Ahead of the wide theatrical release of Untilspoke to one of the stars of the film TMZ about what it was like to be part of the movie. Based on the tragic true story of Emmett Till, in the film Danielle Deadwyler plays Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, with Jalyn Hill co-starring as Emmett. After her son was brutally murdered in 1955 when he was only 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 talked about playing Emmett Till while on the red carpet outside of the film’s premiere at the New York Film Festival. The 14-year-old actor, who is the same age as Till when he was murdered, wasn’t too intimidated by the pressure most actors would feel playing such an important role. Hill says it was the sense of honor he felt most when he came into the role.
“Of course there will be expectations, but there was no pressure. It was just an honor to be able to do this.”
However, in playing Till, Hill walked away with some lessons learned. While what happened to Till is heartbreaking, he can also be seen as someone to be admired for how he always chose to be himself. At the same time, there is always “evil out there” that we have to watch out for, but the best way to “shine” is to stay away from people who want to interfere with your light.
“Being yourself is never a bad thing. Never a crime. Be aware that evil exists. And only to shine, but not around people who want to dim your light.”
Until a tragic true story is told
Chinonye Chukwu directed Until 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 charged with inappropriate association with a white woman. Two white men later kidnapped and brutally murdered Till before leaving his body in a local river. Till’s mother pushed for a public funeral with an open casket to show the barbarity of her son’s murder, draw tens of thousands of mourners and give support to the Civil Rights Movement. Till’s murderers Roy Bryant and JW Milam were found not guilty of the crime and later admitted that they were, in fact, responsible, avoiding further prosecution due to double danger laws.
Until will premiere in theaters on October 18, 2022. You can watch the official trailer for the film below.