Mildred was black and Richard was white and that was indeed illegal at the time.
More than one observer compared his work to Heath Ledgers inBrokeback Mountain.
Negga, the Irish-Ethiopian actress best known stateside for her role onMarvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
(and soonPreacher), is the more flinty and dynamic of the couple.
Lovingopens in Novemberfrom Focus Features; see the films first official poster below.
Negga spoke to EW recently about her experience making the film.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was your reaction to reading the script forLoving?
An absolute privilege and a pleasure.
After that landmark ruling, they just wanted to live their lives as quietly as possible.
But I think its time to celebrate that.
Tell us about Mildred Loving.
So, they were banished from their home and had to go and live in Washington.
And they tried several times to come back but they were hounded by the local police.
They wanted a very simple life but they wanted to be lawfully married because, why not?
How did they end up taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court?
Someone said, Why dont you write a letter to Bobby Kennedy?
And so she did.
But it took quite a few years in some states, actually.
I was very surprised at how late it took to repeal that law in some states.
There were not two people who set out to be civil rights heroes, were they?
They were poor, relatively uneducated.
Mildred passed away some years ago.
What kind of research did you do for the role?
So watching the documentary must have been helpful.
Its a fascinating documentary.
But to be honest, there wasnt that much beyond that, which I was really surprised at.
Seven years after the ruling, unfortunately, Richard died in a car accident.
It would be nice to say that this is just an historical story.
But would you agree that it has a lot of resonance for today?
