David Oyelowo Triumphs into Becoming King for SELMA

Every actor has a unique journey and process coming to a role and creating a character.  In the case of David Oyelowo, not only was he inhabiting a character, but taking on the legendary civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in SELMA.

In her directorial debut, Jessica Oyelowo features behind-the-scenes footage, intimate home videos, interviews with friends and mentors like Ava DuVernay, Lee Daniels, George Lucas and Oprah Winfrey in a unique documentary following David from his humble beginnings in Nigeria to the long, grueling road that led to the role of a lifetime and a destiny fulfilled.

With a name that literally means “a king who deserves respect,” it should come as no surprise Oyelowo would take on the process of getting inside one of our most beloved figures in Black history.  It should also come as no surprise that Oyelowo, DuVernay and literally every aspect of the film was ignored during the 2015 Oscar season, except for Best Picture and Best Original Song (which earned Oscars for John Legend and Common).  Not to mention that #OscarsSoWhite was born out of frustration of the film’s lack of acknowledgement and Black creatives as a whole when it came to Academy Awards nominations and wins throughout history.

Let it be known this doc is in no way a cinematic answer to the aforementioned, as much as it is about how one man’s destiny, laden with obstacles, loss and disappointment along the way leading him to the role of a lifetime ultimately changing the trajectory of his career in Hollywood.  In a digital age, where actors focus more on branding and  Tik Tok than actually honing their craft, Oyelowo provides an unintentional master class in preparation and focus.  Going back to the Lagos village in Nigeria and watching the pain of revisiting the past, learning about his parents and witnessing the loss of their beloved matriarch, having the projects slide from hand to hand until it finally found a home is fascinating to watch and unfold. It’s a process not often revealed about how projects go from greenlit to completed.

Yet, at the heart of the film, is familial love and a strong sense of faith allowing the dream to never fall too far off course. With each role leading up to SELMA in “Lincoln,” “Red Tails,” “The Help” and “The Butler,” David took a little piece of each role to  ultimately inform crafting attack a legend.  One of my favorite moments is when Oyelowo finally gets the news that SELMA will go into production.  There is a wave of relief, stress and sentimentality that washes across his face int he form of tears.  In that same moment, one of his toddlers is at his feet totally unaware when another child comes in to offer Dad some support up until he is called away for dinner.  It’s these reality snapshots that reminds the audience this man is a Dad, son, husband and so many things to so many people.

Becoming King is an intimate look into the most complicated journey an actor can face.  More importantly, it literally is a lesson of how we shall overcome by any means necessary when given the chance.