Dr. Betty Shabazz — Mary J. Blige in Betty and Coretta (2013)

Dr. Betty Shabazz — Mary J. Blige in Betty and Coretta (2013)

Film: Betty and Coretta | Network: Lifetime | Year: 2013 | Co-Star: Angela Bassett as Coretta Scott King

I need y'all to fully absorb what was asked of Mary J. Blige in this film. She was asked to play Dr. Betty Shabazz. Malcolm X's widow. A real woman. A historical figure. A woman who watched her husband be assassinated in front of her children and then spent the rest of her life rebuilding, educating, and advocating. And Mary was asked to do this alongside Angela Bassett. ANGELA BASSETT.

She did not run from that. She walked right into it.

About the Film

Betty and Coretta is a 2013 Lifetime biographical film that imagines the shared journey of two of the most significant women in American civil rights history. Betty Shabazz, widow of Malcolm X, and Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Two women who lost their husbands to assassination and had to figure out how to raise their children, carry forward their husbands' legacies, and build their own lives in the aftermath of unimaginable grief.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWck06GFQ7s

What Mary Said About Acting Alongside Angela Bassett

Mary told The Hollywood Reporter that she used her intimidation about acting alongside Angela Bassett as fuel. She said she burned from watching her and tried to grow from that experience. That kind of humility combined with that kind of determination is exactly what makes Mary J. Blige who she is. She does not let fear make her smaller. She lets it push her further.

The Significance of Playing a Real Person

Playing a real historical figure is one of the most demanding things an actress can do. You owe that person truth. You owe their family dignity. You carry the responsibility of representing someone who actually lived and suffered and triumphed. Mary understood all of that going in and she took it seriously.

Betty and Coretta was the moment Mary fully committed to being a dramatic actress. Before this she was testing the waters. After this she was all the way in.

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