Tyler Perry's new Netflix movie stars Kerry Washington in a true story about World War II’s only Women’s Army Corps unit of color.
Walking Dead actor Austin Nichols portrays Colonel Collins in a new Netflix original movie, The Six Triple Eight, directed by Tyler Perry. The film is inspired by the courageous story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-black and all-female battalion, in World War II.
The war drama was written and directed by Perry who produced with Nicole Avant, Angi Bones, Tony L. Strickland, Keri Selig, and Carlota Espinosa. The movie released on Netflix on Dec. 20 and quickly climbed to No. 2 on the Top 10 Movie List in the US.
The Six Triple Eight cast is led by Kerry Washington, who portrays Major Charity Adams, the first African-American woman to be an officer in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (later WACs). She was the commanding officer of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. This group of 855 women of color sorted through 17 million pieces of backlogged mail destined for US soldiers while undergoing discrimination in foreign land.
While this seemed an impossible task, these women were given six months to complete the task of lifting the soldiers' morale by ensuring they received the longed-for news from home; the 688th completed the assignment in less than 90 days.
The Six Triple Eight cast
Washington is joined by Ebony Obsidian (Sistas, Master of None), Milauna Jackson (A Jazzman’s Blues, How to Get Away with Murder), Kylie Jefferson (Tiny Pretty Things), Shanice Shantay (The Wiz Live!, Perfect Harmony), Sarah Jeffery (Across the Line, Charmed), and Pepi Sonuga (Queens, Famous in Love).
Other familiar faces included in the cast are Susan Sarandon as Eleanor Roosevelt, Dean Norris as General Halt, Sam Waterston as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Oprah Winfrey as Mary McLeod Bethune.
"A lot of people do not want us to succeed. We have the most to prove. "Washington as Capt. Charity Adama
The motto of the 6888th was "No mail, low morale." The story is based on actual events of the 6888th who, working in three eight-hour shifts, were determined to succeed where officials believed they could not. They were set up for failure with segregated housing in poorly maintained barracks, often with no heat or light. But they didn't let these obstacles stand in their way as they created a community based on bravery, determination, and ingenuity.
In 2018, the 6888th Battalion’s efforts were finally given their due. A monument to 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was dedicated at the Buffalo Soldier Monument Park at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Witness the inspiring story of The Six Triple Eight on Netflix now.
Austin Nichols portrayed Spencer Monroe in The Walking Dead and is known for his role as Julian Baker from One Tree Hill. He has also been cast in the upcoming fourth installment of the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise. Nichols other roles include Lifetime movieGaslit by My Husband: The Morgan Metzer Storyand the rom-comThe Christmas Classic.
