Chadwick Boseman brings a young Thurgood Marshall to life in Reggie Hudlin’s newest film, Marshall. Hitting theaters Friday (Oct. 13), the movie centers on Thurgood Marshall, who acts as the NAACP’s only lawyer, right as America is on the brink of World War II. Marshall is sent to Connecticut, where he defends Joseph Spell (played by This Is Us’ Sterling K. Brown), who’s been accused of raping a white socialite (Kate Hudson).
Marshall relies on the help of Sam Friedman (Josh Gad), a Jewish lawyer who is supposed to be his second chair but is forced to become lead counsel when the white judge threatens to hold Marshall in contempt for speaking at all during the trial. Marshall and Friedman fight to prove their client’s innocence by uprooting a lie told by both the accused and the defendant.
With the help of Grammy-award winning songwriter Diane Warren, Common and Andra Day collaborated on the film’s lead single, “Stand Up for Something.” Both artists stopped by the VIBE offices to chat about the experience of working together.
“That’s what the song really is about. It’s about awaking the God in us. It’s about awakening the purpose that’s in us, and us as human beings to go out and make things happen on this planet for positive things,” Common said.
Watch the full interview below to get Common’s thoughts on the fight against injustice, and what Day learned from Thurgood Marshall.