photo credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / MPI / Getty Images
We recently reported that according to Gregory Allen Howard, a screenwriter suggested that actress Julia Roberts would be the “perfect person” to play the role of Harriet Tubman in the new biopic.
“This script is fantastic. Let’s get Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman,” Gregory Allen Howard claims the executive said. That’s according to an interview for Focus Features, which produced “Harriet.”
Well, looks like this news did not sit well with her relatives. Tubman’s great-great-great-grandniece, Tina Wyatt, suggests that the idea of a white woman playing the role is disrespectful. She also expresses that the Black community would not stand for it.
“What do you think would have happened?” Wyatt said. “You would have had a boycott.”
See her full comments below.