Denzel Washington had things stirred up in Marshall, TX last week, a small northeast Texas town, and home of Wiley College, which produced the debate team the film "The Great Debaters" is based on.
"This is where it started," Washington said. "You can feel it. These are real people. It's a small-town story. I've done a few screenings of this movie, but this is the best one."
Oprah Winfrey Interview - The Great Debaters
Talking to an audience at the Marshall screening, and sporting a Wiley College purple baseball cap, Washington added, "We're here to celebrate the accomplishment of your town. We're really proud of it. We're excited about bringing the film back home where it belongs."Washington is also encouraging and looking at the possibility of resurrecting the debate team, which hasn't operated for years.
Other than Denzel Washington, other stars in the show were also in town, as Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker visited the Wiley college campus to give a press conference, where Smollet commented, "We hope people see the film and get touched by it. So far, people are getting so much joy from it. That's food for our soul."
The story chronicles the work of Melvin Tolson, who took the college students and turned them into an elite debate team.
Tolson's character is played by Washington, who also directed the film. The film is up for a Golden Globe Award for best drama.
The film is scheduled to be released on Christmas Day.
Denzel, Forest, Oprah - discuss The Great Debaters
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