Regina King is running. The Oscar winner stars as political trailblazer Shirley Chisholm in a new film chronicling her groundbreaking run for president of the United States. In 1972, Chisholm became the first Black candidate to seek a major party’s nomination for president. But she was already a pioneer: In 1968, the Brooklyn native made history as the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress. Written and directed by John Ridley (also an Oscar winner for his 12 Years a Slave screenplay), Shirley tells Chisholm’s inspirational story.
In the trailer for Shirley, above, you can see King’s transformation into Chisholm, as well as get a taste of her fiery spirit. “You sound just like every other politician,” a voter tells Chisholm. “Do I look like every other politician?” she asks. Read on to find out more about Shirley.
Shirley tells the story of the first Black congresswoman, political icon Shirley Chisholm, and her trailblazing run for president. It chronicles her audacious, boundary-breaking 1972 presidential campaign.
Sisters, co-stars, and co-producers Regina and Reina King made Shirley to answer that very question. “You learned about Malcolm X, and you learned about Martin Luther King in U.S. history classes, but not this great, powerful woman,” Reina King told Netflix. “Why aren’t students being told about that? When I would mention Shirley’s name, no one seemed to know who she was, and [that] lit a fire under us even more. We were like, ‘The world should know, the country should know, women should know, people should know, kids should know.’ ”
In that spirit, to reiterate once more: Shirley Chisholm was the first Black congresswoman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Black candidate to seek a major party’s nomination, in the 1972 campaign covered in Shirley.
Born in Brooklyn in 1924, Chisholm spent much of her childhood with family in Barbados, developing a West Indian accent that would stay with her into adulthood. “Having spent time in Barbados and New York, she would sound Bajan sometimes and other times like someone from Brooklyn, and other times she sounded more scholarly, and sometimes it was a mix of all three because that’s who she was,” Regina King said. “Working with the dialect coach we said, ‘You’re not trying to mimic Shirley. What we need to do is find where Regina and Shirley intersect,’ because that’s what Shirley was always doing. She was always finding how she was going to meet whoever she was talking to where they were.”
The team was also keen to depict Chisholm’s sense of humor and style alongside her more serious moments. “In all of the research that we had done on Shirley and the people that we got to talk to who actually knew Shirley, the one thing they all said was that she loved to dance and that she was funny,” Regina King said. “Barbara Lee and Shirley’s goddaughter told us that they’ve never seen anyone that can curse someone out so well without using curse words.”
Yes. Because Chisholm died in 2005, the filmmakers had to look to other sources. “Most of the research we did was through her books, including Unbought and Unbossed and The Good Fight, documentaries, any news footage and articles, everything that we could pull to put us in the place that told us who Shirley was, and what was important to tell about her story,” Reina King said.
But the film set did receive a visit from one of the people portrayed in Shirley: U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA). Lee got her start working on Chisholm’s presidential campaign and is played in the film by Christina Jackson. “Having Barbara Lee come and visit the set was definitely like she was giving us Shirley’s blessing in a lot of ways,” Regina King said. “Barbara represents just how someone can come into your life and not only inspire you, but kind of put a lightbulb in your head to let you know, ‘Oh, this is what I’m supposed to be doing. There is something within me that I have to give way beyond just this moment.’ Shirley lit that fire in Barbara by example.”
To learn more about Shirley’s legacy and ways to take action, please visit Shirley1972.com.
Chisholm’s campaign slogan, “Unbought and Unbossed,” reflected her individual spirit and a promise to voters that she would work for them, rather than for wealthy special interests. It was also the title of her 1970 autobiography.
“I feel like she embodied that by marching to her own drummer,” Reina King said. “She wasn’t doing what was necessarily thought of for a woman to be doing at that time. She worked outside of the confines of the way things are supposed to go in politics, and no one was going to stop her from using her voice and getting out a message that was so important. She was just a maverick, a Goliath.”
Shirley comes to a head at the end of the presidential primary: the 1972 Democratic National Convention, held in Miami Beach, Florida. At this point in the film, most people inside and outside Chisholm’s campaign have conceded that victory is impossible. But hope emerges from an unlikely series of allies.
First, a number of campaigns embark on a desperate bid to free up California’s haul of winner-take-all delegates, held by frontrunner George McGovern. Then, one of Chisholm’s primary opponents drops out and pledges their Black delegates to her campaign. Chisholm finds herself in a surprising position: She may not be able to win the primary, but if the convention extends past a first ballot, an influx of delegates could put her in a position to influence the Democratic Party’s platform. At a meeting of Black delegates she implores the room to exercise political power by holding on to their votes.
Unfortunately, it isn’t meant to be. Chisholm loses the support of Rep. Walter Fauntroy (André Holland), who had pledged his delegates to her — but only in the event that the convention proceeded past a first ballot. Fauntroy slides through that loophole by instead pledging his delegates to McGovern on the first ballot. More upsettingly, Chisholm’s friend and colleague Ron Dellums (Dorian Crossmond Missick) appears on television and pushes for delegates to support McGovern. With that, the campaign is over. Chisholm tells her team to release her delegates and retreats to her room, where she pledges to forgive Ron for succumbing to the political pressures she knows he must be facing.
