Black women are central to Danielle Deadwyler’s artistry. Just days before the debut of the highly-anticipated historical drama Till, the actress is enjoying a moment of calm. In the movie, Deadwyler stars as activist Mamie Till-Mobley, whose 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, was kidnapped and lynched in Money, Mississippi, in 1955. The film, helmed by Clemency director Chinonye Chukwu, is already getting awards buzz, which means a whirlwind is certainly on the horizon for Deadwyler.
For now, the Atlanta-born actress is reflecting on Maime’s story and the stories of every woman she’s embodied throughout her career. From Cuffee in The Harder They Fall to Yoli in P-Valley, these Black women and their stories have all been puzzle pieces in the foundation of Deadwyler’s life’s work.
“Those are the women I grew up watching walk down the street,” Deadwyler tells ESSENCE. “Those women are integral to my understanding of the world. Those are the people I found strength in — the folks the world says aren’t valuable. I look them dead in the eyes like, ‘What other people say is not what you are.’ You want to tell stories about people that you know that get to the visceral quality of who you are while understanding how people grow and change. You want to see someone shift; you want to see the story take you from point A to point B. That’s all I’ve seen all my life. I know Black women. Women who have been marginalized by the greater world but say, ‘F-ck your marginality; I am the center.’ Toni Morrison has always told us we are the center. All this other stuff is nothing but a mere distraction. I want to show that in any form or medium of work I do.”
While Deadwyler has certainly garnered significant recognition for her work on the big and small screens, acting is only…
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