'Origin' Interview: Ava DuVernay and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor

Moviefone speaks with Ava DuVernay and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor about 'Origin.' "It was a true delight to work with them all," the director said of her cast.

Opening in theaters in limited release on December 8th and opening wide on January 19th is ‘Origin,’ which stars Oscar-nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (‘King Richard’), Jon Bernthal (‘Ford v Ferrari’) and Niecy Nash-Betts (‘Downsizing’) and was written and directed by Ava DuVernay (‘Selma’).

(L to R) Director Ava DuVernay and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor talk 'Origin.'

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Ava DuVernay and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor about their work on ‘Origin,’ the challenges of adapting the book, casting, Ellis-Taylor’s performance, and her experience working with DuVernay.

You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with DuVernay and Ellis-Taylor, as well as Jon Bernthal and Niecy Nach-Betts.

(Center) Ava DuVernay on the set of 'Origin.' Photo: Neon.

Moviefone: To begin with, Ava, can you talk about the challenges of adapting this book into a film, and was the key for you making the author the main character?

Ava DuVernay: Yes. Once I understood that I could have the main character of this be this swashbuckling, intellectual adventurer, known as Isabel Wilkerson, played by the great Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, the film kind of came together and came to life for me. That I could share the ideas in the book by going through this dynamic character, and that unlocked everything for me as a screenwriter.

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Isabel Wilkerson in director Ava DuVernay's 'Origin.' Photo: Neon.

MF: Aunjanue, can you talk about having the opportunity to play a character like this, and what were some of the aspects of the character you were excited to explore on screen?

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor: Well, one of my first conversations with Ava was that she wanted to explore the interior life of a black woman. I was just so excited about dramatizing the mind of a black woman genius. I thought that was rare and unique, at least in the landscape of American filmmaking. I was just excited about that prospect.

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(L to R) Jon Bernthal as Brett Hamilton and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Isabel Wilkerson in director Ava DuVernay's 'Origin.' Photo: Neon.

MF: Ava, can you talk about casting and having the opportunity to work with these accomplished actors on set?

AD: Well, it was fantastic. I mean, the chemistry between Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Jon Bernthal was so palpable, so off the charts. As we were watching, I felt like these two people were in each other's lives, and they would always be, whether they were physically present and had a beating heart or whether one of them would've passed away. The connection was so strong. That's so much of what we needed to achieve in this, because that is the way that Isabel Wilkerson had shared that she felt, as I was researching and interviewing her over the two-year period of writing it. That connection with her husband, with Brett, was so real that we needed to have actors that conjured that. Aunjanue and Jon did. Also, Niecy Nash-Betts, the connection between Isabel and Marion, that sisterhood, that friendship, that pushing, and that protection. The actors were extraordinary. So many other folks came in to help us for a day, Nick Offerman, Audra McDonald, Vera Farmiga, Blair Underwood. It was an embarrassment of riches. It was a true delight to work with them all.

(Center) Ava DuVernay on the set of 'Origin.' Photo: Neon.

MF: Finally, Aunjanue, what is it like being on an Ava DuVernay set? What was the experience of collaborating with her on set like for you?

AET: Listen, what I love about Ava's process as a director is that she wants you to experience things live and in real time. I'm laughing because walking across the intersection in New Delhi, how many directions was traffic coming from? Six, eight? A lot of cars coming at you at one time. I had to walk across the street, and that was happening in real time. There were times where the light made it easy, and the light didn't make it easy. The camera was behind us or in front of us. I was just so exhilarated by that. It was so dangerous, but I was like, "I am a stunt woman right now." That's what it's like with her. When you see those officers, those Nazi officers in that plaza, in that square, that's real. That's not CGI. That's real. That's her vision. That's what makes her separate, singular, and apart. That's what it's like.

Origin

PG-132 hr 21 minJan 19th, 2024

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What is the plot of ‘Origin’?

Grappling with tremendous personal tragedy, writer Isabel Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) sets herself on a path of global investigation and discovery as she writes ‘Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.’