The relevance of Chadwick Boseman's biopic 'Marshall'

Chadwick Boseman and Josh Gad didn't hold anything back while talking to BUILD Series NYC about their new film "Marshall." The film is based on the first African-American Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and centers around one case where Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) has to defend a black chauffeur against his wealthy socialite employer in a sexual assault and attempted murder trial. Marshall's partnered with Samuel Friedman (Josh Gad), a young Jewish lawyer who has never tried a case.

While talking about the film, Boseman and Gad got a little political. They talked about how relevant the film is to America's current political and social climate. While the film takes place during WWII, they both make comparisons to the political climate then, to the one we live in now.

"When we first started the film people thought we lived in a racist free society, even though we had Ferguson, we had Trayvon Martin and many other things popping up. It's so clear now that this has been underneath the surface. This movie looks like us. It looks like where we are now. We have this piece of entertainment that people will watch and feel like they actually got something from that."

Josh Gad also chimed in on the message movies can give to people.

"In these times it's easy to tell very similar stories. A lot of times these movies feel like medicine, they feel like we are trying to force-feed you a very powerful message. This movie offers you a message of hope, and it offers a message of empowerment, which I think is really cool, and refreshing. At its core, it ["Marshall"] is essentially a superhero origin story."

"Marshall" is an important story that needs to be told for one simple reason, according to Gad.

"We need to rally together and not feel like there is hopelessness or futility in fighting for people who need our help. But as individuals, we can bring out the best in each other to rise up to the occasion. We have had a lot of discussion about race relations, but not a lot of resolutions. I think that this ["Marshall"] is a reminder of how far we have come and how much further we have to go."

"Marshall" will be available in theatres nationwide on October 13th.