British Nigerian actor David Oyelowo (The Butler) is set for award success following his portrayal of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr, in the soon to be released movie Selma.
The film, produced by Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey and directed by Eva DuVernay, is based on the civil rights activism that took place in the USA during the 1960s specifically the marches between Selma and Montgomery, as led by Martin Luther King Jr.
The film has particular significance today as what is being called a second civil rights movement is taking place in America, as African-Americans fight against racial profiling and police brutally. The movement was triggered by the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, who were killed at the hands of police officers, who later got off scot-free.
On getting the role, Oyelowo recently stated that it was God who told him to go for it, and despite many tribulations, with several people saying he wasn’t suited for the part, he continued to persevere.
The film has garnered much interest, and Oyelowo has already being nominated for a Golden Globe award for his portrayal of King, the first of its kind in recent times.
“I know I gave it everything I possibly could,” he told CNN. “I am my own worst critic and the point beyond which I am happy to leave it alone is knowing there wasn’t one single thing I could do differently.”
Critics have also praised the film and Oyelowo’s performance.
“Oyelowo is superb in the central role of King, capturing his famous cadences without ever descending into mimicry,” a review in The Atlantic said. “This is a life-sized portrait of a larger-than-life figure, and never more so than in the scenes between King and his wife Coretta (Carmen Ejogo), their marriage strained not only by the ever-present threat of violence but also by his own serial infidelities, which the movie handles with tact but does not shy away from.”
Selma will be released in the UK on February 6th.
