By now, Tyler Perry fans have already watched his latest movie, “The Six Triple Eight”. If you did, you were probably blown away by the story of the 6888th all-black and all-female Central Postal Directory Battalion, in World War II.
Don’t even get me started on the brilliant casting with Kerry Washington, who was recently honoured with a coveted Hollywood Walk of Fame star, at the helm as Major Charity Adams alongside some of the finest young actresses à la Ebony Obsidian, King Kylie Jefferson, Shanice Shantay, Sarah Jeffrey and Pepi Sonuga.
That’s not forgetting the star clout of Oprah Winfrey, Sam Waterston and Susan Sarandon in guest roles.
Perry's newest war drama has broken records on Netflix, becoming his most-watched movie within a month of release, according to the streaming service.
Celebrated for his "Madea" movies, this is a proud milestone for the writer and director.
I was fortunate enough to bag a 10-minute one-on-one with Washington, who also shares the executive producer credits on the project.
Exuding a youthful radiance that belies her 47 years, Washington was the epitome of grace when I congratulated her on the movie and raved about her poignant performance, which is unlike anything we’ve seen of her to date.
I also shared a takeaway from my interview with Perry, which was just before hers, where he mentioned that he always had her in mind for the role of Charity.
She responded: “When I hear you say that he always had me in mind for this role, I just think, ‘How lucky am I?’
“How blessed am I that Tyler Perry had this extraordinary once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something so meaningful, so historic, so beautiful and important and that he thought of me to be in it.
“It feels like such a blessing and a gift. I will spend my whole life, trying to thank him. And it will never be enough.”
She noted that while her actor and producer husband, Nnamdi Asomugha, loves watching everything from films to series and documentaries about World War II, she’s never seen herself in any of those narratives - and for good reason.
“The Fixer” actress explained: “I enjoy watching them, I think it’s really important history, obviously, but I never saw myself as a woman of colour playing a role in this very pivotal time in our globe.
“So when I read about these women, I was blown away not only by what they did but by the fact that their history was almost invisible to so many of us.
“So many of us didn’t know that they existed and that they had accomplished what they accomplished.”
The war drama shed light on how the segregated black Women’s Army Corps, helmed by Major Charity and her second-in-command Captain Noel Campbell (Milauna Jackson), were reassigned to Glasgow where they were given a seemingly impossible task of clearing a two-year backlog of undelivered mail within a six-month deadline.
Washington added: “To have the opportunity to bring their story to so many more people, it feels like the honour of a lifetime, quite frankly, because what they did impacted the globe.
“They were defenders of democracy at a time when the whole planet needed them to do what they were doing so that we could win the war and protect freedoms.”
To get into the skin of the character, she did her homework by reading the real-life hero’s memoir, listening to her interviews and studying her as much as she could.
She also praised Perry for his direction.
“I’ve never played anybody like Charity Adams and he really helped me - whether it was from the accent - he just trusted me to go to places and to find different kinds of strengths that I’ve not had to lean into before this moment.”
Every character in the film stands out in the same way that Washington does in her role. Her captivating performance and impactful monologues make her a formidable presence in the movie.
She added: “Both Tyler and I knew that I had the blessing of playing some iconic, unforgettable characters but we wanted to make sure that to honour these women and 6888, you are not thinking about any other character that I’ve played before.
“We wanted to make sure that I could be as invisible as possible so that you could honour, love and be in awe of who Charity Adams was and the entire 6888 were.”
One scene that stood out for me was when the 6888 battalion downed tools to applaud Charity for standing up to her superior, despite the risk of being court-martialled.
Washington smiled in acknowledgement of the mention.
She added: “Our gratitude that we were expressing that afternoon was really about the tremendous courage, tenacity and resilience of these real women and what they had been through. And I think, for me, that is where my tears came from. That feeling of knowing that we are a part of something bigger than us.”
To get a more well-rounded perspective of Washington’s acting prowess, check out these offerings:
“Little Fires Everywhere”: Cast as Mia Warren, a struggling artist and a single mother, in the eight-part psychological drama, the premise draws parallels between Mia’s life with that of the picture-perfect Richardson family. Ruled by matriarch Elena Richardson, (Reese Witherspoon), a former journalist and mother of four, she is also Mia’s new landlord. Through the course of the series, long-buried secrets are exposed as home truths come to light. The polarity between the haves and the have-nots is a talking point in the Showmax series, too.
Unprisoned: In this Disney+ comedy-drama, Washington slips into a different role. She seems very calculated with her project choices to avoid any sort of pigeon-holing in the industry. Sharing the spotlight with Delroy Lindo, she plays Paige Alexander, a marriage and family therapist with a massive Instagram following. The series, which ran for two seasons, centred on her dealing with her childhood issues after her father Edwin, who has been in prison, re-enters her life. His attempt to make up for his past mistakes by also being there for his teenage grandson Finn (Faly Rakotohavana), who doesn’t have a father figure in his life, rubs Paige up the wrong way and forces her to address her past pain.
“The School of Good and Evil”: This Netflix fantasy film centres on two best friends who are sent to different schools after their fortunes are seemingly reversed, putting their friendship to the ultimate test. Washington plays Professor Clarissa Dovey, the Dean of the School for Good.