Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu on physically preparing for 'The Woman King' | Etalk Interview

I'm going to tell you one thing: I was 56 years old when I started well and that says it all. I don't have time to get into that today, but I was very impressed that someone in the audience asked you yesterday, uh, the research that you did and you were good and I said and I watched this documentary, you know, and I thought that's the basics. , although yeah, it's like it's the basics and if you didn't call this Davis, no, I was accurate. Sorry, I said no, no, no, no, I was jo

king

, she did it. I told her no, but it's like she even called him back.

It's like I want to call him back because what did you want to ask me? What if I don't have a answer no, she doesn't know I'm not like that, yes, I want her to help me. I think it's amazing the opportunity you have to work with a legend and then, but also after that performance, like this is also a legend in the ma

king

, so yeah, absolutely everything okay, okay, I'm rolling, so one right time, one hour, I'm just kidding, okay listen, the reason I say that is also because watching this movie is the first thing you do. what I want to do is talk you have to talk you have to decompress I had the opportunity to see it with my producer Sandra and it wasn't a full house the first time and we just sat there and talked and if we didn't sit there and talk we wouldn't have seen that last piece, oh yeah, oh right, which is super, super important, um, here's the question, people are having visceral reactions to this movie.

I've seen the movie twice in the last three days. What is it about? Naniska's rise to a female King that is sparking so much emotion and thought and conversation, people are getting into the story, so many women, that's what it is, we've been left out, we've been enlightened, you know, our women's health, our bodies, we have been. you know, in supporting positions, especially black women, and the fact that we're making a movie that is absolutely so empowering but so humanized that it makes people feel less alone and makes them tap into their warrior fuel and I might add that every time There's a new statistic about what happens if it affects black women, like most of us, we don't get married at 46, you know, that's out there, so people side with each other's people. side, yeah, there has to be a reason why I know no one wants to marry you, right?

It's like this movie is on our side, it's empowering us, that's what it's doing. I also believe it. I really appreciated the perspective, even you know, even seeing the slavers and what that port might have looked and felt like. Like I've never looked at it from that point of view before, but yeah, you bring up a good point about identity, you know how I see myself, but how do I know that people see myself and how that filters down after a while and that, oh. that excites me that excites me with this movie look so you are part of the rising star of this year uh for Tiff yes, your performance was exceptional thank you I love you I would love to ask you this question what gives me then this Edge or this One factor that we see shown in this movie for me is his own person.

I've never done it since I met two, so I felt like he was trying to be someone other than who he is and confidently speaks. The truth, even in private, fearless, translucent, you see it, you see that level of honesty and courage even in his performance and that is very, very rare in our profession and maybe because now I live in Los Angeles, where every time people set foot in Los Angeles, Okay, what's the new hairstyle? What is the new color? What card do you use or whatever? So it's absolutely her, yeah, listen. You can't help it, but you know you want to talk about the power of connection. in the movie, but even the moment you guys shared last night at the world premiere, um, talking about, you know, calling to say, hey, you saw this doctor, you did this, what was it like working with Viola Davis? when you hear her voice, her voice alone probably does the same for you, for me you hear a voice and you're like I'm listening, uh, what was it like to share this moment, this stage and this story that you told ? with Viola Davis I had a great experience with Viola and because and I don't know if she is yeah, I'm probably a side that people don't know about.

Viola is one of the greatest clowns I've ever met, he makes her so so accessible, you know, when you guys talk about, you know this voice, this, that's not it, that's very important, this is not my experience from the first time I met her during a virtual call discussing the script, you know she was in her trailer. shooting the first lady at that moment and she was just Viola, she was like, okay, we're talking about the story we're trying to tell, what are your thoughts on it from that moment? My voice already mattered, you know it didn't.

