LOS ANGELES — Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is arriving fresh off an amazing that includes her recent win for the Social Impact Award at the 2024 Critics Choice Celebration of Black Cinema and Television.
Ellis-Taylor’s performance in The Nickel Boys is poignant. She plays Elwood’s Nana named Hattie in the Jim Crow South of the early 1960s. She talks about her preparation, the emotional depth of her role, and the echoes of history that she found only after the shooting.
“I’m feeling that resonance now. I certainly did not have it when I played it. It’s backward, right? Too late. [I mean] is it too late?“
The recognition shows how the impact of history is that of weight — one that people carry and may take several generations to realize. In what she revealed played out as her character Hattie, she didn’t have the time to consider the social ramifications of her character’s action; she thought more of the moment loyal to it: “When you’re doing something, you don’t have a lot of time to think about it. You just got to show up and do it, do it, right?”
“It’s fantastic, as is the visual side of filmmaking and period dressing. You have the wig. That just kind of does that work for you.” With access to so many pieces, she could go deep into the character and the time, and her performance is rich and authentic.
This film really explores family ties, specifically the relationship between Elle Woods and her Nana. Referring to the unusual angles and documentary-style storytelling choices of director Ramel Ross, Ellis-Taylor added, “That was all Ramel’s genius.”
“My challenge was to try to be as honest as I could be on camera, even though my scene partner was a camera, you know? And I just felt by myself. I felt alone. I felt helpless,” Ellis-Taylor described her own challenges with the role. “In doing so, she brings so much emotional honesty to her performance.”
As we explore how Hattie would view the climate of today, Ellis-Taylor surmises, “I think she would be a little… very disappointed that all of the work that she did, all the work that Elle Woods was destined to do, that work appears to be left unfinished.” The heaviness of this sentiment — “
“I’m tired, you know?” —underscores the problematic road toward progress and the long reach of history into the present.
In terms of what she aimed for in playing Nana, Ellis-Taylor said getting the script was key to her performance. She needed to feel like the script was “in my skin as much as I can,” she said, acknowledging the special nature of this form of storytelling. With the idea that viewers would remember her performance in years to come, she devoted herself to her character, losing herself in its emotion.
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor has created a character in The Nickel Boys that is zeitgeist and ageless in her battles and successes. Her commitment to realness and emotional nuance both pays homage to the past and urges consideration of the lingering problems of now.
She also understands that pure magic was created on screen, which perfectly sums up what this remarkable film seeks to convey.
The Nickel Boys arrived in select theaters in New York and Los Angeles December 13 and will open nationwide in January 2025.
