Hollywood-based Zimbabwean actress Charmaine Bingwa, along with Ben Foster, Gilbert Owuor and Mustafa Shakir recently joined the cast of the upcoming Apple TV+ original thriller "Emancipation," which stars Will Smith as a Civil War runaway slave named Peter.
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| Charmaine Bingwa |
Charmaine Bingwa will play Peter's wife Dodienne in the film, inspired by the true story of “Whipped Peter,” an enslaved black man who emancipated himself from a southern plantation and joined the Union Army.
"..I’m so proud to say, I’ll be playing Dodienne, wife of “Whipped Peter” (Will Smith)," said Bingwa in a statement. "The best script I’ve read. Personifies the power of the human spirit. It is with great honour I will step into her shoes as a tribute to the dignity, strength and bravery many of our ancestors exhibited in the face of the most unspeakable brutalities. Our past illuminates our future. And I can’t wait for this story to be known." she continued.
"Emancipation" is based on a script by William N. Collage and will be directed by Antoine Fuqua.
On how to find the ‘sweet spot’ of an acting role, Charmaine Bingwa says, "...You need a strong sense of self to be able to play anyone else. That doesn’t mean you need to be a boisterous extrovert to be a performer, but a strong understanding of who you are is paramount. Because no one is you, and that is your power. In a world that becomes increasingly retouched, filtered, and auto-tuned, we can’t underestimate the raw, breakthrough power that a truly authentic and personal performance can have..."
Charmaine Bingwa is best known for her role as Carmen Moyo on “The Good Fight.” She also starred in “Black Box” and “Trees of Peace.”
Fuqua Films and Smith-founded media company Westbrook Inc. are both backing the project, which was reportedly sold to Apple Studios for $120 million in a record-breaking deal described as the largest film festival acquisition deal in the industry's history.
The "Emancipation" film production started off this past July in New Orleans, but will reportedly take a short break due to COVID-19. The hiatus will start on Aug. 3 and is expected to last five days.
Emancipation, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Will Smith, premieres in theatres on December 2, streaming on Apple TV+ on December 9, 2022.
Check out the official trailer below.