The Big Picture

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor chooses projects with important messages.

The Deliverance
is based on real events of the Ammons haunting case.
Ellis-Taylor’s preparation for heavy scenes involved a spiritual advisor and personal faith background.

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor acts with conviction and she doesn’t just take on any role. If you take a look at her filmography, it’s clear that she chooses projects that resonate with an important message. The Color Purple, If Beale Street Could Talk, Cover, King Richard, and The Birth of a Nation are just a few of the projects she’s starred in over her decorated career as an actress. The forthcoming Lee Daniels-directed horror film The Deliverance is no exception.

The first-look trailer gave a hint about the battle Ellis-Taylor and her co-stars would be up against in the film. “Remember, before we get started, whatever it says to you, do not listen to it,” she tells Andra Day in the opening sequence. “It will play on your heart, it will play on your mind.” Based on the real-life events of the Ammons haunting case, the film sees an embattled mother of three, Ebony, seek the help of a faith leader who conducts a spiritual practice known as the deliverance to help save demonic souls. Ahead of the film’s release, Ellis-Taylor spoke with Collider about how she prepared for such heavy scenes.

The Deliverance (2024) A woman returns to her childhood home to confront dark secrets from her past. As supernatural forces emerge and family tensions rise, she must uncover the truth behind her haunting visions and protect her loved ones from an ancient evil threatening their lives.Release Date August 30, 2024

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Pulled Inspiration From Her Background for ‘The Deliverance’
While acting is about embodying different characters, playing a leader of faith who engages in specific practices is no easy feat. Ellis-Taylor had a desire to not just play the part, but actually come across as believable. She had two things to her advantage: an assigned spiritual advisor on the film, and her own personal experience of religion and faith.

Related Aunjanue Ellis on ‘King Richard’ and Will Smith’s Process for Playing the Role She also talks about what were some of the things she heard about the story that she figured were made up but were actually true.

“I had an extraordinary trainer in Apostle Louis Dickens, who helped me to understand what he does. And he is actually a practitioner of the deliverance practice. He made sure that I met other women who work in that practice as well,” she told us. “So he wanted me to, not just, ‘This is how you do it.’ But this is what the life is…And I think the thing that lives in me is just my own background of. Where I came from, we didn’t cast out demons, but we know what the Holy Ghost is, and the transformative power of that.”

The Real-Life Exorcist

The Rev. Michael Maginot was eventually contacted by a hospital chaplain at the peak of the Ammons family’s turmoil. He interviewed the family for four hours and was convinced they were under attack by a demonic presence, as reported by the Indy Star in 2014.

He said he also believed there were ghosts in the house, and advised the family to leave the home because it was unsafe. Before leaving the home, he prayed, read from the Bible, and sprinkled holy water in each room. The family temporarily moved in with a relative.

Eventually, Maginot asked for permission and was granted to perform an exorcism at the family home and with Ammons, her mother, and children. He says it was the first time in 21 years such a request was granted due to the extremities of the case. He performed three exorcisms in total, with witnesses from Department of Children Services and local police and detectives.

Andra Day and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Create Magic In-Scene Together

Day’s character Ebony needs her deliverance practice. Their scenes together will have viewers on the edge of their seats. The chemistry is undeniable. And it’s not something that Ellis-Taylor says was forced. “There were scenes that I did with Andra that I just felt like I was talking to my sister, just talking to my friend, just talking to my sister. Andra is lovely…I felt an intimacy with her. And it can only be achieved with the level of actor that she is,” Ellis-Taylor explained.

Watch the full interview with Ellis-Taylor above and on our YouTube Channel. The Deliverance is now in select theaters and available to stream on Netflix on August 30.

Stream on Netflix