John Glenn remembered by 'Hidden Figures' cast at premiere
John Glenn,
depicted in "Hidden Figures" as a space trailblazer who also gave
critical support to pioneering black women at NASA who helped him orbit the
earth, was fondly remembered by the cast at the movie's premiere.
"He's
a hero. John Glenn was always on the right side of history. During a time when
these women, because of their gender and the color of their skin, were often
times treated like second-class citizens, he extended his hand out, and he
trusted women, and women of color, with his life," said Janelle Monae, one
of the film's stars.
Glenn, a
former U.S. Senator, died last week at the age of 95. Also a former U.S.
military pilot in World War II and the Korean War, he became a national hero in
1962 when he succeeded in circling the earth.
"Hidden
Figures" tells the story of a trio of African-American mathematicians,
also called "computers," at NASA in the early 1960s who helped get
him there.
"Empire"
star Taraji P. Henson portrays Katherine Johnson, the woman responsible for the
calculations that led to Glenn orbiting the earth.The other mathematicians are
played by Monae and Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer.
Glenn was
instrumental in breaking down color and gender barriers at a time when it was
unpopular. For Henson, Glenn signified what America is supposed to represent.
"When
he decided to shake the colored computers hands, he told them their lives
matter. And in turn, Katherine told him his life mattered as she made it a
point to get those numbers right, so he could come back home and see his
family. So that's what it's all about. It's about pushing, putting our
differences aside, and getting to a common goal. And that's moving humanity
forward," Henson said.
Jim
Parsons, who plays astronaut Tom Stafford in the film, also hailed Glenn.
"What's
so interesting about and sad and touching about him passing away right as this
movie is coming out is that we are introducing three other major faces of that
exact same movement. As the film shows, John Glenn was one of the people who
let one of these women into the room at a time when that wasn't being
allowed," Parsons said.
Glen Powell
portrays the legendary astronaut in film. He wished he had the chance to meet
him.
"We
were attempting to try to set that meeting up. He was very ill for like the
past year. So he was in Ohio, and we never got a chance to meet him,"
Powell said. "But I will say that I've done enough research on John Glenn
to truly understand the man and come to love him even more. So it's a tragic
loss, but at the same time he lived 95 amazing years. I don't think there's a
human being on the planet that inspired more lives and more generations."
Based on
the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, "Hidden Figures" opens in limited
release on Christmas, before going wide on January 6.
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