Okay, we're scrutinizing, prove yourself to us, it was that we had a conversation and that's the tone of the whole session, even going into the training, she was approachable, we were both learning something completely foreign to us and it's strange. It's hard for her to be comparing the fact that she's sweating and I'm not, and I keep telling her that she had a sweatband on. I said, well, get yourself a switch, it makes a big difference. Do you have a third band, Viola, for this one? day, do you have a straight band? I don't know exactly, you know it was a common experience and that's exactly what it was, you know what you mention, good point because we know that this movie after talking to uh, Gina, uh, you know.

This film is a labor of love, but also tell me

physically

about the investment, the demand, the physical challenge that each of you individually required to be able to get this film done right for me, started when I. They first cast me for the role. I knew that part of my audition was, you know, the physical test. Can you do your own stunts? Luckily, thank you Danny for watching something and I'll start coordinating them and then I was just. like I knew I had a lot to learn and then I got into Muay Thai and when you say you know, okay what did it cost you, my team doesn't know I used to take the bus from home to where.

I went to the dojo where I learned Muay Thai because this was, you know, a pandemic and they don't stay home, you know, do what you can, but stay safe. I'll be on the bus, luckily I was free. You know, I said, yeah. I'm going to go and I would go in the mornings and in the evenings, you know, just to get somewhere before we start, pre-production training went into pre-production and now I have Jerome Davis, I'm doing running. I don't run short distances, but now he required me to be fast, agile and flexible because unlike Viola's character they had to bulk up, yes they had to develop speed and agility for me because I have to do maximum damage. and with a minimum effort situation, so we had to build that we had strength training with Gabriella McLean, which was the hardest, the only time I cried during training was with Gabby, oh, Gabby is brutal, he is really, really, really, it worked well, it worked, it worked, you got it. the results I can't believe you were doing all that before that was before the previous four months before five hours a day I owed it to the project at five yes yes and then for you I want to tell you something that I was 56 years old when I was starting, That says it, okay, listen, it's you and menopause is basically, but um, yeah, strength training, martial arts, me saying you know, listen, Gina, listen, let's talk now, Gina, I'm coming a Be the OG Warrior I mean, you can't, my heart rate can't go that high.

I'm going to have a heart attack. I'm going to lose oxygen and I'm going to die during the making of the female King because I watch. well brother, when you started, when you ran outside the box, that's true, because there's nothing like looking at a 250 pound man coming at you with the machete that makes you take a step forward, you either do it or you know it well because it is a real body, yes. It's real, yeah, you said something yesterday, uh, that I've seen on my Instagram timeline all day and it was that you're doing this for the other chocolate for the chocolate babies and I told you that once you see this movie, you must have conversations.

I can't wait for everyone to see it. Yes Yes. As it turns out, there are some pretty prominent Canadian men who were in the audience last night and we all spoke on the phone last night around one. in the morning, when yes, we should probably rest a little, but we decided what they wanted to do. Cardinal official Cameron Bailey, who is the CEO of Tiff, put Cardinal in touch with Cineplex, we're taking all the chocolate babies, yeah, to the theater, yeah, and we mean you know, after watching That movie, everyone was moved. West Hall Cardinals himself um so I just wanted to share that with you and let you know that since you want it for the chocolate babies we're going to do our part to make sure yeah and you also said hey these movies just keep going yeah guess what are we going to do on our part to make sure there are some box office numbers anyway, that's my time, I know I'll see you again.

I hope to see you again God bless you both and thank you for this amazing, thank you very much, I did my Festival, thank you, thank you, thank you, all good, and before they steal me, you will get some pictures because I have to show them to my babies. I like your outfit. bro yeah I like your sneakers thank you thank you thank you I've been paying attention and you guys yeah everyone showing you did an outfit change yesterday it's like you know what I told my stylist Katie. I told her Katie, we have to do something. baby, she's like well, what did you say was weird?

I was like, well, let me use it. I like it, thank you. Today I will walk a little differently. Yeah, okay, um, yeah, sure, thank you very much, yeah, okay, thank you, thank you. Take care and enjoy, thank you, like the video, then hit the button or better yet, send us a comment, then check out our latest videos here and don't forget to subscribe by hitting the button here for more celebrity

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