'Selma' actor Stan Houston speaks with Channel 11

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Stan Houston, the actor that played Sheriff Jim Clark in the award-winning movie “Selma,” was set to speak to children at The Neighborhood Academy School in Pittsburgh on Thursday morning.

However, due to snow, Houston did not get to speak to the children at the school but he did talk to WPXI about his role in the movie and about why he almost turned down the blockbuster opportunity.

https://twitter.com/ByTonyAtkins/status/573542337290334208

“We wanted to express to the kids the importance of voting and what their forefathers did for that simple right to vote,” said Houston.

In “Selma,” Houston played the role of Sheriff Jim Clark. He revealed to WPXI that he nearly turned down the role.

“I actually turned the role down twice,” he said. “You have to go to a dark place to play such a monster. So I didn’t really want to go there, but eventually I went and auditioned.”

Since its Christmas Day release, “Selma” has seen big numbers at the box office and was nominated for four Golden Globes, winning one for “Best Original Song.”

WPXI