Hollywood actors Morgan Freeman and Ben Vereen consider it their responsibility to tell the stories of overlooked Black historical figures
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LOS ANGELES — Hollywood actors Morgan Freeman and Ben Vereen consider it their responsibility to tell the stories of overlooked Black historical figures.
The pair are currently promoting their new historical drama ‘The Gray House’, which focuses on three women whose espionage work helped influence the course of the American Civil War, reports ‘Female First UK’.
The project arrives as conversations about representation, historical storytelling and the preservation of Black history continue across film and television.
As per ‘Female First UK’, Morgan, whose career spans acclaimed films including The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby, Se7en, Driving Miss Daisy and Invictus, serves as an executive producer on the series.
Ben, meanwhile, remains widely known for his portrayal of Chicken George in the landmark 1977 miniseries Roots, based on Alex Haley’s celebrated novel.
Ben told ‘People’ magazine, “It's about our ancestors, and our ancestors will not be erased (and) will not be put aside. It's important to me that these stories are told”.
The actor explained portraying Isham Worthy in The Gray House felt like a continuation of the work he began decades earlier through Roots.
Ben said, “When I was approached with this one, I had to really sit back and think about how I would approach him because he's not Chicken George. He's a conductor in the Underground Railroad. And I think that's an important story that has to be told”.
The eight-part drama tells the true story of three women played by Daisy Head, Mary-Louise Parker and Amethyst Davis, whose characters transform an Underground Railroad operation into a covert spy network during the Civil War.
Morgan echoed Ben’s belief many significant stories remain absent from mainstream historical narratives. He said, “The American history of Blacks and women. Those stories are almost completely disregarded. And the mantra is, ‘If you want the story told, you have to tell it’. Nobody else is going to do that, so that puts us on the spot”.
He added, “We do want our stories told, (and) like Ben says, our ancestors are demanding, so here we are”.
Ben also reflected on reactions he has encountered when discussing the series, saying he was surprised by some responses from people who felt there was no need for further stories dealing with slavery and Black history.