Check Out Mary J. Blige in Her Role as Betty Shabbaz

Facebook.com/MaryJBligeWith just a few weeks left until the premiere of the Lifetime movie Betty & Coretta, the network has handed over a sneak-peek of the film, starring Mary J. Blige and Angela Bassett.  The preview shows Mary in her role as Betty Shabazz, whose friendship with Coretta Scott King, deepens after the deaths of their husbands, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I believe this story, at its core, is really about women just being there for one another," Mary says in the preview.  "There were things that helped me to get in that mind-frame.  I used my friendships to understand what Betty and Coretta had for each other."

In one scene, Mary, in her role as Betty, says to Coretta, "You know, after Martin died, I saw on TV how you led that march down in Memphis, with your little ones by your side.  I was so amazed, but it's not a choice I would have made."

Away from the set, Angela says that Betty and Coretta were often portrayed as simply "'the wives of'" Malcolm and Martin, but Betty & Coretta digs deeper to capture the women's strength. 

Betty & Coretta premieres Saturday, February 2, at 8 p.m. ET, on Lifetime.

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