.

At the time, black citizens were denied the right to vote in the South through impossible “literacy tests” and poll taxes. Oyelowo spoke to me about the importance of showing the audience the man Dr. King was in private as well as his public appearances. For me as an actor, you can’t take anything, any of those scenes, any of who he was in isolation. When we think of Dr. King, those are the things that flash through our heads — we think of speeches, we think of him talking to presidents, we think of him talking to the press. And so even though those scenes were important to me, they were always being thought of by me through the lens of how are they going to be juxtaposed? So in a scene with Lyndon Johnson [played by Tom Wilkinson], I have so much I want to say. I want to think of how that juxtaposes with the scene with my wife where I don’t have the words, where I don’t have a strategy, where to be perfectly honest, I have less mental capacity to engage with what’s going on in the home and so therefore I’ve run out of resources to deal with what’s going on at home.

So in many ways the robustness, the strategy, the tactician that you see in front of LBJ shows one side of him. And the ferocity, the degree of cajoling, the degree of at times dampening himself down. You see that more clearly because of what we learn in the more private moments. Click here to read more. 1. Photos: Chicago Football Classic 2016 Highlights Source:Mary L. Datcher 1 of 91 2. Photos: Chicago Football Classic 2016 Highlights Source:Mary L. Datcher 2 of 91 3. Photos: Chicago Football Classic 2016 Highlights Source:Mary L. Datcher 3 of 91 4. Photos: Chicago Football Classic 2016 Highlights Source:Mary L. Datcher 4 of 91 5. Photos: Chicago Football Classic 2016 Highlights Source:Mary L. Datcher 5 of 91 6. Photos: Chicago Football Classic 2016 Highlights Source:Mary L. Datcher 6 of 91 7. Photos: Chicago Football Classic 2016 Highlights Source:Mary L.

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Photos: Chicago Football Classic 2016 Highlights Source:Tito Garcia 87 of 91 88. Photos: Chicago Football Classic 2016 Highlights Source:Tito Garcia 88 of 91 89. Photos: Chicago Football Classic 2016 Highlights Source:Tito Garcia 89 of 91 90. Photos: Chicago Football Classic 2016 Highlights Source:Tito Garcia 90 of 91 91. img_16651-1 God Told David Oyelowo He Would Play Martin Luther King, But He Didn't Stop There | The Huffington Post God Told David Oyelowo He Would Play Martin Luther King, But He Didn't Stop There 12/16/2014 10:05 am ET | Updated Dec 16, 2014 250 Christopher Rosen Managing entertainment editor, The Huffington Post Evan Agostini/Invision/AP David Oyelowo hasn't been shy about discussing how God spoke to him in 2007 and said the actor would eventually play Martin Luther King Jr.

in what would become "Selma." "The reason I'm talking about that is because I'm as shocked as anyone else may be that this British guy is playing Martin Luther King," Oyelowo, who was born in England, said during a recent interview. "Certainly back then, in 2007, I had done none of the movies people have now seen me do now." At the time, Oyelowo -- who has since starred in "Lee Daniels' The Butler," "Jack Reacher," "The Help" and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" -- was a relative unknown. But it was another obstacle separating him from King that proved more difficult to overcome: Stephen Frears. Back then, the director was attached to "Selma" and didn't think Oyelowo was right for the part . In the ensuing seven years, however, Frears left and multiple directors nearly stepped into his place (including Spike Lee and Paul Haggis) . In 2010, Lee Daniels came onboard and, after working with Oyelowo on"Lee Daniels' The Butler," cast the actor as King.

The tumultuous development process didn't end there: Daniels dropped out because of scheduling conflicts. That's when Oyelowo suggested another former collaborator: Ava DuVernay, with whom Oyelowo had made the 2012 indie film "Middle of Nowhere." "There was so much faith that had to be employed that this thing was going to happen," Oyelowo said. "Virtually every day between that moment [when God spoke] to me and now, I did everything I could to make this thing happen." Now that it has, Oyelowo has received the best reviews of his career for playing King. The performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, and it has Oyelowo in the middle of a crowded group of contenders vying for an Oscar nomination. "Selma," meanwhile, stands as one of the year's best films , a timely and insightful drama that says as much about Martin Luther King's struggle to get equal voting rights in 1965 as it does about the Millions March in 2014 .

