Free State of Jones - actors, characters and roles
All actors and their roles in the film "Free State of Jones"
Free State of Jones (2016)
Timing:
2:20 (140 min)
6.744/10
1446
1446
6.714/10
18041
18041
6.9/10
68000
68000
Actors and characters
Sean Bridgers
Character Sumrall
Jane McNeill
Character Miss Ellie
Gary Grubbs
Character Prosecuting Attorney
Carlton Caudle
Character Confederate Color Guard
Martin Bats Bradford
Character Freedman 1
Juan Gaspard
Character Confederate Soldier
David Maldonado
Character Polling Station Clerk
Serenity Neil
Character Schoolgirl
Emily Bossak
Character Town Folk
P.J. Marshall
Character Sergeant
Mattie Liptak
Character Stillman Coleman
Jill Jane Clements
Character Aunt Sally
Johnny McPhail
Character Old Man
William Mark McCullough
Character First Man
Kylen Davis
Character Boy at Alice Hotel
Troy Hogan
Character George
Cy Parks
Character Confederate Soldier
Stella Allen
Character Yeoman Girl
Cade Mansfield Cooksey
Character Older Coleman Brother
Tahj Vaughans
Character Maroon (uncredited)
What's left behind the scenes
- Actor Kensley Keys is the only African American native of Soso (Jones County, Mississippi) who is a descendant of Newton Knight. He played one of the soldiers in the film. By chance, Keys managed to speak with director Gary Ross after filming the battle scene. Moreover, he was similarly connected with Matthew McConaughey during a break in filming, to whom Keys explained why it was so important for him to appear in the film—it’s a story about his family and his hometown.
- In 2016, a document was discovered in the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, which was a request from Newton Knight to include him and his men in the Army of the Potomac. The document is dated 1864. Its discovery serves as confirmation of Knight’s claims.
- The battle scenes were filmed in Covington, Louisiana.
- The filmmakers received 7,000 photos and resumes from people wanting to participate as extras.
- The front doors of the police department vehicles read "Free State of Jones".
- Yvonne Smith, a descendant of Newton Knight, appeared as an extra in the film.
- Historian Rudy Leverett, author of "Legend of the Free State of Jones", who attempted to downplay the role of the rebellion and portray Newton Knight as a common bandit in his work, is the great-great-grandson of Amos McLemore, a Confederate Army major tasked with capturing Knight and his followers. McLemore fell by Knight’s hand.
- The floor in the medical tent was covered in blood. The fake blood was diluted with water to increase the coverage area and make the floor look more slippery. Filming had to be done without delay, as the floorboards quickly absorbed the diluted mixture.
- This is the second joint project between Matthew McConaughey and Jacob Lofland after Jeff Nichols’ drama 'Mud' (2012).
- One of the producers stated in an interview that at one point he considered naming the film 'Randy's Free State', but ultimately decided that 'Free State of Jones' sounded better.
- Keri Russell and Christopher Berry previously starred together in Matt Reeves’ sci-fi action film 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' (2014).
- Thomas Murphy and Christopher Berry previously starred together in Steve McQueen’s historical drama '12 Years a Slave' (2013).
- One of the producers confessed in an interview that they initially wanted to make Steve Gomer ( "The Incredible Adventures of Barney the Dinosaur", 1998) the film's director, but he had to decline due to commitments to other projects.
- Brendan Gleeson was supposed to appear in a cameo role in the film, but he was unable to participate in the filming due to commitments to other projects.
- Victoria Bynum, author of the novel "Free State of Jones: The Longest Civil War in Mississippi," played the role of a nurse in the film. She is the one sitting in the medical tent next to a soldier with a shoulder wound, reading Psalm 26 (27 in Masoretic numbering).
- A certain Christopher David McNight, a descendant of Newton Knight, the role played by Matthew McConaughey, appeared in the mass scenes of the film. Knight was McNight's great-great-great-grandfather. McNight, a resident of Lake Charles, Louisiana, heard about the film's shooting and applied to be an extra.
- Actor Kensley Kice is the only African American native of Soso (Jones County, Mississippi) who is a descendant of Newton Knight. He played one of the soldiers in the film. By sheer chance, Kice managed to talk to director Gary Ross after filming the battle scene. Moreover, fate brought him together with Matthew McConaughey during a break in filming, to whom Kice told why it was so important for him to star in this film – it's a story about his family and his homeland.
- The front doors of the Jones County Sheriff's Department vehicles are labeled “Free State of Jones”.
- Historian Rudy Leverett, author of “Legend of the Free State Jones,” who attempted to downplay the rebellion and portray Newton Knight as a common bandit, is the great-great-grandson of Amos McLemore, a Confederate Army major tasked with capturing Knight and his followers. McLemore fell by Knight’s hand.
- One of the producers stated in an interview that at one point he considered naming the film “Free State of Randy,” but ultimately decided that “Free State of Jones” sounded better.
- Keri Russell and Christopher Berry starred together in Matt Reeves' science fiction action film "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (2014).
- Thomas Murphy and Christopher Berry starred together in Steve McQueen's historical drama "12 Years a Slave" (2013).
- One of the producers once admitted in an interview that they initially wanted Steve Homer ("The Incredible Adventures of Barney the Dinosaur", 1998) to direct the film, but he had to decline due to commitments to other projects.
- Victoria Burnham, the author of the novel "Free State of Jones: The Longest Civil War in Mississippi," played the role of a nurse in the film. She is the one sitting in the medical tent near the soldier with a shoulder wound, reading Psalm 26 (27 in Masoretic numbering).
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