Jeffrey Wright On Why He Joined Rita Coburn’s W.E.B. Du Bois Doc ‘Rebel With A Cause’

Actor Jeffrey Wright says he is especially proud to have taken part in Rita Coburn’s documentary about W.E.B. Du Bois, describing the film as beautiful, comprehensive and timely. He said reading Du Bois alongside the project has helped him seek historical perspective amid what he sees as confusing public discourse and propaganda.

The two-hour film traces Du Bois’s life from his birth in 1868 through his academic achievements, the founding of the NAACP and his Pan-African work, ending with his death in Ghana in 1963. Narrated by Viola Davis, it combines dramatic readings by Wright, Common and Courtney B. Vance with archival material and contributions from historians and cultural figures. It aired on PBS in May and has since toured theatres in the US and UK.