Called to Act: André Holland on Purpose, Community, and Creating Room for Others

André Holland has built an acclaimed career through performances in Moonlight, Selma, The Knick, High

Flying Bird, and more—but his deepest calling reaches far beyond the screen.

In this conversation with Mick Hunt, André shares how his parents and his Bessemer, Alabama

community taught him to move with integrity, care for his gifts, and stay shoulder to shoulder with the

people who helped him flourish. He opens up about the teacher who made him feel truly seen, the

responsibility he feels to create opportunities for emerging voices, and why commitment is the word he

hopes will define his life.

André also discusses They Fight, his preparation as a character actor, Harper Road, and the Holland

Project’s restoration of Bessemer’s historic Lincoln Theatre.

This is a conversation about calling, craft, second chances, community, and planting trees whose fruit

may belong to the next generation.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN