New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The 20th Century Fox hosted a special event in Toronto yesterday for its film Hidden Figures. The upcoming movie stars Tarji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae and details the true story of three black female scientists who helped get America's space program off the ground in the 1960s.
Pharrel Williams put on a special performance for the local, outdoor crowd at the Toronto International Film Festival. To fan surprise, the hitmaker debuted some new music from the soundtrack to the film, including the song "Running," and collaborations with Lalah Hathaway and Kim Burrell, both of whom also surprised by appearing on stage to perform the song for the first time live.
Williams said he and "my brother," co-composer Hans Zimmer, are working on score: "I dare say it's revolutionary," claimed Williams.
He and the cast, however, were certain that Hidden Figures will prove a timely movie and one that inspires many that they have the Right Stuff. "No women, not black or white, were mentioned in Apollo 13 or all of these other movies," said Spencer.
Check out some footage of Pharell's performance below:
Over the weekend, Pharrell sat in alongside the film's three leading ladies for a Facebook Live Q&A. They discussed the importance of telling such an inspiring story. "When I read it, I cried because I was emotionally attached to the women, but I was also upset, I was mad that I as an American didn't know about these American heroes," said Janelle Mon�e.
Directed by Theodore Melfi (St. Vincent) and based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures is to open in theatres on January 13, 2017. But many expect the film - comic and crowd-pleasing from the looks of the footage - will first play in December in order to make a late awards push.