46°
"A great man died today," she recalled her mother telling her.
And now, in an example of how life often comes full circle, she is playing homage to the famous civil rights leader with her part in the new film, "Selma," due out Christmas day.
The movie focuses on the three 1965 54-mile Selma to Montgomery, Alabama protest marches led by Dr. King to draw attention to the Black Vote. Toussaint plays Amelia Boynton Robinson, a member of the National Civil Rights Movement.
She spoke about her role -- and the raw emotions of filming -- at The Pelham Picture House Dec. 15 where a screening and post-film discussion were held. New Rochelle's Alvin & Friends Restaurant was the co-sponsor. Owner Alvin Clayton, also from Trinidad, knows the actress from way back when and proposed the idea of bringing her to the Pelham Picture House.
Toussaint, who is known for her powerful roles, most recently as Yvonne "Vee" Parker in the Netflix drama, "Orange Is the New Black," said filming on the Edmund Pettus Bridge where some of bloodiest attacks took place, was "very intense," more so because some of the extras were survivors from that era and/or their descendants. Many brought photos to show the cast their aunt, uncle, mother, or father that were part of the original march.
"We gathered on that bridge before filming and said a prayer in honor of the lives lost there," she said.
The film has come out a raw time since the Eric Garner and Ferguson verdicts and much of the discussion in the theater centered on our country's racial divide. "We are watching a repeat of history right now," said Toussaint.
"We could not have planned this," she said of the film's release date in the midst of heightened tensions.
When asked what she learned in the process of delving into her character and the other characters in the film, she replied: "How young they all were and how fearless." She also pointed out the role of women in the movement -- the "unsung heroes" -- that Director Ava DuVernay was determined to bring to the forefront.
As for what's going on in the world now? She said there still is a lot of healing that has to be done but with courage, strength, unity, bravery, and peacefulness, there is always hope.
Click here to follow Daily Voice New Rochelle and receive free news updates.