Oyelowo spoke to HuffPost Entertainment about "Selma," working with DuVernay and what it was like to meet King's children. You've talked about hearing a higher calling to play this role all the way back in 2007. Does that kind of connection with God extend through the production as well? What I couldn't have anticipated is how much I needed, to be perfectly frank, God's help in the playing of it. Not least because this was a man of God. This was someone, if you've seen him giving those speeches, there is something flowing through him other than himself. He is flowing in his anointing. I needed that. I like to think of myself as a good actor, but Martin Luther King, I ain't! If you're going to go and shoot in Atlanta, in a historical church, with 500 people who are from Atlanta, you need a little help from above. So I definitely felt I had that. Watch Oyelowo in an exclusive clip from "Selma" During that seven year period from when you first read the script and now, was playing Dr. King something you thought about every day, or is that impossible?

The first thing I can say to you is that it's very possible to think about playing Martin Luther King every single day for seven years. I'm living evidence of that. There is never going to be a time in your life as an actor where you're going to go, "Oh yeah, I'm ready to play Dr. King now." But between doing the work in quiet and then, the films that presented themselves to me, I prepared. Playing a Union solider in "Lincoln," playing a preacher in "The Help," playing a black fighter pilot in "Red Tails," playing the son of a butler in "Lee Daniels' The Butler," who is in the Freedom Riders and becomes a Black Panther: these were all films in which I had to go study the history. Inevitably they were part of what informed playing Dr. King. Now, were they opportunities that were divinely presented to me or was I just continually drawn to that material because of what was going on in my head? That I can't really say. But I do know that so many different aspects of my life went into what you see in the film. Plus, I was now the age Dr. King was when these things happened in his life.

When I first read the script, I had two kids; when we shot it, I had four kids, like he did. There were so many things I matured into by the time I played the role. Dr. King is, relatively speaking, a young man during the events of "Selma," but he looks 10-15 years older than his actual age. How did you manage the physical transformation this role required? Again, we're back to the spiritual side of things. People like to talk about the weight gain and the voice, but that's what we do as actors; that's the first rung of what you need to do if you're going to play someone like this. But it was the emotional and spiritual weight of what this man did and had to go through that was tough. At that stage in his life, to have spent 10 years under threat -- and not only his life, but his kids' lives, his wife's life. Having all these people depend on him. Being a voice for the voiceless. Being someone who has seen people die because of this cause.

And not just because racist people have killed them, but because he went to places where he tried to have racists act out in front of the cameras, and then people get hurt. In Selma, people died. That weighs on you. If you're mentally placing yourself in that space, it does something to you physically. When I watch him, you can see there is a burden. You can see that he looks and feels older than he was. He was 36 at this stage. That is crazy. That had to be one of the things I tried to bring to it. You recommended Ava to direct this film. Having worked with her on "Middle of Nowhere," what surprised you about her transition to this kind of bigger material? When we worked together on "Middle Of Nowhere" I saw her talent is undeniable. One of the privileges I've had in doing some of those films I mentioned is working with Steven Spielberg and other incredible directors. I was on the set with Ava, and she is just as good.

I think the unique thing about her -- and what she brought to "Selma" that was so incredible -- was the ease with which she went into a film that was 100 times the budget of the last thing she had done. There were so many more people, so many more elements, it was much bigger in size, but she never panicked. She never shouted. She never threw a chair. She never compromised her vision. That went through the post-production side of things as well. To be a visionary, you have to be single minded. She has that without being, to be perfectly honest, an unpleasant person. That's very rare! Often being single-minded is combined with being a bit of a nightmare to be around. She's just not that. It's impossible to discuss "Selma" without mentioning how timely it is in its scenes of protest and police brutality. How do you think "Selma" fits in with the events that have occurred over the last month? Well, we're back to the divide, aren't we? If you were ever going to have a moment in time when this film should come out in the 50 years since these events happened, it would be now.

Not only would it be now, it would be now now. It would be this month. We would be having this conversation today. You can't tell me between everything we've discussed already to when the film is being released to the fact that it's a black woman who has made this -- just in terms of where we are in history and how beautiful a thing that is -- that it's not divine timing. Whether you believe in that stuff or not, I truly believe the reason why this film is so pertinent for right now is that it shows this isn't the first time. It shows that we are not a new generation for this and also how it was successfully dealt with. Peaceful protest. Strategy. Using the power of the image to bring the world together. That's what happened in a sense. Ferguson, I feel, was deemed a "black problem." Eric Garner became an American problem. That's the power of the image. Seeing him murdered onscreen has been the thing that has brought America and the world together to protest. Seeing Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge is what brought the nation together, black and white, in 1965. The difference is that was about voting rights, and this is about police reform.

