Find out why Glenn Close’s role in “The Deliverance” has everyone talking. Explore her powerful performance and the impact it’s made.
Glenn Close/Aaron Ricketts/Netflix
Story by Joyann Jeffrey and Candice Williams/Today
Fans can’t stop talking about Glenn Close’s portrayal in Lee Daniels’ new movie, “The Deliverance.”
Loosely based on a true story, Daniels’ horror film centers on a family who experiences supernatural events after they move into their first home in Gary, Indiana.
The movie stars Andra Day as Ebony, a single mom of three, Glenn Close as Ebony’s mom, Alberta, and Mo’Nique as Cynthia, a Department of Child Services (DCS) social worker assigned to Ebony’s family.
While fan reaction to the film was mixed, with some praising it and others saying that it wasn’t worth the watch, many who took to social media had a lot to say about Glenn Close’s portrayal of Alberta, Ebony’s no-nonsense mom.
“She killed it,” a fan said of her role.
Another added, “Like she really nailed the white hood mom with mixed kids. From the outfits, to the shake and go wigs, the curved French tips… I was screaming.”
A third said, “She was the beat (sic) part of the movie lol.”
One fan even called out Daniels for the way Close was styled.
“Lee Daniels really got Glenn Close with a black baby daddy hair cut and gold name chain in this movie,” the person wrote on X.
Prior to the film’s release, Daniels teased Close’s portrayal of Alberta in an Instagram carousel, thanking the actor in the caption for “bringing her magnificently to life.”
“Every Black person knows an Alberta,” he wrote. “She’s part of the fabric of our community, but we’ve never seen her on screen before.”
In an interview with People, Close said she didn’t take her role of Alberta lightly.
“When [Daniels] told me that there are white women like this in every Black community, I was intrigued and I wanted to do her justice,” she said. “And so the journey began.”
It’s worth noting, that Close’s portrayal is loosely based on the real-life Latoya Ammons, a Black woman, as one fan points out.
“#TheDeliverance is based on a true story about the woman on the left. Glenn Close played her in the movie…, the fan wrote, sharing a picture of Ammons and Close side by side. “Lee Daniels…n—- you gonna have to pay for yours crimes one day…”
Aside from Close, fans had plenty to say about Mo’Nique’s appearance in the film.
Sharing a clip from the film showing Mo’Nique confronting Day about her DCS case, the fan wrote on X, “When I tell you this scene had me hollering.”
“How Precious mama done became the social worker?” they continued, referring to Mo’Nique’s past role as an abusive mom in “Precious.”
Another shared a photo of Mo’Nique with an Academy Award and said, “Monique got that Oscar for a reason. The new film #Deliverance is proof of her range.”
A third added, “She is acting downnnnnnmn.”
Though fan reaction varied, critics seemed to have a different take on the thriller, giving “The Deliverance” a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.
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This article was originally published on TODAY.com
