Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor believes you can handle the tough ‘Nickel Boys’

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is enjoying Louis Armstrong’s rendition of “Makin’ Whoopee” on her phone as I join her at a Telluride hotel restaurant booth. Starting a Sunday with some jazz isn’t a bad idea. She switches to a Spotify playlist, playing Ella Fitzgerald and Armstrong’s version of “Autumn in New York.” She and a friend are planning a fall trip to upstate New York, and her friend sent some music to set the mood.

We’ve crossed paths a few times over the past couple of days at this small festival. Each time, Ellis-Taylor is immaculately dressed, sporting bold, brightly colored glasses. Despite people mentioning Telluride’s casual vibe as “all sweatpants,” she refuses to represent her new film, “Nickel Boys,” in lounge wear. She shows off a gold ring with a serpent design, reflecting her Mississippi roots.

Growing up on her grandmother’s farm in Magnolia, Mississippi, played a role in leading her to “Nickel Boys,” directed by RaMell Ross. Ellis-Taylor was moved by Ross’ 2018 documentary, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” which is about the lives of Black people in a rural Alabama community. She was so impressed that she tracked him down at Brown University, where he teaches, to leave an admiring message.

This admiration for Ross’ work ultimately led to her accepting the role of a loving grandmother in “Nickel Boys,” and to this conversation at the Telluride restaurant where we spoke for an hour.

Ellis-Taylor is fascinated by representations of the South and often feels misrepresented by them. She doesn’t identify with caricatures but saw something real in Ross’ portrayal.

When offered the part in “Nickel Boys,” she hadn’t read the book but didn’t care about the specifics of the role. Her faith in Ross and certain other storytellers, like Ava DuVernay and Lee Daniels, drove her decision. While she started reading the book, she chose not to finish it. She didn’t want to feel bound to the original text, preferring to embrace the story Ross was building with fresh eyes.

Ross’ approach to adapting “Nickel Boys” expands the narrative beyond the specific tragedy of the boys in Florida, tapping into a broader, ignored history of brutal reform schools across the country. By integrating archival footage, Ross places the boys’ experiences within a larger American context, making the audience feel complicit in these historical injustices.

Ellis-Taylor hasn’t seen the movie herself, finding it difficult to bring her own judgment to her work. As an actor, she aims to be an agent of the film, not a consumer.

Discussing the reactions from the premiere, she notes that some viewers found it hard to watch due to its shifting perspectives and subjective storytelling. She acknowledges that audiences often expect films to be uplifting even when portraying tragedies. “Nickel Boys” challenges this expectation by not offering a palliative experience, instead aiming to evoke empathy for enduring injustices.

When portraying her character in “Nickel Boys,” Ellis-Taylor wanted to convey Hattie’s deep love for her grandson, Elwood. Her scenes are filled with a sense of joy and delight, a rarity for Black women at the time, given their harsh realities.

Reflecting on her own upbringing, she notes the differences between Hattie and her own grandmother, who provided for her but didn’t express warmth in the same way.

Despite moving around frequently, Ellis-Taylor remains connected to Mississippi, where her sister and other family members reside. She feels the need to maintain a presence in the South, recognizing its importance in the broader struggle against persisting Confederate ideologies.

As Beyoncé aptly puts it, “America has a problem,” and Ellis-Taylor isn’t ready to give up without a fight.

Source: Los Angeles Times