The filmmakers behind Harriet have been tasked with securing a Harriet forged proficient sufficient to convey the real-life figures behind Harriet Tubman’s story to life alongside some fictional and composite characters. The 2019 movie, directed by Kasi Lemmons, follows the occasions of Tubman’s life, specializing in her escape from slavery and subsequent rescue missions as a part of the Underground Railroad, which cemented her legacy as an American icon. Harriet takes some inventive liberties, together with inventing and amalgamating characters for the sake of narrative effectivity, however the broad strokes keep true to historical past.

Harriet noticed a protracted journey to the display, with co-writer Gregory Allen Howard first pitching the biopic beneath the title Freedom Fireplace in 1994. Howard remembers that one studio government needed Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman. Fortunately, the ultimate movie is extra respectful in relation to casting Harriet’s real-life figures. That paid off, because the movie’s proficient ensemble is a spotlight, and the actress within the titular function was even nominated for an Oscar for her lead efficiency.

Character	Actor
Harriet Tubman	Cynthia Erivo
William Nonetheless	Leslie Odom Jr.
Gideon Brodess	Joe Alwyn
Marle Buchanan	Janelle Monae
Ben Ross	Clarke Peters

Cynthia Erivo As Harriet Tubman

Date Of Beginning: January 8, 1987

Actor: Erivo is an English actress and singer. Her first display function got here in 2015 with the function of Magdalene within the widespread British comedy collection Chewing Gum. The identical 12 months, Erivo gained widespread recognition for her lead function within the Broadway revival of The Coloration Purple. Erivo additionally starred as Darlene Candy in Unhealthy Occasions on the El Royale, Belle in Widows, the Blue Fairy in Disney’s 2022 Pinocchio, and Odette Raine in Luther: The Fallen Solar. For her work on Harriet, Erivo was nominated for 2 Oscars, one for Greatest Actress and one for Greatest Unique Music.

Character: Cynthia Erivo performs the titular abolitionist, Harriet Tubman, within the film Harriet. The biopic is pretty correct to the true story of Harriet Tubman, who was born Araminta Ross. As depicted within the movie, Harriet Tubman actually did escape from slavery, making the 100-mile journey from Maryland to Pennsylvania. As soon as there, she took on a key function within the Underground Railroad, making quite a few journeys again to Maryland and rescuing dozens of enslaved individuals. As Harriet’s ending signifies, Tubman later went on to work as a spy and expedition chief for Union forces throughout the Civil Conflict.

Leslie Odom Jr. As William Nonetheless

Date Of Beginning: August 6, 1981

Actor: Leslie Odom Jr. is finest recognized for originating the function of Aaron Burr in Hamilton, an element which he immortalized within the 2020 Disney+ presentation of the present. Leslie Odom Jr.’s post-Hamilton profession has seen the actor star in quite a few main movies, together with One Night time in Miami because the singer Sam Cooke, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Thriller as Lionel Toussaint, and The Exorcist: Believer as Victor Fielding. In 2023, he joined the horror franchise The Exorcist in Believer.

Character: Leslie Odom Jr. portrays William Nonetheless in Harriet. As depicted within the movie, he was an American abolitionist and chairman of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society who labored with Harriet Tubman on the Underground Railroad. Throughout his time engaged on the Underground Railroad, he assisted in serving to free not less than 649 enslaved individuals. After the conflict, he turned a outstanding businessperson and philanthropist.

Joe Alwyn As Gideon Brodess

Date Of Beginning: February 21, 1991

Actor: Joe Alwyn is a British actor finest recognized for his roles as Masham in The Favorite, Robert Dudley in Mary Queen of Scots, and Nick within the Hulu streaming collection Conversations with Associates. In newer years, Alwyn starred within the thriller movie Stars at Midday and the anthology movie Sorts of Kindness by Yorogos Lanthimos. He has additionally drifted right into a music profession, which began when he was relationship Taylor Swift from 2020 to 2022.

Character: Joe Alwyn seems within the forged of Harriet as Gideon Brodess, the movie’s antagonist and ultimate “proprietor” of Harriet Tubman, who pursues her to Philadelphia following her escape from his Maryland plantation. In actual life, Tubman was certainly enslaved on the plantation of the Brodess household, however there was no such individual as Gideon Brodess. The character was created for the movie to unify the forces of antagonism confronted by the actual Tubman.

Janelle Monáe As Marie Buchanan

Date Of Beginning: December 1, 1985

Actor: Janelle Monáe is a 10-time Grammy-nominated recording artist and actress. She additionally leads the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Thriller forged and performs Teresa in Moonlight and real-life NASA engineer Mary Jackson in Hidden Figures. She additionally began to search out extra success later in each the horror film Antebellum, the place she took on the lead function, and within the drama espionage collection Homecoming, the place she appeared within the second season in 2020.

