Kerry Washington:  The thing that most drew me to the project was this idea that in a time when so much of the world was committed to the idea that people of African descent were not human, that you could have this love story take place between these two human beings who love each other so much at a time when they couldn’t legally be married on their own accord because they weren’t even their own people.

They were property. These two people find a way to be together because of the power of their love, and to honor their commitment of marriage to each other in this historical context. It’s just so powerful.

Samuel L Jackson: I’m always glad to be in a creative space with Kerry.

She has this very soft, and gentle, and beautiful nature that is filled with fragility that covers this strong thing that she has inside her. I just really like interacting with her. Every time we get together something special happens.

Jamie Foxx: She was the one who we all cared about the most.

If you talked to Quentin and Leo and everybody, we wanted to make sure she was good because she had to go through hell. And to watch her go through hell every day, it was tough.