Kerry Washington is tougher than ever in a new Netflix World War II drama and Tyler Perry is directing, you know she won’t be the only star in this cast. Deco’s Alex Miranda met one-on-one with both in Hollywood.
‘The Six Triple Eight’ is one hell of a story and most of us had never heard of it, but Tyler told me there are about 17 million reasons for you to watch.
Kerry Washington is Captain Charity Adams in the true, heroic World War II drama, the ‘The Six Triple Eight.’
Kerry Washington: “I pray that I have even a tiny percentage of the gorgeous leadership qualities that this 26-year-old woman was able to embody.”
A tribute to its only women’s army corps unit of color.
Ebony Obsidian plays member Lena King.
Ebony Obsidian: “She sees Charity Adams and she said, ‘Wait a minute, you can do something with your struggle. You can do something with your pain and you can become something greater than whatever that was.’ That was very inspiring to me.”
Writer and director Tyler Perry powered the cast with heavyweights.
Alex Miranda: “You’ve got Susan Sarandon, you’ve got Oprah, you’ve got Kerry Washington. Do you just look around and go, ‘Yeah, actually, this is pretty regular for me at this point?'”
Tyler Perry: “Never ever take it for granted, not once. I always understand and know that this is a gift and an opportunity and I’ve got to do my best with it.”
Alex Miranda: “But directing Oprah, specifically, what is that like?”
Tyler Perry: “Every actor wants to be directed and they want to feel like they’re doing a great job for the director and Oprah is no different.”
Ebony Obsidian: “I don’t know if this is good to say.”
Alex Miranda: “Say it!”
Ebony Obsidian: “But she said, ‘You haven’t seen the film?’ I said, ‘ No, I’m seeing it tonight. I’m so excited. It’s so good to meet you,’ and she was like, ‘Wow! I’ve seen the film four times. I haven’t seen ‘The Color Purple’ four times!’ I was like, ‘Whatever you say!'”
Tasked with shipping out 17 million pieces of lost mail to soldiers and their families in only six months, the battalion got to work, despite discrimination.
Kerry Washington: “How did we not know? There were 855 women of color who went overseas in World War II. It’s the most storied war in our film and television and nobody’s ever talked about it?”
Tyler Perry: “When they came home from the war, there was no fanfare. Charity Adams went to work at Macy’s. So, to have a moment to have all of them be celebrated was really important to me.”
Kerry Washington: “The film really resonates for any of us who have ever felt undervalued.”
Raising morale with every letter delivered.
Alex Miranda: “Is there a letter, or let’s say, a long text, maybe it was an email that just meant your heart and soul when you got it?”
Tyler Perry: “Handwrite the letter. It’s a lost art. But I have a letter that Lena King wrote to me a year ago after she saw the film. It’s at my house; I haven’t opened it yet.”
Ebony Obsidian: “I actually found a letter that was written by my uncle who has been in the U.S. Army since I was 7. I learned so much more about him in that. It was the letter that never came like in this film.”
Kerry Washington: “I just got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was an incredible ceremony. It was a beautiful day. But when I came home, my kids kind of created their own ceremony for me and they made their own stars and cards. I was like, ‘This is it!'”
The Six Triple Eight is playing in limited theaters now, but it’ll stream on Netflix nationwide starting Dec. 20.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.