Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 2017)
Page 8 The Skanner BLACK HISTORY EDITION February 22, 2017 Black History Q&A with Hidden Figures Director Theodore Melfi By Edward Henderson (San Diego Voice and Viewpoint/NNPA Mem- ber) I magine being in the running to direct the newest “Spiderman” film. What kind of script would have to cross your desk to make you drop out of consid- eration? For me, it would have to be something that moved my soul, told a story that has never been expressed on screen before and had the po- tential to inspire unity in a country that sorely needs it right now. This scenario is more than a hypothetical situation. For director Theodore Melfi, it’s real life. Melfi was in the final stages of consideration to call the shots for Mar- vel’s cash cow franchise reboot of “Spiderman” when pages from Margot Lee Shetterly’s book “Hid- den Figures’”changed everything. The uncom- pleted book told the true story of African Ameri- can women whose math- ematical calculations for NASA helped fuel Amer- ica’s greatest accomplish- ments in space during ‘Hidden Figures’ director Theodore Melfi says the country needed a story about Black women achieving greatness. the ‘60s. Melfi received the pages on a Friday, read them over the week- end, and dropped out of the Spiderman race the following Monday. I sat down with Melfi to discuss his passion for “Hidden Figures” and the leading ladies who brought the story to life. Edward Henderson: What inspired you about this story to take it on? Theodore Melfi: First of all I couldn’t believe it was true that there were women at all working at NASA because we were so sexist at the time. To further dig into it and discover that Katherine Johnson was the only person that [Astronaut] John Glenn trusted to run his numbers before his Friendship 7 launch. He is quoted as saying ‘Get the girl to run the numbers, if she says they’re good, they’re good to go.’ I have two daughters and I said to myself there’s nothing more valuable for my life than to do this story justice. EH: Why do you think it took so long for a story like this to be told? TM: Sometimes these stories get pushed to the We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans. It is our primary goal as a labor union to better the lives of all people working in the building trades through advocacy, civil demonstration, and the long-held belief that workers deserve a “family wage” - fair pay for an honest day’s work. A family wage, and the benefits that go with it, not only strengthens families, but also allows our communities to become stronger, more cohesive, and more responsive to their citizens’ needs. Our family wage agenda reflects our commitment to people working in the building trades, and to workers everywhere. In this small way, we are doing our part to help people achieve the American Dream. This dream that workers can hold dear regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious beliefs. Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Representing more than 5,000 construction workers in Oregon State. Do you want to know more about becoming a Union carpenter? Go to www.NWCarpenters.org PORTLAND OFFICE 1636 East Burnside, Portland, OR 97214 503.261.1862 | 800.974.9052 HEADQUARTERS 25120 Pacific Hwy S, Suite 200, Kent, WA 98032 253.954.8800 | 800.573.8333 side because they’re not sexy at the time or you need the right environ- ment to bring it to light. We’re in the right envi- ronment now for sure. The country needs to see a story about women achieving greatness and Black women achieving greatness in math and science. We also need this movie we need the country to unite and stop dividing under racial pretenses or sexism. It’s just not working. The country needs a story “ in Benjamin Button and then do Cookie on Em- pire. She has a wonderful range of emotion. Katherine is quiet, so- phisticated, but she has the spirit of Taraji, that quiet fighter. I thought she would nail it and she did. She blows me away every time I watch it. What can I say about Octavia Spencer? There’s nothing she can’t do. I was so excited to work with her and when we started working I said ‘now that’s the real deal’. Janelle Monáe is like a fighter and a voice for everything that’s good. She’s the spunk. EH: What was your greatest challenge while co-writing this story and bringing it to life? TM: The greatest chal- lenge was depicting the work life and the home life of these women. I didn’t want to make “Apollo 13” again. I want- ed to make a movie about how three African Amer- ican women traversed ‘Get the girl to run the numbers, if she says they’re good, they’re good to go’ about unity. I hope this movie is that. EH: You have some powerful leading ladies help bring this story to life in Taraji P. Henson (Katherine Johnson), Octavia Spencer (Doro- thy Vaughn) and Janelle Monáe (Mary Jackson). What made them the perfect cast for this film? TM: I’ve wanted to work with Taraji since I saw Benjamin Button. This woman can do Brad Pitt’s southern mother –Astronaut John Glenn She lifts those up around her which is who Doro- thy Vaughn was. Janelle Monáe is going to blow you away as Mary Jackson. Mary was the fighter. She fought to get into NASA and become the first female engineer there of any color. After 20 years she moved to HR, hacked into the sys- tem and found out wom- en weren’t getting oppor- tunities as fast or often as women. She changed the system and advanced women of all colors. And the civil rights land- scape, and even more powerfully sexism in the workplace, and achieved tremendous success and put this man into space. EH: How did your Brooklyn upbringing shape your perspective on race and the need for equality? TM: In Brooklyn you don’t have time for rac- ism. When you grow up in Brooklyn your neighborhood is a mix See HIDDEN on page 11