I do not believe there are any spoilers I could give in this post for we already know what happens. History is essentially history. I am a fan of David Oyelowo and his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was outstanding. He gained weight and studied the man he played from Dr. King’s diction to his body language. I will be surprise if this movie does not win multiple Oscars awards, but then again…

I share the above video because this is the moment Oyelowo played the role of Louis Gaines in Lee Daniel’s The Butler. In this scene, he is sitting in a hotel room with Dr. King who is speaking on the importance of black butlers and servants in breaking stereotypes. For me the irony in this part of the film never ceases to amaze me, he is playing the role of someone who is in communication with Dr. King and then later plays Dr. King himself.

Oyelowo and Carmen Ejogo playing the role of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King

Oyelowo later admitted hearing God call him to this role several years before the production of “Selma” and that the film was actually in progress, yet did not take off, in 2007.

What was so strange about it was I wouldn’t pass myself as King in that stage. But I know that voice, it guided me through marriage, through my fatherhood, and through my career. So what God didn’t tell me was that it was going to take seven-and-a-half years, but like David in the Bible, like Moses, and like Jesus…they knew their calling early on, and then there was a preparation period.

Oyelowo’s interview with The Christian Post

Overall the film is a must see and the use of  the FBI’s surveillance documents to narrate much of the film was creative and shows the fear the government had in the power of Dr. King. Strong emotions are inevitable and the speeches of Dr. King ring many truths even today particularly the one on police brutality and the killing of black men and women without any justice. The cast was perfect and the stories gained were immeasurable. The presentation of the events is Selma through the story of Dr. King, Annie Lee Cooper, President LBJ, Andrew Young, Ralph Abernathy, Diane Nash, Jimmie Lee Jackson, and John Lewis was an incredible presentation of a historic movement that holds no end.

Until the next post,

Christina