Oprah Winfrey still gets teary-eyed talking about her friend and mentor Sidney Poitier , who died in January. But that doesn't mean that the profile, which features starry interviews with the likes of Denzel Washington , Lenny Kravitz and Halle Berry , glides over some of the bumpier aspects of Poitier's life.
Winfrey and director Reginald Hudlin Boomerang, Marshall wouldn't have it any other way. Read on for our conversation. It feels more like a film than a documentary, which is a testament to both of you. I thought I knew a lot about Sidney and his career. But I learned things from this. How did you both get involved? I was immediately very excited. And as we're putting together the team, I said, "Well, let's start at the top and let's start with the best β let's reach out to Ms. But more importantly, it was a completely organic thing because she is one of Sidney's dearest friends.
She has encyclopedic knowledge of him, and I knew with her as a partner in the making of this movie, we would make a movie that was true and honorable to the man. And I say, yes, it's a gift and an offering because there's no one whom I have adored more or loved more on the planet.
And his story is like no other person I even heard or read about. To be able to tell that story and literally compile the essence of this man's plus-year life into two hours or less, and have the world understand who he is β that was our guardian mission. It was a mission of love and protection. To protect the story and to guard the story, and to tell it in a way that would be most honorable to his life.
And that is what we have done. One of the things I really enjoyed was the cast, the people you got to talk about him. Oprah, were you the best booker ever as far as getting everyone to do it? I'm terrible at booking because when people say, "I don't know if I can do it," I go, "Oh, okay.