There had to be federal intervention with voting rights; the federal government is stalling on intervening on this, to bring in independent bodies to police the police. It's just clear that's what is needed. No matter what they say about how difficult that is because it's states' rights. It was states' rights with voting. It's crazy how similar it is. "Selma" cast wears "I Can't Breathe" t-shirts to protest the death of Eric Garner at the New York Public Library on Dec. 14, 2014 Did you get to meet anyone close to Dr. King in preparation for the role? I met every one of his children and spoke with them. I actually became quite friendly with Dexter Scott King, his second son. I met Martin Luther King III. I actually didn't meet Bernice King until the Friday before we were going to start shooting. I bumped into her at the King Center, if you would believe it -- again, the divine! I was with a group of the actors who were going to be in the film, and she went up to everyone, deliberately leaving me to last. "So, who you playing?" she said. I was like, "Oh. My. Lord." Dr.

King's voice is pretty deep, but I was like, in a high-pitched voice, "I'm going to be playing your daddy." It was as bad as it could be. But by the time we finished our conversation, she ended up praying with me and giving me her blessing to play her dad. She and her elder brother saw the film recently and were very complimentary about it. She said mine is the best interpretation of her dad she's seen. I will take it. After seven years of having this role in your life, did you feel any letdown or hangover after you moved on to the next job? There was no letdown. I was very happy to let this guy go. I wouldn't say it was a burden, because I felt so privileged to do it, but there were moments where it was a real crossover. I stayed in character for the three months we were doing this. I, for one second, wouldn't say I was him for that time, but I felt a little bit of what it may have been like. Just because you have to take it on. He lived through 13 years of that. I was very happy to walk away. I tell you that much. This interview has been edited and condensed.

Also on HuffPost: Interview: ‘Selma’ Actor David Oyelowo on Playing Martin Luther King Jr. | ncregister.com Jan. 9, 2015 Interview: ‘Selma’ Actor David Oyelowo on Playing Martin Luther King Jr. The star of the new civil-rights drama talks with the Register’s film critic about his Christian faith, playing an American icon and why it was important to him that Selma depict the role of religion in the civil-rights movement. Steven D. Greydanus If an actor in a faith-based indie like Son of God told you he felt God had told him he was meant to play the role in question, you might not bat an eye. It’s more striking to hear such a thing from the star of a $20-million Hollywood film like the civil-rights drama Selma — from an actor who has played in such films as Interstellar , The Butler and Rise of the Planet of the Apes . David Oyelowo, who plays Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, isn’t shy about discussing his Christian faith.

British-born to Nigerian parents, he speaks with an Oxford accent that vanishes on-screen in a variety of American accents — in this case, the rich cadences of King’s Georgia-accented oratory. Oyelowo spoke with me recently by phone about the film, his faith and the role of faith in the civil-rights movement and in the film Selma. SDG: This is your second cinematic trip to Selma, after The Butler, in which your character demonstrated with Dr. King. Did that role in any way prepare you for this one or shape your perspective on it? Oyelowo: I first met Lee Daniels, who directed The Butler, auditioning to play Dr. King in Selma. When we couldn’t get [Selma] off the ground due to budgetary constraints, [Daniels] and I went off and did The Butler instead. I had first read the script [for Selma] in 2007, and I had felt God tell me that I was going to play Dr. King in this film.

So when I was finally cast in 2010, I thought, “Wow, here we go — God was right; I’m going to play this role.” And then I found myself playing opposite Dr. King in a completely different film. I can’t say that it prepared me; in all honesty, it sort of perplexed me at the time. But doing films like The Butler, Red Tails, The Help and, indeed, Lincoln actually did all go towards preparing me for Selma, because I’m British, and all of those films required an enormous amount of research, all of which helped me, knowledge-wise, preparing for Selma. SDG: Of course, you’re well aware how few portrayals of Dr. King there have been — and no feature films focusing on him, until now. Likewise, 12 Years a Slave was the first big-screen feature film about the experience of slavery from the point of view of actual slaves. Why do you think films like this are finally being made? Oyelowo: I think that having a black president in this country has been a seismic shift, in terms of what has been going on racially in America.

