(The Root) — The stars of 42 mixed it up with baseball Hall of Famers and other celebrities at Tuesday night's premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.
Many of the attendees reflected on the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson, the Hall of Fame baseball player who wore the No. 42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers when he became the first African American to integrate Major League Baseball in 1947.
The film's star, Chadwick Boseman, didn't stop and chat with us on the red carpet but told The Root on Monday that Robinson, who died at age 53 in 1972, was "a fighter. It was necessary to have somebody that had that fighting spirit in order to endure what he had to go through."
Other 42 stars in attendance included Harrison Ford (Branch Rickey), Christopher Meloni (Leo Durocher), Andre Holland (Wendell Smith), John C. McGinley (Red Barber), Dusan Brown (Ed Charles), James Pickens Jr. (Mr. Brock), Ryan Merriman (Dixie Walker) and Lucas Black (Pee Wee Reese). Former baseball players Dave Winfield, Joe Morgan, Ken Griffey Jr. and Ed Charles also came out, as well as Robinson's 90-year-old widow, Rachel Robinson.
Many of those in attendance, including actress Loretta Devine, shared their memories of Jackie Robinson with us on the carpet. Griffey told us that he "can't thank him enough for what he did so I could go out there and play the game I love to play."
The film opens this weekend.