R&B and soul music fans already know that famed singer-songwriter Andra Day is a rightful Grammy Award winner, who has since taken her talents to the big screen. Some of her acclaimed projects have even effectively utilized her voice talents, with Day taking home a Golden Globe a few years back for The United States vs. Billie Holiday. With her latest groundbreaking achievement, Exhibiting Forgiveness, Day also plays an accomplished singer. MovieWeb caught up with her to learn more about the importance of knowing her way around the music block for the role of Aisha — the wife of a renowned artist (André Holland) dealing with his traumatic past after an unannounced visit from his estranged father (John Earl Jelks).
“I knew that if she was a musician, that it would be helpful just because I am one. So it would be helpful as far as, like, guiding her for continuity, making sure that things felt real and felt grounded as an artist, you know, in sort of how we create and how we work,” Day told us, adding:
“More than anything, it was necessary for [director] Titus. He really wanted her to be a musician… For me, it wasn’t that I needed her to be that, where I was like, ‘Oh, that’s what’s gonna make me want to do it,’ you know… But I loved their dynamic more than anything. I just like that how her being a musician settled into their dynamic. It fit. It was perfect for their family. You know what I mean? Like, I can’t imagine her now being, like, a lawyer.”
5:04
Related
Andra Day Praises Co-Star André Holland’s Work in Exhibiting Forgiveness & Moonlight
Andra Day stars in the powerful new film Exhibiting Forgiveness, and sings the praises of director Titus Kaphar and her co-star, André Holland.
The ‘Visionary’ Titus Kaphar
Exhibiting Forgiveness is based on the life experiences of writer-director Titus Kaphar, an accomplished painter whose work is recognized around the globe. “It is his vision, and that was the beautiful thing. Watching him work was just watching a visionary at work, and this just happened to be the medium at this point in his life through which he needed to tell his story,” Day told us. “I see somebody who’s very passionate about a lot of things, and when he’s passionate… he produces great work.”
And the “great work” within Exhibiting Forgiveness often comes in the form of Day’s emotionally raw scenes opposite protagonist André Holland. Day shared with us how Moonlight is one of her favorite performances by Holland before this — and how Exhibiting Forgiveness is similar to the Best Picture winner in a certain way:
“[Our new film] a very heartbreaking story, but it is told in a beautiful, artistic symphony, you know what I mean, and because it just shows you that every experience of life, no matter how tough it is, is still a beautiful experience that’s a valuable life. And I think the way the movie is framed, much like
Moonlight
, is this idea that it first lets you know that these characters are valuable, no matter what they’ve done. No matter what they’re going through, they matter.”
From Roadside Attractions, Exhibiting Forgiveness is now playing in theaters.