Trini actor Michael Cherrie lands role in Shirley

Trinidadian award-winning actor Michael Cherrie has been cast alongside Academy award-winning actress Regina King (The Harder They Fall) in her upcoming movie Shirley.

Cherrie, who is based in Trinidad,  will portray King’s husband Conrad O Chisholm in the film produced by Participant and Regina King’s Royal Ties Productions.

King will star as Shirley Chisholm in the film, written and directed by Academy-Award winner John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Guerrilla, Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992).

Shirley is the intimate portrayal of trailblazing political icon Shirley Chisholm, who was born to a Barbadian family and was the first black Congresswoman and the first black woman to run for president of the US, at great personal cost to herself.

This film will tell the story of Chisholm's boundary-breaking and historic election campaign, based on exclusive and extensive conversations with family, friends and those who knew her best.

Labelled "the Black Brando" for his performance in Britain’s Channel 4 television production of Kittitian-born Caryl Phillips’ The Final Passage in 1996, Cherrie is a Cacique-award winning actor who has appeared in numerous theatrical and film productions in TT and the USA.

His theatre credits in the US include: A Streetcar named Desire (Pablo), Lobby Hero (William), a production of A Raisin in the Sun where he played Walter Lee Younger and Arthur Feinsod’s new play Table 17 where he played Winston Todd. His last appearance in the US was as Marcus Garvey at the Centre for Caribbean Studies at Trinity College’s Marcus and Amy Garvey State Visit to Hartford, Connecticut..

His onscreen work includes: Home Again for Telefilm Canada, The Mystic Masseur (Man in the Yellow Suit) for Merchant Ivory Films, and the recent Tribeca Film Festival-selected She Paradise, directed by Maya Cozier.

Cherrie is represented by Question Mark Entertainment.

Commenting on his casting in the Netflix-bound production, Question Mark’s founders Simon Baptiste and Carolyn Pasea said: “Question Mark has always taken pride in managing extraordinary talent. Michael's body of work and dedication to his craft certainly speak volumes, but his integrity and character are what makes him stand out, and the major reason why we wanted to represent him. Michael is a good soul who wants to see everyone succeed, and that drives us to work harder on his behalf each and every day.”

Cherrie will act alongside a cast that also includes Lance Reddick (John Wick 1-4), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), Christina Jackson (Swagger), Dorian Missick (For Life), Amirah Vann (Underground), W. Earl Brown (Deadwood), with André Holland (Passing) and Terrence Howard (Empire).

Participant will be focusing its impact work tied to Shirley around the company’s ongoing dedication to advancing civic engagement and social justice.

Shirley will air on Netflix at a date to be announced.