David Oyelowo, Oprah Winfrey & Ava DuVernay Cover Variety Magazine’s January 2015 Issue

The movie ‘Selma’ is making a lot of headlines and so are the cast members.

Following the New York premiere of “Selma,” a dramatic account of a pivotal chapter in the civil rights movement, director Ava DuVernay, actor David Oyelowo and other cast members took to the steps of the city’s public library, raising their arms in the “don’t shoot” pose and wearing T-shirts bearing the last words of slain Staten Island resident Eric Garner: “I can’t breathe.” The red-carpet event and protest unfolded on the same December weekend that saw more than 25,000 demonstrators march through the streets of Manhattan after a grand jury decision not to indict a police officer in the choking death of Garner.

Movie directors Ava Duvernay, as well as lead characters of the ‘Selma’ movieDavid Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey, were tapped for the latest issue of Variety magazine.

Read excerpts from their interview below!

Oprah on the timing of ‘Selma’ in the world: Divine timing is what it is. You get to see the magnitude and power of their discipline and strategy. And also, in the end, that they called on love. When (King) called on those clergy from all over the country, they actually came and (were willing to give) up their lives.

David on playing Martin Luther King: I was really drawn to this man — to the self-sacrifice, the notion of love in the face of hate. As a man of faith, the things that he held dear were the things that lodged in my spirit.

Ava DuVernay on directing ‘Selma’: I was like, ‘Are these people really serious?!’ I didn’t have to pitch. (David) had done that for me. What was important to me was that everyone be real. I was interested in the people who were there, being bludgeoned and humiliated: the real Amelia Boynton, the real Diane Nash, the real John Lewis, the real C.T. Vivian, the real Andrew Young.

The last time we saw David Oyelowo, Cuba Gooding Jnr and Oprah Winfreytogether in a movie was in Lee Daniels’ The Butler. Now the trio are coming together again for a movie that is long overdue – a look into the life of civil rights activist Martin Luther King.

For the movie, British actor of Nigerian descent David Oyelowo nabs the lead role as Martin Luther King. Oprah Winfrey, Common and Cuba Gooding Jnr also star in the picture.

David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King; Watch ‘Selma’ Trailer Starring Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding Jnr & More

The all-star cast has been assembled for Paramount’s powerful re-telling of one of Martin Luther King Jnr‘s most noble and notable deeds. The movie tracks King’s struggle to secure voting rights for all people, culminating in the Alabama march from Selma to Montgomery and President Lyndon Johnson’s signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

According to reports the movie is set for a limited release on Christmas Day and a mainstream push from January 9th next year.

We can’t wait. We can already see that David Oyelowo had to gain some weight for this movie role.

Watch the trailer below!