Who She’s Good For: It’s hard to put Ellis-Taylor’s work into a neat category because even though she has emerged as a dynamic dramatic actress, she’s dabbled in just about every genre. Remember Sistah Girl in Undercover Brother? I have no idea if that movie holds up, but I do remember that Ellis-Taylor was hysterical (and hot) in it. I realize that starting with Undercover Brother in the long list of Ellis-Taylor’s iconic filmography was a choice, but I stand by it. In her almost 30 year career, Ellis-Taylor has delivered, time and time again, performances that many actresses could only dream of — especially Black actresses who don’t often get the opportunity to showcase their range. If we’re talking about who Ellis-Taylor’s work is for, even though she can pull off anything, I feel confident saying that her work is for her community. Because, as Ellis-Taylor puts it, she carved a path without a blueprint that other Black actresses can follow. “I’m from the backwoods. There’s no template for what I’m doing. There ain’t no actresses from there,” she told The Academy in a recent interview. “‘We knew about Oprah Winfrey’ — who was born in rural Mississippi — ‘but that was a fluke. That was a comet that came down and turned into Oprah Winfrey. So, I didn’t even give myself the permission to think in that way.’” And yet, without a roadmap, she’s starred in blockbusters (Men of Honor, The Help, The Taking Of Pelham 123), critical darlings (Ray, King Richard, Get On Up), and some of the best Black projects of the past decade (When They See Us, If Beale Street Could Talk, Lovecraft Country). She’s become one of those character actors that if you see their name on the credits — even if they aren’t first billing – you know the film or TV show is going to be GOOD.
Source link
