Director Steve McQueen proved in 2013 African-American actors are capable of leading films and breaking the box office. With his Academy Award-winning 12 years of Slave, the British filmmaker shattered age-old stereotypes Hollywood staunchly held onto, and now five years later, Mr. McQueen has returned to do the same.
In his latest film Widows, four women from different economic and social backgrounds come together to pay a bill unceremoniously left to them by their criminal husbands who perish in a heist gone wrong. With Veronica (played by Oscar winner Viola Davis) as the ringleader, each woman must depend on one another or suffer the consequences.
As a teen, McQueen felt a kinship to the women cast in the beloved British television series with the same name, and admitted prior to making his Oscar-winning film, he wanted to create Widows from a modern perspective.
McQueen stopped by the VIBE offices in the promotion of his latest film. The director who’s often described as “difficult” was warm, yet firm when speaking about the characters he and author Gillian Flynn created while writing the script, and why they behave the way they do. He discussed the importance of inclusivity, feminism and why Chicago was the perfect backdrop for his latest cinematic creation.
Widows arrive in theaters Nov. 16
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