André Holland Is Restoring an Old Movie Theater in His Alabama Birthplace — with His ‘Incredible’ Mother (Exclusive)
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The Lincoln Theatre in Bessemer, Alabama will become a cinema and community space, the ‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ star tells PEOPLE
Araya Doheny/WireImage Mary Holland and André Holland in 2014
André Holland can’t help but smile when says he and his mother are “as close as 19 is to 20.”The star of Exhibiting Forgiveness, artist-turned-director Titus Kaphar’s new movie, says it was his mom, Mary, who was “the one who introduced me to acting” in their Alabama hometown. “We had to drive really, really far to find any kind of arts programming at all,” André recalls. “And she was committed to doing that, she and my dad [Donald] both.”But, he tells PEOPLE, “it was a heavy lift” getting him to local theater companies to make his stage debut. “So one of the passions that she has, and that I have, is to bring arts programming to my immediate community that I grew up in, in Bessemer, Alabama.”
Steven Ferdman/Getty André Holland at the New York premiere of 'Exhibiting Forgiveness' on Oct. 9' title='NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 09: Andre Holland attends the New York premiere of "Exhibiting Forgiveness" at Museum of Modern Art on October 09, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)'>
Steven Ferdman/Getty André Holland at the New York premiere of 'Exhibiting Forgiveness' on Oct. 9
Related: André Holland Explains How 'Moonlight' Has Changed His Life
Through his non-profit organization The Holland Project, André and his mother, he explains, “found this old movie theater which we've purchased and are in the process of restoring.”The Lincoln Theatre in Bessemer is “going to be a single-screen cinema,” says the Moonlight star, like it was decades ago when it was a picture house dedicated to movies for Black audiences. “And then there's a little community center that we're building that's right next door to it — essentially a community space where we're going to give kids and people in the community access to world-class arts programming.”And Mary is “spearheading that whole thing,” he adds with a grin. “She is incredible.”Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Donald, who also supported a young André’s acting pursuits, sadly passed away “not long ago,” he says. “My relationship with my father was so wonderful.”
Araya Doheny/Getty André Holland and Mary Holland at the Ketel One Family Made Vodka Celebrates Filmmakers at the Official Gersh Agency Party at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 20
Related: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Changed Her Professional Name to Honor Her Late Mother: 'Love of My Life'
As if restoring an old cinema wasn’t enough, André is also busy running the production company that brought 2019's High Flying Bird and 2020 mini-series The Eddy to the screen. This year in addition to Exhibiting Forgiveness, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, he also played Walter Fauntroy in Shirley Chisholm biopic Shirley and led Apple TV+ series The Big Cigar.“I'm also in school,” reveals the actor-producer. “I'm doing a master's degree at the Harvard Divinity School. I've loved every second of it. The program is called Master's of Religion and Public Life, which is all about how to have our work, my work as an artist, have a greater impact in the world through the academic study of religion. It's been an amazing experience.”Exhibiting Forgiveness, which costars Andra Day, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, John Earl Jelks and Ian Foreman, is in theaters now. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People.
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