Selma star David Oyelowo says God told him to play Martin Luther King Jr.
VIDEO - David Oyelowo who received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as MLK tells theGrio, that he didn't hesitate portraying the iconic figure, because God told him to play the part...
After months of anticipation, the epic civil rights drama Selma opens in theaters nationwide tomorrow.
Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay, stars David Oyelowo, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Lorraine Toussaint.
The film 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.
Oyelowo, who received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as MLK, tells theGrio that he didn’t hesitate portraying the iconic figure, because God told him to play the part.
“No hesitation for me because my entry point into all of this was recieving the script and feeling God tell me that I was going to play this role. If that’s how it happens, then you’ve gotta accept the call. Any trepidation that I had was more to do with the fact that he’s such a well known figure,” he said.
Oyelowo also said he’s not concerned about any criticism he might receive that goes along with playing such a well-known complex history figure.
“I am my own worst critic. If I walked away from this saying, ‘I gave that only 95%… I didn’t give it the full 100,’ then I would not be happy. I know that I gave it beyond 100 percent. I know that I poured everything that I could into this role. I live and die by that. If people don’t like it, sorry… if they do, well thank you.”
Follow theGrio.com’s Entertainment Editor Chris Witherspoon on Twitter @WitherspoonC.
