Ahead of the wide theatrical release of Till, one of the film's stars spoke with TMZ about what it was like to be a part of the film. Based on the tragic true story of Emmett Till, the film stars Danielle Deadwyler as Till's mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, with Jalyn Hill co-starring as Emmett. After her son was brutally murdered in 1955 when he was just 14 years old, Till-Mobley devoted the rest of her life to activism for the Civil Rights Movement; the film is told from her perspective.
Hill addressed playing Emmett Till while on the red carpet outside of the New York Film Festival premiere of the movie. The 14-year-old actor, who's the same age as Till was when he was murdered, was not too intimidated by the pressure that most actors would feel with playing such an important role. Hill says that what he felt most about coming into the role was a sense of honor.
"Of course's going to be expectations set, but there was no pressure. It was only an honor to be able to do this."
Playing Till did have Hill walk away with some lessons learned, however. While what happened to Till is heartbreaking, he can also be seen as someone who should be admired for how he always chose to be himself. At the same time, there's always "evil out there" that we need to watch out for, but the best way to "shine" is to stick stay away from people looking to interfere with your light.
"Being yourself is never a bad thing. Never a crime. Just be aware that there is evil out there. And just to shine, but not around people who want to dim your light."
Till Tells a Tragic True Story
Chinonye Chukwu directed Till using a screenplay co-written with Michael Reilly and Keith Beauchamp. Reilly and Beauchamp also produced the film with Barbara Broccoli, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Levine, and Frederick Zollo. The film stars Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg, Jayme Lawson, Tosin Cole, Kevin Carroll, and Sean Patrick Thomas.
In August 1955, Till was in a Mississippi town when he was accused of inappropriately interacting with a white woman. Two white men later abducted and brutally murdered Till before abandoning his body in a local river. Till's mother insisted on a public funeral with an open casket to showcase how barbaric her son's murder was, drawing tens of thousands of mourners and bringing support to the Civil Rights Movement. Till's killers Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam were found not guilty of the crime and later confessed that they were in fact responsible, avoiding further prosecution due to double jeopardy laws.
Till will release in select theaters on October 14 and expand wide on October 28. You can check out the official trailer for the film below.