Celebs At 'Selma' Gala Explain Why The Film Will 'Resonate' In Light Of Recent Events

By
ETONLINE

The recent protests going on across the country over the Eric Garner and Ferguson grand jury decisions have cast a spotlight on civil rights and police brutality issues. Given these latest current events, there has never been a better time for the upcoming historical drama Selma.

Stars attending the Selma: The Legends Who Paved the Way gala talked to ET on the red carpet, and weighed in on why the film is so important in America today.

"When you look at what's going on in the world - people peacefully demonstrating all around the country in the name of Eric Garner - I just think it couldn't be a better time," Selma star and co-producer Oprah Winfrey told ET on Saturday. "I've always believed in divine timing."


VIDEO: Oprah Explains Why Selma May be Her Most Important Movie Yet

Tyler Perry, who recently welcomed his first child with longtime girlfriend Gelila Bekele, shared Oprah's sentiments.

"I got caught up in a protest in New York recently, and as I looked at the crowd, it wasn't just black people out protesting, it was everybody… black, white, everyone saying, 'We all need to help make a change,'" Perry said. "And that's what I notice in Selma - that the change didn't happen until everybody got involved. So that is what's really important about [the film]."


Good Morning America
anchor Robin Roberts also opened up about why the film matters, and who it will speak to.


VIDEO: Jamie Foxx, Diddy, Gabrielle Union and More Celebs React to Eric Garner Decision

"As President Johnson said on the film, and as President Obama said the other day, we are Americans, we have to come together as Americans, not black, white, brown, whatever; Americans," Roberts told ET. "And that is something that I think would resonate with a lot of people and really hit home."

Check out the video for more from the stars at the gala, and you can see Selma when it hits theaters in wide release on Jan. 9, 2015.

Related Gallery