Why ‘Selma’ Star David Oyelowo Was ‘Frozen’ on Movie Set

— -- The film “Selma” has won critical acclaim and four Golden Globe nominations, including the first ever for an African-American female director, and a best actor in a drama nod for David Oyelowo, who plays civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

Selma tells the story of the 1965 voting rights march led by King, and in an interview with ABC News’ Amy Robach, Oyelowo, 38, said he felt a “deep spiritual connection to the script.”

Oyelowo, who is British, worked with a dialect coach to recreate King’s distinctive southern cadence, gained about 30 pounds for the role and spent time with King’s friends.

It was all in an effort to “get close” to King, Oyelowo said, and it appears to have paid off.

Oyelowo described an unexpected meeting on the movie set with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, a celebrated leader of the civil rights movement.

“You know what, it was one of the most extraordinary things,” he said. “I hadn't met him before. The first time I met him was on the set of ‘Selma’ and he walked straight up to me -- I was in costume as Dr. King -- and he said ‘Dr. King, it is so nice to see you again.’”

Oyelowo said he was “just frozen.”

“What a thing to say, having not seen his friend for nearly 50 years,” the actor said.

The film has been a long time coming. Oyelowo said he stuck with the project for seven years.

“And here we are,” he said.

The timing of the film couldn’t be more unexpected. The film premiered December 14 in New York, one day after tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets of New York City and Washington, D.C., to protest the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and other African-American men after encounters with police officers.

Oyelowo said the parallels were “undeniable.”

“There were many frustrating bumps in the road towards this moment,” he said. “I actually got attached to the project officially in 2010 and still we struggled to get this film off the ground but when I look at what's going on in the nation now it just being such a perfect time for this movie, all of that frustration fades away.”

In addition to the Golden Globe nominations for Oyelowo and director Ava DuVernay, “Selma” received Golden Globe nominations for best drama and best original song for "Glory," written by John Legend and Common.