'It's beyond me': Danielle Deadwyler on playing Mamie Till-Mobley in 'Till'

Before Danielle Deadwyler could even dream of the awards buzz she's been garnering this year for her emotionally moving performance as Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till, she had to consider all that playing the civil rights leader would take.

Chinonye Chukwu's "Till" focuses on how Till-Mobley, following the brutal murder of her 14-year-old son in Mississippi in 1955, vowed to expose the racism behind his attack and bring him justice. Deadwyler, from Atlanta, knew of Till's story from a young age, but better understood the depth and impact behind Till-Mobley's actions as she grew older. That all made it more complex to sign onto the role.

"It's not a hesitation, it's a deep consideration. It's a marination in a known unknown. We understand death and loss and the tragedy of what happened, but to excavate those feelings truly − I don't have a clue," Deadwyler said in a recent interview with The Desert Sun. "We can make a film ... but we don't know what it was for her. There's a solitude and quietude and perpetual mourning for the rest of her life that's horrifying and strangely joyful at the same time because you get to carry a legacy of a loved one in this way."

Since the film's release in October, Deadwyler's performance has captivated filmgoers and brought many to tears. The actress has been named among The Associated Press' Breakthrough Entertainers of 2022, won the National Board of Review's Breakthrough Performance - Female Award and is nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Actress. On Jan. 5, she will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award, Actress, at the Palm Springs International Film Awards.

Deadwyler is no stranger to the small or big screen, making her mark in series "Station Eleven" and "Atlanta" and the western "The Harder They Fall," but "Till" has taken her on a whole new journey, she said.

"It is exciting, and it's hard to take in. When you do work for so long and then when it has a particular wider audience, I think that's a significant moment to begin conversations, and awards are the opportunity for people to be invited further into the conversation," Deadwyler said. "It's literally the greatest thing that if they talk about me in any regard, they have to talk about Mamie, they have to talk about her legacy and her intention and how it's been brought forth. That's an opportunity to keep doing the work in a celebratory way."

With "Till," Chukwu and Deadwyler found a way to not only honor the family's legacy, but highlight a dark moment in America's history that many may want to forget about. But as the actress pointed out, "art is resistance, art is political, art is dangerous."

During a trip to Mississippi to visit family in August 1955, Emmett Till, from Chicago, was accused of flirting with a white woman. Days later, the woman's relatives abducted Till, brutally beating and killing him before disposing his body in a river. After his body was returned to Chicago, Till-Mobley insisted on a public, open-casket funeral to shed light on the violence inflicted on Black people in the South. Thousands came to view Till's body, which was bloated and mutilated. Black publications also published images of his corpse.

Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam were found not guilty of Till's murder in September 1955. A few months later, protected by double jeopardy laws, they revealed how they kidnapped and killed Till to Look magazine for $4,000.

Diving into Till-Mobley's story, who died in 2003, Deadwyler saw how "deeply strong" she was and how committed she was to defend her son's legacy and obtain justice for him. Even at times when Till-Mobley was likely fearful or overwhelmed with emotions, such as when she went to Mississippi to testify in her son's murder trial, she did whatever was necessary to keep his memory alive.

"That's reflective of every Black mother I know to a great degree, and the majority of the women that I know who sacrifice a lot for their children to their own chagrin, to their own physical and mental wellness," Deadwyler said. "Black women deserve to have reprieve and release from these kinds of labors, and at the end of the day you're watching the public and private nature of Mamie's labor and the public and private nature of the survivors of victims, the families of victims, which we don't often see."

"(Till-Mobley) is beyond strong, and yet this highly graceful and compassionate person who stepped outside of herself to consider the weight and the wake of her choice and her son's life," she continued. "It's beyond me."

To try to emulate the emotions and tragedy that Till-Mobley lived through, Deadwyler tried to be as present as possible. She and Chukwu also navigated the script together to "consider every note and every beat" of Till-Mobley's life, from a "very concealed, cocoon kind of existence into a particular kind of activism," the actress said.

The "Station Eleven" star's upbringing − she attended Cascade United Methodist Church as a child, where Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery was pastor, and was a youth volunteer with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, cofounded by Martin Luther King Jr. − also provided a foundation. Those civil rights movement leaders and others were impacted by Till-Mobley's choices and work, and Deadwyler said she is "a direct recipient of her legacy."

"Till" was also a powerful story of motherhood for Deadwyler, who has a young son herself. Being able to come home to her son and laugh, eat together, gossip about his friends' lives and play was "lovely" following difficult days of filming.

While the events of the film took place almost 70 years ago, their importance and significance continue to this day, making them even more vital to discuss, the actress said. The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act was signed into law on March 29, 2022, 67 years after his murder.

Those important conversations will continue at the 2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival, which will mark Deadwyler's first time to the event as well as the desert city. The Film Awards will also be among the first times she'll be able to accept an award in person − a result of her "pandemic hermeticism," she said. She is looking forward to seeing Palm Springs, a place she has heard about from various films and people in her life, and excited to connect with people.

"That's the power of filmmaking in general. It's about community and how does each community take on the flavor of what you've presented. This is some golden turmeric," she said. "And it's just a beautiful thing to be with people."

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Danielle Deadwyler talks 'Till,' coming to Palm Springs Film Awards