Character: In Harriet, Janelle Monáe performs Marie Buchanan, the freeborn proprietor of a Philadelphia boarding home who befriends the title character, instructing her costume and act like a free lady. Like Gideon Brodess, Marie Buchanan isn’t based mostly on an actual individual. Within the phrases of Monáe (through Refinery 29), the character is “an amalgamation of historic figures and the ladies who did assist ladies like Harriet [..] make a greater life for themselves.” ​​​​​​​

Clarke Peters As Ben Ross

Date Of Beginning: April 7, 1952

Actor: Clarke Peters has had an completed profession; the actor is finest recognized for his function as Detective Lester Freamon in The Wire, however he additionally performs Abercrombie in Three Billboards Exterior Ebbing, Missouri, Otis in Da 5 Bloods, and Harry in John Wick. He earned a BAFTA Award for his efficiency in Da 5 Bloods. In 2022, he took on the function of Whitney Houston’s father, John, in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Anyone, and had the primary function within the Showtime collection The Man Who Fell to Earth.

Character: Harriet Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, is performed by Clarke Peters within the movie Harriet. The true Ben Ross earned his freedom on the age of 55, occurring to change into a profitable timber estimator. Nonetheless, Ross’s function within the Underground Railroad precipitated him to change into a goal, so he and his spouse have been pressured to flee to the North. ​​​​​​​

Harriet Supporting Forged & Characters

Zackary Momoh as John Tubman – Harriet Tubman’s real-life first husband, who remarries after her escape. Momoh appeared within the movies Kill Workforce as Sergeant Bruer and Physician Sleep as David Stone. On TV, Momoh performs Horatio Cousens in The Nevers and Seth Butler within the miniseries Seven Seconds.

Vanessa Bell Calloway as Rit Ross – Harriet Tubman’s mom. The actress, with greater than 150 credit to her title, has appeared in quite a few main movies, together with Coming to America as Imani Izzi, What’s Love Obtained to Do with It as Jackie, and Lakeview Terrace as Aunt Dorrie. On TV, she performs Edie on This Is Us and Carol Fisher on Shameless.

Omar J. Dorsey as Larger Lengthy – A fictional Black slave catcher whom Gideon hires to assist him discover Harriet Tubman. Dorsey performs Sherriff Barker within the Halloween reboot trilogy and “Huge Tony” Hamilton in The Blind Facet, and stars as Hollywood Desonier within the Ava DuVernay-created TV collection Queen Sugar.

Associated

Harriet True Story: What The Underground Railroad Film Will get Proper & Modifications

Harriet tells the heroic true story of Harriet Tubman, who helped free dozens of slaves alongside the Underground Railroad — however how a lot of it’s true?

Vondie Curtis-Corridor as Reverend Samuel Inexperienced – In Harriet, the real-life Reverend and Underground Railroad conductor Samuel Inexperienced is performed by Vondie Curtis-Corridor. The actor, who’s married to Harriet director Kasi Lemmons, has appeared in lots of movies together with Romeo + Juliet as Captain Prince and Damaged Arrow as Lt. Colonel Sam Rhodes. On TV, the actor performs Sweetie in Justified: Metropolis Primeval and Dr. Dennis Hancock within the medical drama Chicago Hope.

Tim Guinee as Thomas Garrett – An actual-life abolitionist who aids Harriet Tubman in her escape. Guinee performs Scott Ryan in Homeland, Paul in Inventing Anna, and Invoice Peterson in The Staircase.

Tory Kittles as Frederick Douglass – Tory Kittles makes a quick look in Harriet as famed abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass. The actor has starred in a number of main TV collection, together with CBS’s The Equalizer as Marcus Dante, True Detective season 1 as Detective Thomas Pampina, and Colony as Broussard.

Harriet is a 2019 biographical movie concerning the lifetime of former slave and abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who personally helped greater than 70 slaves escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. The film was directed by Kasi Lemmons, who additionally wrote the screenplay together with Gregory Allen Howard. Harriet stars Cynthia Erivo within the title function, with Leslie Odom Jr., Joe Alwyn, and Janelle Monáe in supporting roles.

Director

Kasi Lemmons

Launch Date

November 1, 2019

Distributor(s)

Focus Options

Forged

Joe Alwyn , Tory Kittles , Vondie Curtis-Corridor , Cynthia Erivo , Vanessa Bell Calloway , Antonio J. Bell , Deborah Ayorinde , Leslie Odom Jr. , Jennifer Nettles , Tim Guinee , Zackary Momoh , Janelle Monae , Omar Dorsey , Clarke Peters , Henry Hunter Corridor

Runtime

125 minutes

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