Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Versatile actor Wood Harris revealed recently during a promotional interview with Blackfilm.com that he will play Malcolm X in the highly anticipated Lifetime film, “Betty and Coretta.”
Harris will be in good company as he joins veteran actors Angela Bassett and Malik Yoba along with newcomer, Mary J. Blige.
“Betty and Coretta” tells the dual stories of the civil rights widows and what their lives were like after the assassinations of their pioneering husbands, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.
Harris has some pretty big shoes to fill considering Denzel Washington’s memorable portrayal of the slain black activist in the lavish 1992 Spike Lee film. However, Harris says he is up for the challenge.
“I’m surprisingly very prepared for the role. When I auditioned for New York University and I got in, I used my Malcolm X speech. I was very much into being Malcolm. I think people will be surprised to see me as Malcolm X because I’d probably do a great job at it.”
Production for “Betty and Coretta” begins this month in Canada.