TV & Movies
TheOriginstar pays homage to the people who led her to Ava DuVernays film.
Bustles Without This Woman is a series of essays honoring the women who challenge and change us every day.
This month, Oscar-nominated actorAunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who stars in director Ava DuVernaysOrigin,reflects on her activist lineage.
Its my mother, my sister, and my grandmother.
Without those women, I would not have my sense of purpose for building and sustaining community around me.
My grandmother, Myrtis Taylor, took me in when I was 3 years old.
She and those women were also the foundation of the church that I went to, New Home MBC.
That was what my grandmother did.
She fed people; she took care of people.
I learned from her example.
My mother, Jacqueline Taylor, raised me with magic.
She was a contemporary ofAngela DavisandAssata Shakur.
She wanted to travel the world.
The seeds of creativity and imagination in my life came from my mother.
When I lost her, I lost my home.
But my mother passed the reins on to my sister, who has become my resting place.
Even though shes actually 12 years younger than I am, shes oftentimes my mama sister.
She takes care of me.
Without her, I would feel alone.
She was the one who read with me when I auditioned for the filmKing Richard.
She was there, reading and taping with me over and over and over.
And when I heardAva DuVernaywas in the midst of castingOrigin, I wanted to insert myself into that conversation.
I said, OK, how do I do that?
Ms. Wilkerson likes to wear pearls.
She often wears this burgundy sheath dress and a burgundy lipstick.
She wears her hair a certain way.
So we started shopping.
My sister got the pearls from Amazon.
Aisha Coley sent it to Ava DuVernay, and Ava wanted to talk to me about playing Ms. Wilkerson.
So I think its a trinity.
As told to Leila Barghouty.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
This article was originally published onJan.
