Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Stars of “Disney’s A Wrinkle In Time” appear on the February cover of ESSENCE. Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay and newcomer Storm Reid are #BlackGirlMagic personified as they talk about their highly anticipated film.
“I just watched ‘The Wizard of Oz’ again last year with one of my godchildren who was seeing it for the first time, and the magic of that is exactly what ‘Wrinkle’ is going to be for another generation…” —Megastar Oprah Winfrey on the impact of “A Wrinkle in Time”
Reid, the film’s leading lady, is super excited about the opportunity to star alongside such giants of television and movies. “This is a huge milestone in my career,” says the Atlanta born actress, who also appeared in “12 Years a Slave,” “TV One’s “White Water” and most recently, Jay Z‘s “Family Feud” video.
“Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time,” is an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic which takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and, ultimately, the triumph of love. The film also stars Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peňa, Levi Miller and Deric McCabe with Zach Galifianakis and Chris Pine.
DuVernay has already made history with the project as the first woman of color to direct a live-action film with a budget of over $100 million. For her, Wrinkle, was an opportunity to be diverse and inclusive.
“I read it, and of course, as any reader, you put yourself in the book. You see people that you know inhabiting the world. So when I went in to talk to [Walt Disney Studios EVP of Production Tendo Nagenda] about it, I said, ‘This is how I see it. I see this as being multicultural, even down to the main character. I’m like, ‘She’s gotta be brown…’”
Check out a behind-the-scenes video of their photoshoot below:
Photo Credits: Warwick Saint for ESSENCE