Naomie Harris stars as a Kenyan teacher determined to help educate an 84 year old man who wants nothing more than to learn to read in the inspirational film, The First Grader, based on a true story. Directed by Justin Chadwick (The Other Boleyn Girl), the biopic of Kimani Maruge (played by Oliver Litondo) tells the story of the Mau Mau Rebellion survivor's struggle to obtain an education after the Kenyan government declared all citizens were eligible for a free primary school education. However, the lack of open spots in elementary schools meant that the 84 year old Maruge had to fight to be admitted, angering many parents and politicians who felt it wasn't in the school's best interest to accept Maruge as a student. But with Jane as his one and only ally, Maruge is determined to stand up against the opposition and finally learn how to read and write.
Harris (Ninja Assassin) was unaware of the story before signing on to the film. "I didn't know, I am ashamed to say, about the Mau Mau and the whole Kenyan history with the British colonizing them," said Harris at the LA press day for The First Grader. "I didn't know anything about that at all. It wasn't until I was asked to be a part of the project and then was reading the script that I was educated about that."
And after reading the script, Harris did a bit of additional research on the subject. "You want to do as much as you need to get the truth conveyed and make sure it is grounded in reality and that you know what you are talking about. For Jane Obinchu, she would have known the historical background, but she wouldn't have known that much about it. It is really Maruge [played by Oliver Litondo] and being part of the Mau Mau - that is part of his history," explained Harris.
Harris admits she was a little leery about meeting the real Jane, but it turned out her worries were unfounded. "I played one other role where the person I was playing was alive: Denise in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll. It was really intimidating. I met her before I started and she had very strong ideas about how she wanted to be perceived. I can't impersonate someone. That is not what I do. I can only take someone's essence and create a character out of that. So, I felt really scared about meeting Jane and I kept trying to put it off because if she came in and said, 'That is not actually me,' or 'That is not how I am,' I would feel really bad about that. So she didn't come until late on in filming and she watched me do a scene with the kids and she was, 'You've really got it. You've really captured my essence.' It was such a relief."
"Jane is a very strong character. She is a lot older than me. She is a fighter. She is a survivor. She has a big heart and is compassionate and dedicated to her job, so those kinds of essences I brought into my character. But if you saw us side-to-side, I think you would say the characters are very different people."
The film is set in a elementary school, and the children in the movie had never seen a film or television set before. But that didn't matter as they wound up being very enthusiastic about the process throughout the filming. While working on the project Harris formed a special relationship with the kids, and it was tough to say good-bye to them once production was over. "It was really, really hard," admits Harris. "Justin Chadwick [the director] asked me to come out three weeks before the shoot began, which is very unusual when you are filming. Normally, you come out three days before you start filming at the most, or a week. Three weeks seemed really excessive. He was, 'I want you to really connect with the children.' So, I went over reluctantly, because I didn't need three weeks to connect because I have a young brother and sister. My brother is 15; my sister is 12. My dad is a teacher and I go to his school and I work with the children. I was, 'I will take a day and I will be fine.'"
"Actually, I am so glad that I had that time because they are completely different children to the children that I have known because they are shy. They are very, very gentle, and it takes them a long time because it is so disrespectful to look an adult in the eye. It is not in their culture. You certainly don't answer back or engage in dialogue with an adult, and certainly not a teacher. So it took a long time for them to warm to me and to open up. It was really, really hard work. Once you got them to open up, it was such a privilege. When they do things like come and hold your hand, or stroke your hair … it just broke my heart leaving them after that."
Harris was also deeply affected by her time spent filming in Kenya. The First Grader wasn't the first production she's worked on that shot in Africa, and working there has had an impact on her outlook. "I have filmed in Africa quite a bit now. What I generally get – different parts of Africa are completely different – but what I get from being in Africa generally is a sense of warmth and openness. As a stranger, you are always welcome into people's homes and people are always offering you food. That kind of generosity is incredibly touching."
"Also what I got from it is that in Western society, we look at education as a bit of a chore: 'Ugh. I have to get to school and do my exams.' I am sure I have been guilty of that myself. When you go somewhere like Kenya and you see how the children don't have pencils and pens – all of these things are considered luxuries – and what a privilege they see education as and how hungry they are to learn, that, for me, wanted me to come back to my brother and sister and give them long lectures. That definitely stayed with me."
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The First Grader hits theaters on May 13, 2011.
