Actress Aunjanue Ellis discusses her role in the upcoming film 'The Nickel Boys,' her admiration for director RaMell Ross, and the importance of telling Black stories.
has been gracing the big screen, small screen, and stage for nearly three decades with her enviable talent. It's rare to walk away from one of her performances without feeling a shift in your mind, body, or soul because she has the incredible ability to transform a character into her own, allowing the perception of old characters to feel new again and original characters to feel like an extension of her.
Raised in Mississippi and priding herself in shining a light on Black stories, Aunjanue is very particular about the projects she associates herself with. So, when the opportunity to star in came her way, it was a no-brainer. Directed by RaMell Ross, the 2024 film is an adaptation of Colson Whitehead's 2019 best-selling novel, which follows two Black boys, Elwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), who are sent to a reformatory school rooted in abuse and racism. It was inspired by the historic Dozier School for Boys in Florida, notoriously known for theI recently sat down with Aunjanue to discuss the making of the movie, explore Black trauma on-screen, her favorite moments, and more!BuzzFeed: I read that as soon as you heard director RaMell Ross was attached to a new project, you wanted to be a part of it…no matter what. So, once you found that he was adapting, and I just stalked him because I just wanted to tell him what it did to me and how it affected me. I had no designs on anything in the future or anything like that. I just wanted him to know how I felt. A couple of years later, I got wind that they were thinking about doing something and that there might be a role in it for me. I was just like,'I don't care, I want to be in it!' I heard about it in, like, late summer, and then I didn't hear anything about it. I kept asking, and then it came my way.Warner Bros. Tv / Getty ImagesI don't remember actually talking to RaMell until I after I was hire
Aunjanue Ellis The Nickel Boys Ramell Ross Black Stories Film Adaptation
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