Cicely Tyson moved to tears discussing 'Roots' and '12 Years a Slave'

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Last year legendary TV and film star Cicely Tyson received her first Tony Award ever for her role in the critically acclaimed Broadway production of Trip to Bountiful.

The 80-year-old actress better make room in her trophy case, because based on early reviews of Lifetime’s TV adaptation of Trip to Bountiful, Tyson might soon take home an Emmy.

Tyson appears alongside Vanessa Williams, Blair Underwood, and Keke Palmer in a film about an elderly woman, whose fondest wish is to revisit the small Texas town of Bountiful, where she spent her childhood and still refers to as “home.”

During an interview with theGrio’s Chris Witherspoon, the cast opened up about the importance of young people seeing Trip to Bountiful.

“I think it’s extremely important for young people. That’s who I hope get a chance to see it most,” Tyson said. “I think it gives them a greater understanding and respect for elders, which I think is missing in youth today. They don’t want to hear what you have to say, and they certainly don’t do what you direct them to do.”

Throughout her illustrious career, spanning several decades, Tyson has played a slave numerous times. One of her most famous roles was Binta, the mother of Kunta Kinte, in the groundbreaking 1977 slave epic Roots.

Now more than 35 years later, Tyson opened up about her role in Roots and discussed how the miniseries paved a way for the Oscar-winning film 12 Years a Slave.

“There’s no question that Roots sort of put a needle in everybody,” Tyson said. “Anywhere I go in the world people will look at me and say ‘Roots.’ It stimulated an interest in their history. Secondly I think… I’m sorry…I can’t [talk about it] because I get choked up.”

“[Cicely Tyson] paved the way,” Williams added. “We’re talking about Roots, We’re talking about Miss Jane Pittman. She was the person that I looked up to as an actor sitting on my parents’ bed watching event TV, back in the day and saying, ‘one day I can do that.’”

“The one thing that I appreciate about what has happened in the past few years is the fact that each one of those major films, The Butler, 12 Years a Slave and Mandela, suddenly to me became history lessons for our youth,” said Tyson.

“They are not taught our history in school and if we don’t teach them they won’t know who they are, or what they are, or why they are even here,” she added. “I could not be more grateful for those three major works.”

The cast also opened up about the honor of having first lady Michelle Obama screen Trip to Bountiful at the White House last month.

Tune into Trip to Bountiful Saturday on Lifetime at 8/7c.

Click below to watch Vanessa Williams discuss colorism in Hollywood

Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter for more Entertainment news at @WitherspoonC