▁un ed uc ated . ▁M ild red ▁was ▁a ▁bit ▁more ▁educated ▁than ▁he ▁was , ▁but ▁I ▁think ▁everyone ▁else ▁under est im ated ▁their ▁ten acity , ▁their ▁belief ▁in ▁themselves , ▁their ▁love ▁for ▁each ▁other , ▁and ▁their ▁respect ▁for ▁each ▁other ." ▁In ▁an ▁interview ▁with ▁The ▁Boston ▁Glo be , ▁Neg ga ▁spoke ▁of ▁having ▁" al ready ▁been ▁gift ed , ▁personally " ▁by ▁playing ▁M ild red ▁and ▁getting ▁to ▁know ▁her ▁surv iving ▁family , ▁to ▁which ▁she ▁later ▁remarked , ▁" She ' s ▁my ▁hero . ▁But ▁what ' s ▁important ▁is ▁that ▁people ▁are ▁coming ▁out ▁of ▁this ▁movie ▁genu in ely ▁moved ▁because ▁what ▁they ▁see ▁is ▁kind ness . ▁In ▁many ▁ways , ▁[ M ild red ] ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁un com fort able ▁[ by ▁the ▁attention ] ▁but ▁their ▁legacy ▁is ▁important ▁... ▁I ▁think ▁school children ▁will ▁know ▁their ▁names ." ▁▁ ▁Mart on ▁Cs ok as ▁as ▁Sher iff ▁Bro oks ▁A ▁powerful ▁local ▁figure ▁whom ▁everybody ▁in ▁Caroline ▁County ▁knew ▁and ▁fe ared . ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁more ▁difficult ▁roles ▁to ▁cast ▁was ▁that ▁of ▁Sher iff ▁R . ▁Gar nett ▁Bro oks , ▁with ▁Nich ols ▁himself ▁not ▁seeing ▁Bro oks ▁as ▁the ▁bad ▁gu y ▁of ▁the ▁story ▁or ▁even ▁as ▁a ▁nem esis ▁to ▁the ▁couple , ▁not ing ▁that ▁the ▁law man ' s ▁belief s ▁about ▁race ▁and ▁marriage ▁were ▁common place . ▁Nich ols ▁explains :