Naomie Harris says she wasn't aware of the depth of Winnie Mandela's story and is pleased that her fight is being told at last.
Harris was on the red carpet in London last night to promote her new film Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, a movie that sees her take on the role of Winnie.
When asked about how much she knew about Winnie's story by FemaleFirst she said: I wasn’t very aware. That’s why I think it is so fantastic that this movie gives a voice to her experience and let the world know about it.
"All too often women are written out of history and they really deserve to be remembered because they contributed hugely. Winnie made a huge contribution to South African history."
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom sees Harris reunite with director Justin Chadwick, whilst starring alongside fellow British actor Idris Elba.
Harris went on to tell FemaleFirst about meeting Winnie Mandela and that how she didn't demand to be portrayed in a certain way.
"When I met her, I found her to be very warm, very open; she was very open about very intimate details of her life, which I was really impressed by, in terms of what she asked of me, she didn’t me for anything.
"I asked her ‘how do you want to be portrayed?’ and she said ‘all I want is for you to tell the truth’. She didn’t tell me to play her a particular way at all, which I was really shocked by. But that really helped me."
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom is released 3rd January.
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