Audra McDonald plays the role of civil rights leader Ella Baker in the new movie Rustin, which is now available for streaming on Netflix. Directed by George C. Wolfe and featuring a screenplay by Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black, Rustin tells the story of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, who helped Martin Luther King Jr. and others organize the 1963 March on Washington.
The film was produced by Barack and Michelle Obama‘s production company Higher Ground. Audra performs as part of a cast that includes Colman Domingo as Rustin as well as Chris Rock, Jeffrey Wright, Glynn Turman, Aml Ameen, CCH Pounder, Michael Potts, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Bill Irwin.
Rustin premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023, and was released in select theaters on November 3 before its Netflix release on November 17.