Regina King believes her latest film Shirley, the biopic of trailblazing congresswoman and the first Black presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm, has come out through divine timing.

“While we started this journey 15 years ago…there are no mistakes. It was supposed to be now. It was supposed to be this team of people, it was supposed to be this filmmaking team,” King said to Blavity/Shadow and Act Managing Editor, Trey Mangum. “And in a lot of ways, I think Shirley was like, ‘Now is the time.’ It’s no mistake that it would be in the middle of a presidential election that this film is coming out.”

“There’s no mistake that all of the world crises that are going on…that are happening, it’s similar to 1968 [through] 1972…It’s no mistake,” she continued. “The reward is that it’s out to the world now but it’s the reminder that…there are no mistakes.”

Watch the full interview with King, Reina King, Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges and Christina Jackson above.

Shirley follows Chisholm, who became the first Black woman elected to congress and blazed a trail for future Black politicians and presidential candidates. Her slogan “Unbought and unbossed” has been repeated in the decades after as a symbol of strength and a reminder that all Black people should ask for what they are owed.

Written and directed by John Ridley and starring Lance Reddick in one of his final roles, Shirley is now streaming on Netflix.

Reina King

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