I think that America is now engaging with how we have come to this point. I think these films give context to the moment we are now in, in terms of not only having a black president, but also just where we are as a nation. SDG: With respect to positive religious themes, Selma is much more overt than many recent films, from The Butler and The Help to Lincoln and Belle, in depicting religion in opposition to racism and the legacy of slavery. How important was it to you that the religious worldview and motivations of Dr. King and his allies be represented in Selma? Oyelowo: It was absolutely crucial to me, because it is the truth. These people — not just Dr. King, but his band of brothers and sisters — a lot of them were ministers. A lot of them were pastors, preachers, reverends, bishops in their own churches. They were the leaders within the black community. They didn’t just preach from the pulpit — they lived it out in their lives. That’s why nonviolence was what Dr. King was a proponent of. That’s why they chose to use love as a weapon against hate — because that’s what the Bible advocates.

That’s what they believed in as people of faith. And that’s what proved, ultimately, to be successful. On the Edmund Pettus Bridge [in Selma], during the [1965] summer campaign, if they had fought back, if they had brought guns or attacked the police, I almost guarantee you that the Voting Rights Act would not have been passed in August of that year. It would have been a self-fulfilling prophecy for racists that these people were not worthy to vote. Like Dr. King said, darkness cannot overcome darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot overcome hate; only love can do that. That was a theme that had to be in the film and, thankfully, is. SDG: Did you personally have any input in that regard? Oyelowo: I did. When Ava DuVernay came on board, I recommended her for the role of director, and the reason I recommended her is because we are of a very similar mindset. We have a very similar worldview, and I always knew that, even though I felt God had called me to play this role, I would never play it if it was in any way contrary to what I felt was right to be in this film.

There is just no getting away from the fact that, when Bloody Sunday happened, Dr. King specifically asked for men and women of faith to come and join this struggle, because he didn’t want it to turn into a bloody riot. He wanted people there who were of a similar mind, who were going to operate in love rather than hate, anger and bitterness. We would just be doing them and the story a disservice if it was any way but what we have in the film. SDG: Do you have any thoughts on why other films have had less interest in the role of religion in this respect? Oyelowo: The fish stinks from the head down. If you as a director, a producer, a writer are not particularly interested — or in fact believe — in God as a beautiful Being from which love emanates, from which sacrificial love is the key … I think if you are not a person of faith, you probably are not looking at these stories through that lens. And, whether we like to admit it or not, as artists, we do project our own worldview on to what we do.

And so I think that if you are coming from a different perspective, from a faith point of view, you impose that on these stories, and it inevitably creeps into the result. SDG: You’ve talked in interviews about wanting to portray Dr. King as a human being rather than as an icon. Can you be specific about that? Oyelowo: I think that, in many ways, Dr. King has been diminished by the iconography that he has been subjected to. It has allowed us to box him into a catchphrase — “I have a dream.” It has allowed us to minimalize his achievements to basically giving a speech at the end of the March on Washington. Whereas, actually, he spent 13 years of his life, virtually every day, campaigning for and fighting for people who had been marginalized and subjected to racism. He was a voice to the voiceless, and he did that tirelessly, and his faith was the engine to that. But he was just a human being, at the end of the day. I still believe we go to the movies to see ourselves, and if we can see ourselves in Dr. King, I think that is really potent and powerful; and the only way you would see yourself in Dr.

King is if he’s a human being. He didn’t walk around when he was on this earth thinking of himself as an icon; so, therefore, in the portrayal of him, one has to take that away and play him as a human being. SDG: What do you think is the task confronting Christian churches today regarding race relations? It’s bad enough that we have white churches and black churches, but worse is, so often, we aren’t even on the same page. What could each, for lack of a better word, “side” be doing differently to help bridge the gap and improve the situation? Oyelowo: I’m glad you asked that! One of the beautiful byproducts of the film has been an initiative called “Hand in Hand,” and lots of churches have signed up for this. It’s basically an initiative where black churches and white churches go and watch the film together and have a town hall on reconciliation afterwards. As you know, Sunday at 11 o’clock is the most segregated hour in America. You have black churches; you have white churches; you have Hispanic churches. It’s not really reflective of the world we live in, by and large, in America.

