Director Regina King shares what she hopes audiences take away from new film, 'One Night in Miami...'
Regina King, the award-winning actress with four Emmys and an Oscar, is now showing off her talent behind the camera.
The "Watchmen" actress is making her film directorial debut with the upcoming film, "One Night in Miami..."
During an appearance on "Good Morning America" Wednesday, King spoke about her attraction to Kemp Powers' award-winning play, the casting for the movie and what she hopes audiences will take away from the film.
The film is inspired by a night that four men, Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Cassius Clay, who would later be known as Muhammad Ali, (Eli Goree), spent together after Ali's victory over heavy weight champion Sonny Liston in 1964.
The imagined discussion among the men touches on everything from the civil rights movement to religion.
King said the actors were perfect for the roles because "they understood that they weren't doing impersonations."
"They were embodying these men," she said. "I wanted actors that understood that but also weren't scared to walk in the shoes of greats -- of the greatest -- and they did and their performances are just breathtaking."
King, who has directed several television projects during her career, explained why she wanted to direct "One Night in Miami..."
"At that time I was speaking to my agents about directing a love story with a historical backdrop, kind of like a 'Titanic,' and I would say that this is not a typical romance, but it's maybe a bit of a 'bromance,'" she said.
She praised Powers for his incredible screenplay and the way he was able to characterize such impactful historical figures.
"These four men are powerhouses, they have -- if not all of them at least one of them have touched our lives in some way," she said. "And Kemp Powers, the writer, he was able to humanize them in a way that we don't normally see them."
King said she would love if the film is viewed as "a call to action." She pointed out that the men featured in the film were "so young" the night the conversation took place.
"Knowing that three of them aren't here -- we are here and what can we do? How can we use our voice? What does social responsibility look like for us? For you as an individual?" she said. "I hope that it challenges or encourages people to explore that within themselves and release what they discover about themselves and social responsibility to the world."
"One Night in Miami..." hits select theaters and arrives on Amazon Prime Video on Jan. 15.
