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TheNickel Boysstar knows everyone isnt reachable.
Shes making art for those who are.
Aunjanue Ellis-Tayloris done trying to get people to care.
But in tackling these heavy topics, Ellis-Taylor knows she cant satisfy every viewer.
That is an exercise in empathy that most people are not interested in engaging in.
I want people to feel like they are the hope for these boys, Ellis-Taylor says.
That the hope is not in the film.
Why were you drawn to theNickel Boysadaptation?
I wanted to be a part of it because it was RaMell Ross.
The Dozier School was a reformatory school in a town called Marianna, Florida.
And these reformatory pop in schools are all over the country sometimes theyre called military schools.
What drew you to Hatties story?
When something like Hattie comes around, Im so thankful.
The Hatties of my life mean so much to me.
When I get to play a character like this, Im exhilarated by it.
I feel like Im doing what Im supposed to do what I have been blessed to do.
How has your approach to choosing roles changed over the years?
I was an *sshole, you know?
I was a kid and I took a lot for granted, alot.
Now, I know that the career I have is a lottery win.
I didnt see that when I was younger, but things switched probably 11 or 12 years ago.
[At the time,] I went from job to job.
But then things changed.
What is your usual approach to a new role?
Was bringing Hattie to life different?
[Then] I was like, I wanna play Denzel Washingtons roles.
Im still trying to do that.
So, I would get my lines for the next day and go, How would Denzel do this?
There are other actors likeRuby DeeandMary Alicewho were also inspirations.
But for something like Hattie, it was very contained.
So I pulled my clothes, I did my hair a little crazy.
Hattie has to be Elwoods hope for a possibility of a life outside of this place.
She cant render self-destruction.
She cant render anything other than that there will be a tomorrow.
Then, probably because she lives inside me, my grandmother started circulating through my veins.
She had to hold a whole family and community in her hands.
What was going through your mind as you performed that?
Does your family have a dish you make during times of crisis?
Everythingmy grandmothermade made me feel better.
That was just a function of her existence cooking food that we ate.
My grandmother wasnt a sentimental woman; she was not an affectionate woman.
So, I would say that that cake scene was a standout for me too.
As shes cutting this cake, I felt anger, I felt rage, you know?
The knife was doing a lot of work.
Can you talk about what possibilities open up for art when we make space for stories without happy endings?
How do you want viewers to feel as they walk away?
In this case, when its about the brutality against American children, we want to feel hope.
[But] we should feel anger.
We should feel fury.
We should feel challenged at least.
How did this happen?
How does this continue to happen?
You know, that is how we should feel.
We should feel challenged.
We feel we should feel a little ashamed.
We should feel a little bit of what those children felt.
That is what we owe them.
We owe them that.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
