“I knew that watching Margaret Avery kiss Whoopi Goldberg was astonishing, exciting, and affirming.
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylorjust might be one of the hardest-working actors in show business today.
At the event, the actor proudly wore the word “Queer” on her sleeve.
“I knew that watching Margaret Avery kiss Whoopi Goldberg was astonishing, exciting, and affirming. It showed me the possibility of myself and the possibility to love a woman who loves me in return."
‘“It is that effervescent spirit that makes her magnetic, on and off screen.
Read on for our exclusive conversation.
Note:This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Every year, somebody says, “This should have been nominated.”
People had such overwhelming reactions toOrigin.
For us to be overlooked in the way that we were, it was very weird.
It made me question a lot of things.
I don’t question them anymore.
I’m on the other side of it.
How did you get on the other side?
What makes me feel good is that everyone, but especially Black people, responded to this film.
We’re the ones who have to do that.
I’m delighted that the folks who needed to know about it were in the theaters.
What was the biggest challenge for you in portraying Isabel?
There was a lot of doubt in me when I was making the film.
I had to trust that[director] Ava [DuVernay]was getting what she wanted.
I was scared to death because I didn’t want to let her down.
I didn’t want to let Miss Wilkerson down.
It was a terrifying [experience].
What’s your take on it?
The Color Purpleis a book about Black lesbians.
Do you remember the first time you read the book or saw the original film?
The first time that I sawThe Color Purple,it [was] before I understood who I was.
I knew that watching Margaret Avery kiss Whoopi Goldberg was astonishing, exciting, and affirming.
It showed me the possibility of myself and the possibility to love a woman who loves me in return.
I’ll never get over that.
It lives with me.
Why are we talking about it almost in a sort of incidental way?
Alice Walker wroteThe Color Purplewith intention because she was writing about herself.
I don’t think that has happened.
You’re right.
LGBTQIA+ scenes are historicallycut from TV and films.
Somebody has to be brave.
People are still buying the book.
There is business in bravery.
Also, you have to have Black women and Black queer women in the making of it.
Neither one of the cinematic iterations ofThe Color Purple[had Black or Black queer women creating it].
The first one was written and directed by a white man.
The remake was written and directed by a Black man.
I think the writer might be a queer man, but it ain’t the same.
Wearing the jacket at the Essence luncheon was a proud moment for me.
[Laughs] I had to get that straight.
But yeah, I felt good that day.
Start from a place of joy.
That’s hard to do, but joy is a form of acceptance of yourself.
Joy is a celebration of your sexuality and a celebration of who you love.
When you start from that point, and invest in that, it helps.
What types of things did people say to you?
People were saying incredibly insulting things [about LGBTQIA+ people] in my presence.
I thought, “I just want to get my hair did.”
Another time, I was developing a project with someone and she would say things that were not respectful.
I remember she said something about having to kiss a woman [in a scene].
The way she said it was as if it was so disgusting to her.
This bang out of [anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric] was directed at me, all in professional tweaks.
I just got tired of it.
How has being queer informed the roles you play?
A lot of the characters that I play are outsiders, in a way.
They may not appear to be, but I think they are.
I think Isabel Wilkerson, inOrigin, is an intellectual outsider.
I would say Oracene Price inKing Richardwas an outsider in her own marriage.
How do I occupy the space?”
Has anyone ever challenged or questioned your sexuality?
She’s fine with anybody else [who is queer].
It has also happened with a woman who I’ve been in a relationship with.
She said, “No, you really like men.
You’re just being curious with me.”
And I’m like, “No, no, no.”
I have found that when those things happen, it really is a reflection of that person.
Some actors have alluded thatbeing openly queer has impacted their careers.
Did you ever have any fear about being openly bisexual in Hollywood?
Not too much scares me.
I know what my intentions are.
I know that what I take a stab at do is honor Black folks, and Black women particularly.
Knowing my heart makes me unafraid.
If my heart were not clear, then I would have something to be afraid of.
I know I have good people who love me, who care about me, and I love them.
I can’t waste too much sleep on anything else.
You changed your last name to honor your late mom.
What was your relationship like with her?
My mother was the love of my life she is still the love of my life.
She was my ultimate champion and cheerleader, and my best friend.
My mother was an interesting woman.
She was raised by a pastor and she was very much in the orthodoxy of the Missionary Baptist Church.
But she was also sexually free.
Without knowing it, she was teaching me that [being that way] was a possibility.
When I said to her, “Mommy, I like women,” she tried to act offended.
I laughed at it.
I thought it was a joke.
I said, “Listen, lady, you are the most sexually free person I know!”
[Laughs] We got over it.
Who is your Black queer icon?
What I saw in her is someone who owned all of the genders, beyond sexualities.
We were just occupants and citizens of her world.
I found that to be so sexually freeing and unexpected.
What does Black History Month mean to you?
I didn’t want to do that.
I didn’t want to perform for them.
It felt exploitative to me.themThere’s so much work we have to do.
I [usually] say, “No, I have never heard of them.”
I used to be so ashamed about having such an impoverished understanding of Black history.
Now, I think to myself, “It wasn’t intended for you to know.”
What do you want your contributions to Black history to be?
The work that I do when I’m not filming.
I saw a couple of them that were directly targeted at Black women.
I said, “I gotta do something about this.”
So I got my own billboard.
I am proud of it.
I gave them one less space to use to intimidate women into sexual and reproductive shame.
I’ve been doing that kind of stuff for a long time.
I did it with a Confederate flag in Mississippi as well.
I put up a billboard that read, “You shall overcome,” written in Confederate flags.
That pissed people off.
I was glad because it got people talking about that flag.
I love billboards, honey.
Having this conversation with you.
I don’t feel like I have to choose.
I am equally both, and I’m proud of both.
I am not one without the other.
I feel that is progress.
Thanks for chatting with us, Aunjanue!
Be sure to catch Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor inOrigin,now playingin a theater near you.
you could read moreBlack, Out & Proudinterviewshere.
