Ava DuVernay Gives Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Her Flowers

Actress Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is doing something to combat the slow burn of recognition happening with her latest movie, Origin. 

In a video posted on Instagram on Wednesday, Dec. 10, by Ava DuVernay, a passerby recognized Ellis-Taylor as she was disguised in a mask, passing out postcards at a local AMC to advertise the film on Sunday, Jan. 7.

Ellis-Taylor, nominated for a 2022 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in King Richard, passionately expressed the movie’s depth, based on the award-winning Isael Wilkerson novel Caste.

“Mrs. Wilkterson wrote a book about how we continue to put ourselves and divide ourselves and treat each other horribly based on these ridiculous, absurd means,” Ellis-Taylor said. “Her book is a way of disrupting that, giving us a new language to talk about race. I believe in this book so much and I believe in this film so much; that’s why I wanted to be in it. And I want everybody to come see it.”

In the caption, DuVernay, who directed Origin, shared how the video and Ellis-Taylor’s actions moved her.

“Someone posted this footage, and I burst into tears,” DuVernay explained. “This was apparently taken last Sunday, Golden Globes day. This is a video of Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. Our lead actress in ORIGIN. She wasn’t nominated that day. She was handing out postcards for our film at a local AMC in LA to passersby.”

She said The Color Purple actress told her she would distribute postcards and that she wanted to “remind herself about what matters.”

“I wish she didn’t have to do this to remind herself. I wish she was at the Globes or SAG Awards or Critics Choice or the other nominations that didn’t come,” DuVernay continued. I wish she had commercials and magazine covers and all the things that are arranged for the actresses we are supposed to pay attention to in the awards season. I wish she felt the recognition and praise that swirls around her peers in big studio films. I wish the world for her. All the flowers. All the gold statues.”

The filmmaker said Ellis-Taylor’s action reminded her to focus on the importance of the film. She also commended The Help actress.

“I see you—your brave heart. Your singular way of moving through the world,” DuVernay wrote. “You are the definition of Best Lead Actress. You lead me away from wishing for things not meant to be. To focus on the beauty of what matters and what is.”

In an interview with Indie Wire, Ellis-Taylor explained why the film deserved the attention, highlighting DuVernay’s ability to shoot the film in 37 days and three countries with real German actors in the “actual square in Berline, burning real books.

“Come on. Let’s just take a second and acknowledge someone who does something like that because folks can do the easy thing, and [DuVernay] never does the easy thing,” Ellis-Taylor shared. “And the reason why she had her actors out there in that cold all night long, and I was out there the next night in the cold, was because she wanted them to feel it. She wanted her camera positioned in a place to see these brilliant actors have a real experience.”