A first peek at the movie “Harriet” was released Tuesday, with the trailer giving us a good look at Tony Award-winners Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman and Leslie Odom Jr. as fellow abolitionist William Still.
The cast also includes Janelle Monae, Grammy-nominee and a star of “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight,” in the story of a woman who was born into slavery and escaped, then dedicated her life to missions to rescue dozens of other enslaved people, family and friends throughout the network of safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.
Odom’s character worked on the Underground Railroad from his home base in Philadelphia, where he was a businessman, writer, historian and civil rights activist. “Hamilton” star Odom, CMU’s graduation speaker this year, and Erivo won their best actor and actress in a musical Tonys the same year -— hers for “The Color Purple.” Erivo’s movies include “Widows” and “Bad Times at the El Royale.”
“Harriet” is directed by Kasi Lemmons (“Eve’s Bayou," “Talk to Me”) and written by Gregory Allen Howard (“Ali,” “Remember the Titans”). It is due in theaters Nov. 1.
Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg. Sign up for the PG performing arts newsletter Behind the Curtain at Newsletter Preferences.
First Published: July 23, 2019, 3:42 p.m.
