Recently, David Oyelowo has played Martin Luther King Jr. in “Selma” and shared the stage with Daniel Craig in “Othello.” He’s back in theaters this weekend with “A United Kingdom,” based on the true story of Seretse Khama, the King of Botswana, who caused an international scandal when he married a white woman named Ruth Williams in 1947. Directed by Amma Asante (“Belle”) and starring Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”) as Ruth, Oyelowo is also a producer on the film.

He notes he “became obsessed with this story” after reading the book “The Colour Bar” by Susan Williams and was “ashamed” he had never heard of their story. Oyelowo’s wife Jessica Oyelowo also appears in the film, and he says of similarities between him and his character, “I’m married to a white woman myself but we have not faced anything like what Ruth and Seretse faced.”