For many black actresses, getting work is challenging. Whether it's TV, film or theater, the competition for roles is fierce. For Aunjanue Ellis, who has been acting for more than 10 years, the timing couldn't be better.

This spring, Ellis starred alongside Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. in the TV film 'Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story.' Next week, she'll be on the big screen with another Oscar winner, Denzel Washington, in the remake of 'The Taking of Pelham 123.'

Currently, the San Francisco native is enjoying her time on Broadway in August Wilson's 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone,' which has been nominated for several Tony Awards. The play, which is about the great migration of African Americans from the farms of the South to the cities of the North, is captured in this drama of folks passing through a Pittsburgh boarding house in 1911. One of them is on a special quest, to find a mystical "shining man." When a threatening stranger arrives, he suspects his quest may be at an end.

In speaking with Black Voices, Ellis spoke about her work in the play, seeing President Obama in the audience this past weekend and working with Denzel Washington on 'Pelham.'

How's your day going?

Aunjanue Ellis: It's going okay. I'm extremely happy about the play. Being on a play on Broadway is beyond my wildest imagination. For it to get the kind of response that it's been getting, I don't even know what to say about that.

What's it's like to be in an August Wilson play?

AE: The thing about his plays is that they are male-centric. It's very much about the black male experience and the 20th century, and when he does write for women, it doesn't have as much depth as his male characters. From what I understand, 'Joe Turner' has more women than all of his other plays. The roles in the play are amazing and powerful and ferocious. I didn't take this job because of the role. I took the job because of the play and what it's saying. It's so much about when you are battling something and losing your way, you can't stand up and you have to find yourself in order to do that. This story is so relevant today. One of the things that Bartlett Sher, our director, said that was so profound was, "Everything as you know it has changed. From the financial markets to the artistic world, the world is not the same." When someone comes along like Barack Obama, who has that voice, and in his way, he is the shining man. I think it's very timely to be a part of this production.

AE: I was incredibly nervous and could not go to sleep. My stomach was in knots. I almost threw up. I was terrified. I was so, so nervous. When we started the show, here was a man who I voted for and campaigned for and I still believe in. It was an amazing experience.

How would you describe your character?

AE: I play Molly Cunningham, and I would say that she's a nomad. I think there are a lot of people in the house who would qualify as nomads. I think that Molly is one of these women from 1911 who's timeless. She's not set on tradition or ways. She's a survivor, and she comes into this house and she challenges everybody. That's who she is. She's a heretic.

Are you excited for this weekend's Tony Awards?

AE: I am excited. We're nominated for best revival of a play and one of my cast members, Roger Robinson, who's doing an amazing job on the show and whom I consider one of the greatest actors of all time, is nominated for best featured actor in a play. My prayer is that he wins. I'm very excited about that.

What motivates you to do theater as often as you do?

AE: I want to get it right. I've never felt that I succeeded when I have done other plays. I've always felt I was never fully me or better if it wasn't something of my own creation. I wasn't fully inhabited. I've been panned by critics. I've been dogged out and kicked to the curb. Some brutal things have been said about my work and that happens. So I always want to get it right for myself, and I'm glad to be a part of this production. It's a success for me because I feel that I did that best that I can do, and everyday I'm trying harder and harder, and I never let any performance go to waste. I'm very proud.

You also have big project out next week starring with Denzel Washington in 'The Taking of Pelham 123.' What attracted you to that role?

AE: That was a no-brainer. To be honest with you, one of my friends from California told me I needed to see this movie, and I since I'm in New York, he told me it's one of these amazing, ideal New York films. He showed the original 'The Taking of Pelham 123' with Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. It's a breathtaking movie. Walter Matthau is just hilarious and good in this amazing thriller. It became one of my favorite movies. I then found out that there were doing a remake of it, and then I got a call to read for the role of the wife of Denzel's character. It's a small role. I read for it, and it ended up coming my way. One of my fantasies was to play alongside Denzel in a film. I'm just glad to be a part of it.

Although you don't share much screen time with Denzel, how was working with him?

AE: The one thing that I would say is that he did not have to be there that day when I worked. It was something he could have done by phone, but he wanted to be there. Somehow I saw the director's notes and there was a note that Denzel requested he be present when I worked, and I thought that was so generous of him. I wasn't there when he had to do his scenes where I'm on the other end of the phone. His wanting to be there for me is such a testament to his generosity and his commitment to making sure that things are authentic and truthful. I was so honored and blessed by that. Even though we weren't in the same room when I worked, it was really special that he was there.

How do you balance doing TV, film and theater?

AE: Sometimes it happens when I have to choose some things. I did 'Pelham' in the beginning of 2008 and 'The Ben Carson Story' in the fall of last year, and the play came around in the beginning of this year. The timing worked out for me.