I truly believe that one of the things that has been lacking in this country is a spirit of repentance about the injustices of slavery and the injustices of segregation and racism generally. I truly believe that we cannot come to a place of reconciliation until there is individual repentance and corporate repentance. I don’t know how that plays out in this nation, but I know that there is still a lot of bitterness and anger, and arguably justifiably so, when you think about how brutal slavery was and what its brutal legacy still is. I truly believe slavery is why, as a by-product, we still have a disproportionate amount of black men incarcerated in this country. It is an extension of that legacy, and that’s not going to start to diminish until black people have a new sense of themselves that isn’t tied to slavery and feeling inferior. I think the church can be instrumental in that, in terms of repentance, reconciliation and just being more embracing of each other — not just on Sunday, but in life generally. Steven D. Greydanus is the Register’s film critic and creator of Decent Films . He is studying for the permanent diaconate for the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey.

David Oyelowo - IMDb IMDb View Resume | Official Photos » David Oyelowo (pronounced - "oh-yellow-oh"), is a classically trained stage actor who has quickly become one of Hollywood's most sought-after talents. He graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), and received the "Scholarship for Excellence" from Nicholas Hytner in 1998. David starred as Martin Luther King Jr. in ... See full bio » Born: a list of 24 people created 14 Jan 2015 a list of 30 people created 26 Jan 2015 a list of 27 people created 02 Sep 2015 a list of 30 people created 21 Oct 2015 a list of 25 people created 4 months ago Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How much of David Oyelowo's work have you seen? User Polls Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 18 wins & 37 nominations. See more awards » Known For Selma Dr. Martin Luther King, JR.

(2014) 2015 Black Knight Decoded (Video short) Father 2010-2011 Glenn Martin DDS (TV Series) Teacher / Clarence 2011 The Good Wife (TV Series) Judge Edward Weldon 2010 Blood and Oil (TV Movie) Keme Tobodo 2009 Small Island (TV Movie) Gilbert 2007 Spooks Interactive (Video Game) Danny Hunter 1998 Brothers and Sisters (TV Series) Lester Peters 1998 Maisie Raine (TV Series) Sonny McDonald - Food of Love (1998) ...

Sonny McDonald Hide 2009 Big Guy (Short) (executive producer) Hide 2006 Graham & Alice (TV Short) Hide 2017 Waiting for Hassana (Documentary short) (thanks) ( post-production ) 2016 13th (Documentary) (special thanks) Hide 2015-2016 The View (TV Series) Himself 2014-2016 Good Morning America (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2011-2016 Made in Hollywood (TV Series) Himself 2014-2016 CBS This Morning (TV Series) Himself / Himself - Selma 2015 The Talk (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2015 Teens Wanna Know (TV Series) Himself 2014-2015 Entertainment Tonight (TV Series) Himself - Selma / Himself 2015 Songs of Praise (TV Series) Himself 2015 Film 2016 (TV Series) Himself - Interviewee 2015 Inside Edition (TV Series documentary) Himself 2014-2015 O

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Insider (TV Series) Himself - Selma 2015 Weekend Ticket (TV Series short) Himself 2014 Live! with Kelly (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2014 45th NAACP Image Awards (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2013 Good Day L.A. (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2013 Oprah's Next Chapter (TV Series) Himself 2013 44th NAACP Image Awards (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2013 Vivir de cine (TV Series) Himself 2012 The Big Picture (TV Series) Himself 2011 HBO First Look (TV Series documentary) Himself 2010 Andrew Young Presents (TV Series documentary) Benjamin E.

Mays 2007 Five Days: Making Five Days (Video documentary short) Himself / Matt Wellings 2007 British Film Forever (TV Mini-Series documentary) Himself 2006 The World's Greatest Actor (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2003 Richard & Judy (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2014-2015 Entertainment Tonight (TV Series) Himself / Himself - Selma 2013 The Frame (TV Series) Steven Jacobs Directed Webster's "The White Devil" - Pavillion Theatre, Brighton (2006). See more » Publicity Listings: 1 Interview | 5 Articles | 1 Magazine Cover Photo | See more » Height: Did You Know? Personal Quote: [defending Benedict Cumberbatch after he caused outrage for using the term "colored actors" instead of "actors of color"] When you look at what he was actually saying, it's clear that he's a huge supporter of black performers. To attack him for a term, as opposed to what he was actually saying, I think is very disingenuous and is indicative of the age we live in where people are looking for ...

