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12-14-2007, 11:45 AM
Denzel Washington in Marshall promoting movie
07:19 AM CST on Friday, December 14, 2007
By CHRIS VOGNAR / The Dallas Morning News
cvognar@dallasnews.com
MARSHALL, Texas – This East Texas town doesn't get a lot of celebrity action. Or any other kind of action.
RICHARD MICHAEL PRUITT/DMN
"It's usually dead," says 26-year-old La Toya Chawayicira, who teaches fifth grade. "The stoplights go off at about 9 or 10."
Not on this night. Not with a two-time Oscar winner in town to premiere a movie that has put Marshall and little Wiley College back on the map.
Ms. Chawayicira was among the 100 or so craning, screaming fans hoping to catch a glimpse Thursday of Denzel Washington, the director and star of the new movie The Great Debaters. The film, which opens in Dallas on Christmas Day, tells the story of educator and poet Melvin Tolson, whose all-black Wiley College debate team brought glory to Marshall and shocked the academic world with a remarkable run of victories in the 1930s.
On a day when two of Mr. Washington's films – The Great Debaters and American Gangster – were nominated for Golden Globe Awards, the megastar spent his time pressing the flesh and smiling for the cameras in this town of just over 25,000 people, 150 miles from Dallas.
"This is where it started," says Mr. Washington, sporting a purple Wiley baseball cap as he walked the red carpet outside Marshall Cinema. "You can feel it. These are real people. It's a small-town story. I've done a few screenings of this movie, but this is the best one."
Also Online
Video: Denzel on the red carpet in Marshall
Mr. Washington's Marshall day started in the afternoon, when he made a surprise appearance at a news conference featuring the three young stars of the film, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker (named for Denzel Washington, but of no relation to Debaters co-star Forest Whitaker).
A happy gasp could be heard as he entered the campus chapel after the conference started. "He is gorgeous," whispered a woman from the pews as Mr. Washington sat by his actors and looked on with pride as they answered questions about everything from the civil rights movement to the Golden Globes.
Though the film was shot mostly in nearby Louisiana, Mr. Washington has made several trips to Wiley, a small campus with a few brick buildings, over the last few years to do research and shoot exteriors. On Thursday, he was treated like a returning hero as he spoke of plans to help revive the Wiley debate team, which has been defunct for several years.
Founded by the Methodist Church in 1873, Wiley was a thriving black college in the heart of the Jim Crow South. Its alumni include former debate team member James Farmer Jr. (played in the film by Denzel Whitaker), who in 1942 went on to found the Congress of Racial Equality, a vital part of the civil rights movement. Enrollment has been down at Wiley for many years, though it has recently risen above 900, thanks largely to the film's buzz.
After the news conference, it was on to a cocktail reception at the Marshall Hotel, where onlookers jammed the streets and pressed against the hotel windows.
"This is something to see in this little town here," said the Rev. Charles Jereniga, 40. "Denzel is pretty popular in a little town like Marshall. It's pretty exciting. I just want to get a glimpse of him."
Moments later, at the theater, Ms. Chawayicira was thrilled with the photo she got of Mr. Washington. "I love all his movies – Training Day, Man on Fire. He's an inspiration." A few feet away, a woman held a sign that read "Congratulations on being nominated!"
Mr. Washington smiled, waved and shook hands on his way into the theater. He looked right at home, a million miles from Hollywood.
07:19 AM CST on Friday, December 14, 2007
By CHRIS VOGNAR / The Dallas Morning News
cvognar@dallasnews.com
MARSHALL, Texas – This East Texas town doesn't get a lot of celebrity action. Or any other kind of action.
RICHARD MICHAEL PRUITT/DMN
"It's usually dead," says 26-year-old La Toya Chawayicira, who teaches fifth grade. "The stoplights go off at about 9 or 10."
Not on this night. Not with a two-time Oscar winner in town to premiere a movie that has put Marshall and little Wiley College back on the map.
Ms. Chawayicira was among the 100 or so craning, screaming fans hoping to catch a glimpse Thursday of Denzel Washington, the director and star of the new movie The Great Debaters. The film, which opens in Dallas on Christmas Day, tells the story of educator and poet Melvin Tolson, whose all-black Wiley College debate team brought glory to Marshall and shocked the academic world with a remarkable run of victories in the 1930s.
On a day when two of Mr. Washington's films – The Great Debaters and American Gangster – were nominated for Golden Globe Awards, the megastar spent his time pressing the flesh and smiling for the cameras in this town of just over 25,000 people, 150 miles from Dallas.
"This is where it started," says Mr. Washington, sporting a purple Wiley baseball cap as he walked the red carpet outside Marshall Cinema. "You can feel it. These are real people. It's a small-town story. I've done a few screenings of this movie, but this is the best one."
Also Online
Video: Denzel on the red carpet in Marshall
Mr. Washington's Marshall day started in the afternoon, when he made a surprise appearance at a news conference featuring the three young stars of the film, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker (named for Denzel Washington, but of no relation to Debaters co-star Forest Whitaker).
A happy gasp could be heard as he entered the campus chapel after the conference started. "He is gorgeous," whispered a woman from the pews as Mr. Washington sat by his actors and looked on with pride as they answered questions about everything from the civil rights movement to the Golden Globes.
Though the film was shot mostly in nearby Louisiana, Mr. Washington has made several trips to Wiley, a small campus with a few brick buildings, over the last few years to do research and shoot exteriors. On Thursday, he was treated like a returning hero as he spoke of plans to help revive the Wiley debate team, which has been defunct for several years.
Founded by the Methodist Church in 1873, Wiley was a thriving black college in the heart of the Jim Crow South. Its alumni include former debate team member James Farmer Jr. (played in the film by Denzel Whitaker), who in 1942 went on to found the Congress of Racial Equality, a vital part of the civil rights movement. Enrollment has been down at Wiley for many years, though it has recently risen above 900, thanks largely to the film's buzz.
After the news conference, it was on to a cocktail reception at the Marshall Hotel, where onlookers jammed the streets and pressed against the hotel windows.
"This is something to see in this little town here," said the Rev. Charles Jereniga, 40. "Denzel is pretty popular in a little town like Marshall. It's pretty exciting. I just want to get a glimpse of him."
Moments later, at the theater, Ms. Chawayicira was thrilled with the photo she got of Mr. Washington. "I love all his movies – Training Day, Man on Fire. He's an inspiration." A few feet away, a woman held a sign that read "Congratulations on being nominated!"
Mr. Washington smiled, waved and shook hands on his way into the theater. He looked right at home, a million miles from Hollywood.