Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is not one to sit back and wait for roles to find her. The moment she saw Hale County This Morning, This Evening, she knew she wanted to work with Ramell Ross.
“I stalked him—let’s just call it what it is,” she joked. “I saw Hale County and felt seen in a way I never had before.”
For Ellis-Taylor, Nickel Boys was more than just a film—it was an opportunity to tell a story that hit close to home.
Bringing Hattie to Life
Playing Hattie, a woman navigating the oppressive structures of the Jim Crow South, required Ellis-Taylor to tap into her own Southern roots.
“I don’t overthink it,” she admitted. “I let the environment shape me. The heat, the air, the way the South moves—it all seeps into the performance.”
Filming in New Orleans added an extra layer of authenticity. “New Orleans is a character in itself,” she said. “It breathes into the film.”
Honoring Black Southern Narratives
Ellis-Taylor sees Nickel Boys as part of a broader effort to reclaim and amplify Black Southern stories. Too often, she notes, these narratives are either erased or reduced to caricatures.
“We are so much more than just trauma,” she emphasized. “We have joy, resilience, humor, and love in the face of it all.”
For her, Hattie represents the strength of Black women in the South—women who held communities together despite systemic oppression. “I wanted her to feel real, not just symbolic,” she said.
A Lasting Impact
As Nickel Boys prepares to hit audiences, and award stages, Ellis-Taylor hopes it will spark discussions not just about history, but about today.
“These institutions may not exist in the same way, but the systems that allowed them to thrive? They’re still here,” she said. “That’s why stories like this matter.”
