Fishburne: He’s A Really Marvelous Character

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation‘s leading man Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston) is currently taking the stage in Washington, DC to portray Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall in the one-man play Thurgood.

As CSI Files previously reported, Marshall was the first African-American individual to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, and he played a vital role during the civil rights movement. Fishburne was drawn to the part as soon as he read the script. “First and foremost, he’s a really marvelous character, chiefly because he was such a brilliant storyteller,” the actor told PBS NewsHour. “Secondly, the man’s life’s work has affected everybody in this country in really important ways.” He added that Marshall’s work during the civil rights movement was “a really important part of our recent history.”

Fishburne didn’t know much about Marshall before working on Thurgood. Luckily for him, the play was filled with information about the man. “It’s a great gift to be able to share that with an audience in this way because it comes at you in a very unexpected way,” he explained. “This is a man who simply comes out and says, ‘Hey, let me tell you the story of my life.'” The actor hopes that people come away from the play with “a greater appreciation for our civil liberties, the things we take for granted.”

You can watch the original interview on PBS.org. You can also find a second video embedded below that discusses the play and explains a connection between Marshall and current Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.