OXFORD, Miss. (AP) - Last Sunday was a day of rest for Sharo and Bill Perry.
The multi-talented siblings from Oxford were exhausted from putting it long hours day after day on location in the Mississippi Delta, performing their roles in a new television project, “Women of the Movement.”
“It’s usually about 12 to 14 hours for Billy and me,” said Sharo Perry in a phone interview. “I’ve had a 16-hour day. We’ve put in a lot of work.”
The extended shooting days throughout the Delta, however, have given the Perrys an opportunity to learn about key female figures in the Civil Rights Movement. The series’ first season, which will air on ABC, focuses on Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till.
“I have to admit myself that there are so many things I’ve learned on the set that I didn’t know before, especially about his mother,” Sharo Perry said. “There’s a whole new generation who are going to be introduced to it.”
The anthology series is inspired by the book “Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked The World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement” by Devery S. Anderson. Actor Will Smith and rapper Jay-Z are among the producers.
Till was a 14-year-old boy lynched in 1955 by a white mob in the Leflore County community of Money after being falsely accused of offending a white woman. His murder and the acquittal of his murderers, who confessed their crime in an interview a year later, sparked outrage in the Black community.
Sharo Perry plays Clotye Murdock Larsson, the real-life Ebony magazine associate editor who covers the Till murder trial that took place in the Tallahatchie County town of Sumner.
Bill Perry said he’s a background actor – someone who performs in a non-speaking role – in several scenes. However, Bill’s musical talent earned him a spot in a crucial moment.
“One key role I play is at the funeral of Emmett Till,” he said. “I was the piano player in that scene. In other scenes, I’m just an ominous guy in the back.”
The Perrys responded to a casting call last year. Bill Perry said they originally planned to work for a week in January.
“I didn’t get wind of the casting call until around November,” he said. “I got in on the 14th, and it was scheduled to end the 22nd, but I got an extension and then it became an indefinite extension.”
Sharo Perry said, “Behind the scenes, we’re really getting to know the crew. They now consider us part of the crew.”
The downtime between shooting on location gave the siblings the chance to meet and network with the program’s actors and production staff.
In addition to their acting, Sharo Perry is a blues singer and Bill has combined music and filmmaking for several projects. He was the producer, director and actor in “They Found Me: Vengeance,” a science-fiction thriller that also starred his sister. “They Found Me: Vengeance” is an entry in the upcoming Oxford Film Festival.
“It’s such an advantage being behind the scenes,” Sharo Perry said. “I’ve been handing out cards and Bill has been handing out his movie. You definitely have to let people know that we’re more than just being star-struck here.”
One of the actors they’ve met is Adrienne Warren, who plays Mamie Till-Mobley. Warren is a two-time Tony Award nominee, including her 2019 Broadway role playing Tina Turner in “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.”
“My brother talked to her for a while,” Sharo Perry said. “She really enjoys his piano playing.”
Both Perrys were back at work Monday morning with scenes to film around Greenwood. Bill Perry said production will continue through early April, but the dates when the series will air are still undecided.
The Perrys are hopeful “Women of the Movement” can make an impact on viewers similar to that of “Roots,” the 1977 award-winning ABC miniseries that followed a slave from Africa and his ancestors in the United States.
“My brother and I hope that this will be a new form of ‘Roots’ and how it will touch people and make a difference,” Sharo Perry said.
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