It’s a pivotal moment in Chisholm’s career, and in the history of representative politics. Soon she’s surrounded by her team, and she leaves them with a piece of wisdom: “If I can’t get there today, you have to believe you can get there tomorrow.” They take it to heart: Lee (Jackson), seated next to Chisholm, will go on to have her own congressional career. In the film’s final scene, Lee appears as herself — one of the many who, to this day, continue to honor Chisholm’s legacy.
King, who won an Oscar in 2018 for her gorgeous and understated turn in Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, takes on the role of the gutsy politician in Shirley. She and her sister, Reina (who also co-stars as Chisholm’s sister), co-produced the film; it’s been a passion project of theirs for years.
“Reina and I first decided that Shirley’s story was one that was important to tell when we realized separately and together how many people did not know who Shirley was,” King told Netflix. “So often we only do things because we’ve seen someone else do it. That’s what lets us know that it’s possible, as opposed to creating our own possibilities. Shirley was a maverick in that space. So, hopefully she would understand that that’s the reason for telling this story.”
Jerry Maguire, Watchmen, If Beale Street Could Talk, Friday, Ray, Enemy of the State, The Leftovers, The Boondocks
Chisholm-campaign fundraiser and advisor Arthur Hardwick is played by Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard. He’s a steadfast supporter who understands how inspiring the very existence of her campaign will be.
Iron Man, Hustle & Flow, Ray, Prisoners, Empire, Four Brothers, Crash, Big Momma’s House, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, August Rush
The late, great Lance Reddick plays Chisholm’s loyal campaign advisor Wesley. Shirley was one of the final projects Reddick completed before his untimely death in 2023. He also appeared in King’s feature-film directorial debut One Night in Miami… in 2020.
“Lance really was a spirit that knew how to lift me up. He also helped me to remember to laugh,” King said. “There are moments in the film where I see Shirley and Mac looking at each other and I see Lance and Regina looking at each other, and that’s what will always be on film for me. I’ll always have that. I’m speaking selfishly, I know, to watch Lance cap off this amazing career that he had is a gift for me.”
The Wire, The Guest, White House Down, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Fringe, Oz, Lost
A former congressional intern, Gottlieb takes on the role of youth coordinator in Chisholm’s fledgling presidential campaign. He’s played by Oscar-nominee Lucas Hedges.
Manchester by the Sea, Lady Bird, Honey Boy, Moonrise Kingdom, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Congressional delegate Walter Fauntroy is a stickler for the rules whose gamesmanship rubs up against Chisholm’s idealistic presidential campaign. He’s played by André Holland, who brought sultry passion to Moonlight with just a glance and a lit cigarette.
Moonlight, Bones and All, Selma, 42, A Wrinkle in Time, Miracle at St. Anna, Black or White, Bride Wars, Castle Rock
Chisholm-campaign manager Thompson chafes against his candidate’s increasingly unorthodox strategies. He’s played by Tony-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (who won for Kiss Me, Kate in 2000).
The Prince of Egypt, Trapper John, M.D., Frasier, Glee, Mr. Robot, Billions, The Good Fight
Conrad Chisholm stands by his wife as she begins her run for president, but as time passes and money grows short, the pair struggle under the burden of Shirley’s campaign. Stage and screen performer Michael Cherrie plays Conrad.
She Paradise, Limbo
Played by Christina Jackson, Barbara Lee is a campaign employee who brings a dash of her radical politics to Chisholm’s strict operation. The real Barbara Lee is a current California representative who visited the set of Shirley.
“Having Barbara Lee come and visit the set was definitely like she was giving us Shirley’s blessing,” King said. “The fact that Barbara Lee is still making moves that affect our lives as a Congresswoman is huge, and to know that it started with meeting Shirley that one time. So we looked at this film as a rallying cry and to show, by example, a snapshot of this relationship between these two women and how it’s continued to nourish us.”
The Night House, Devotion, Outsiders, Deception
King’s sister, Reina King, plays Chisholm’s sister Muriel, one of her harshest critics. Frustrated by a campaign she sees as quixotic, Muriel isn’t afraid to let her sister know.
Reina also serves as co-producer on the film, and never expected to appear in it — she hasn’t acted since 1998. “I never thought that I was going to be in this film,” she said. “We had been auditioning people to play Muriel and no one was quite cutting it. I blame this all on John Ridley. We were at a location scout and he steps to me and says, ‘Reina, you and Regina are sisters. Why don’t you do Muriel?’ And my first thought was, ‘No, that’s not what I want to do.’ And then it just happened and it made sense.” It was their first time on-screen together.
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The segregationist presidential candidate and governor of Alabama is played by W. Earl Brown. As the presidential primary heats up, he becomes a prominent player.
Scream, There’s Something About Mary, The Master, Wild, Vanilla Sky, The Lone Ranger, Deep Impact
Shirley also stars Dorian Crossmond Missick, Amirah Vann, and Brad James.
In an pisode of the podcast Skip Intro, Regina and Reina King tell Krista Smith about their journey to bring Shirley to the screen. “It's been 15 years in the making,” Regina King says. Listen to the full interview.
Shirley is now streaming on Netflix.
