It was unbelievable, Washington recalls toEntertainment Weekly.

It felt like she was with us.

It also lent to the mounting pressure to get it right, says the star and executive producer.

The Six Triple Eight. (L-R) Milauna Jackson as Lt. Campbell and Kerry Washington as Major Charity Adams in The Six Triple Eight

Milauna Jackson and Kerry Washington in ‘The Six Triple Eight’.Bob Mahoney/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy Netflix

Back home, families of those soldiers worried sick.

One such member was Lena Derriecott King, whose perspective anchors the Netflix film.

The real King, who died in January at 100, served as a consultant on the film.

The Six Triple Eight. (L-R) Gregg Sulkin as Abram David and Ebony Obsidian as Lena Derriecott King in The Six Triple Eight.

Gregg Sulkin and Ebony Obsidian in ‘The Six Triple Eight’.bob Mahoney/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy Netflix

bob Mahoney/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy Netflix

Laura Radford/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy Netflix

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Her memory was amazing.

I had a historian that I worked with and he verified how factual everything she was saying was.

The Six Triple Eight. Ebony Obsidian as Lena Derriecott King in The Six Triple Eight.

Ebony Obsidian in ‘The Six Triple Eight’.Laura Radford/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy Netflix

That historian is Kevin M. Hymel whose article Fighting a Two-Front War served as a basis for the film.

He helped bring the story to screen, pouring over every article and archival footage they could find.

I talked to people who knew her and had worked with her and loved her, shares Washington.

The Six Triple Eight. (L-R) Sarah Jeffrey as Dolores Washington, Pepi Sonuga as Elaine White, Milauna Jackson as Captain Campbell, Moriah Brown as Inez, Shanice Shantay as Johnnie Mae and Ebony Obsidian as Lena Derriecott King in The Six Triple Eight.

‘The Six Triple Eight’.Laura Radford/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy Netflix

I tried to submerge myself in as much of her legacy as I could.

Perry knew Washington would be his Charity Adams at the get-go.

Every time I wrote a line for Charity Adams, I saw Kerry Washington, says Perry.

The Six Triple Eight. (L-R) Milauna Jackson as Lt. Campbell, Kerry Washington as Major Charity Adams and Ebony Obsidian as Lena Derriecott King in The Six Triple Eight.

Milauna Jackson, Kerry Washington, and Ebony Obsidian in ‘The Six Triple Eight’.Bob Mahoney/Perry Well Films 2/Courtesy Netflix

She said she wasn’t sure how we’re going to do a story about the mail.

But after she read the script, she really got it.

The adaptation stays true to life, though Perry took some poignant creative liberties toward the end.

Namely, when the battalion returned from the war and were saluted by fellow white male soldiers.

They weren’t celebrated, says Perry.

A lot of their own children didn’t even know they served.

They never even talked about it.

Perry and Washington soldiered on to put the story on the frontlines.

She came to you, reflects Washington.

We want to celebrate and lift them up.

When these systems doubt you, it can cause you to doubt yourself.

They just never fell victim to any of that.

The timing of the film, Perry says, feels particularly apt amidst our fraught political landscape post-Nov. 5.

Its lending to inspiration, to people having hope, so I think the timing is perfect.

I’m hoping more of these kinds of stories get an opportunity to be told.

The real King was even able to watch a cut before her passing.

When I found out her health was failing, I got a rushed cut to her, says Perry.

She cried as she watched it.

Every image took her back.

It was so exciting to share it with them, says Washington.

Im just happy that they were proud.