Taraji P. Henson is set to revisit a gruesome chapter in U.S. history. She’s signed on to star in and produce a drama about Emmett Till, a black 14-year-old who was tortured and lynched in Mississippi in 1955. The two white men who killed him were acquitted by an all-white jury.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Henson will play Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Modbley. She insisted that her son’s public funeral include an open casket to show how his body had been mutilated.
Henson is developing the film via her production company, TBH Productions. When she announced the drama, the “Hidden Figures” actress said she’s been “passionate about the project since Trayvon Martin was murdered.” John Singleton (“Boyz n the Hood,” “2 Fast 2 Furious”) is directing.
While Henson received an Oscar nod in 2009 for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” she revealed that she earned “the equivalent of sofa change” for the role in her memoir, “Around the Way.” She also shared that was passed over for Naomi Watts’ role in “St. Vincent,” despite the fact that the character was written specifically for her. Someone with greenlight power “couldn’t see black women beyond a very limited purview he or she thought ‘fit’ audience expectations,” she explained.
Henson’s latest film, “Proud Mary,” hits theaters today. She plays an assassin in the action pic.
For more information about Till’s murder and his legacy, check out this piece in The New York Times.