See more » Trivia: His surname is pronounced phonetically ''oh-yell-oh-oh''. See more » Star Sign: Selma (2014) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Watch Now With Prime Video A chronicle of Martin Luther King 's campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. Director: 2017 Golden Globe Nominees: In & Out of Character Get a closer look at this year's Golden Globe Award nominees in real life and in the roles that earned them fame. Don't miss our live coverage of the Golden Globes beginning at 5 p.m. PST on Jan. 8 in our Golden Globes section.

a list of 26 titles created 05 Jan 2013 a list of 22 titles created 04 Jul 2014 a list of 32 titles created 22 May 2015 a list of 40 titles created 11 months ago a list of 27 titles created 9 months ago Search for " Selma " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 1 Oscar. Another 57 wins & 87 nominations. See more awards » Videos Edit Storyline The unforgettable true story chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay's "Selma" tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. Written by Miss W J Mcdermott One dream can change the world. Genres: Biography | Drama | History Motion Picture Rating ( MPAA ) Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including violence, a suggestive moment, and brief strong language | See all certifications » Parents Guide: 9 January 2015 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Selma - La strada per la libertà See more » Filming Locations: $633,173 (USA) (2 January 2015) Gross: Did You Know? Trivia Some critics have disputed the film's depiction of Lyndon Johnson as a reluctant supporter of Voting Rights and an opponent of the Selma March. However, while it's accepted that Johnson was a strong ally of the Civil Rights movement, by some accounts (including those of Civil Rights leader, John Lewis), even with the pressure from Martin Luther King and other activists, his support of the march was with reservation. See more » Goofs When the police begin attacking the marchers at the bridge, the film depicts the event being broadcast live around the country.

At the time, the event would've been filmed and shown later, after processing. Live news started many years later. See more » Quotes Rev. Hosea Williams : [while making their first attempt at crossing the bridge, Reverend Williams looks towards the water and then at John Lewis] Can you swim? The initial credits are shown over stills from the film and from promotional materials. See more » Connections (United States) – See all my reviews Selma is a movie-of-the-week that didn't have to be. That an African-American woman, Ava DuVernay, directed this story is surely praiseworthy and a long time coming, but one wishes she'd realized the picture with more subtle strokes. Yes, there are a handful of beautifully poignant moments, some unspoken, but those are nearly neutralized by scenes where the dialog is so stilted with the weight of self-importance that ordinary folks sound like they're making speeches during private conversations. Visually, the desaturated sepia look of the picture confuses. Are we watching a historical document, or are we present in the moment of 1965 with its arguably more vibrant palette?

Superimposed FBI logbook entries (as scene headers) cheapen the movie and bring to mind 1970s televised crime drama. In these and other production decisions, DuVernay undermines her own noble effort. Nevertheless, the story does move, and the inevitable violence that pushes forward the Voting Rights Act is brutal and affecting. The film's best moments come from Henry G. Sanders as Cager Lee, and between David Oyelowo and Tom Wilkinson as MLK and LBJ. 12 of 15 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Video: Selma trailer: the story of Martin Luther King Jr - Telegraph Cinema Trailers Selma trailer: the story of Martin Luther King Jr Watch British actor David Oyelowo's portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr in the Oscar-tipped Civil Rights drama, co-starring Oprah Winfrey and Tom Wilkinson By Charlotte Runcie 12:00PM GMT 04 Dec 2014 Selma is the story of Americans' journey towards civil rights, led by Martin Luther King Jr.

The film has a cast of largely British stars, including David Oyelowo as Luther King Jr and Tom Wilkinson as Lyndon B Johnson, as well as Tim Roth, Martin Sheen and Carmen Ejogo. Oprah Winfrey plays civil rights activist Annie Lee Cooper, and is also credited as producer. The film focuses on the epic 54-mile civil rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965, which played a significant role in persuading President Johnson to introduce the Voting Rights Act. The pivotal marches were marked by brutal police violence against the peaceful protesters. It's a particularly topical story in the wake of recent police violence against black citizens in Ferguson, Missouri, and the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, showing that race is still a critical political issue in America. The film is already considered a frontrunner in next year's Oscars . Selma is released on February 6, 2015. Related Content

Question: Which British actor plays the part of Martin Luther King in the 2014 film 'Selma'?
Answer: David Oyelowo