By Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — An A-list cast of young actors gathered in Midtown Monday night for the New York premiere of Robert Redford's "The Conspirator" — a historically accurate drama that stems from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
The film's stars, James McAvoy ("The Last King of Scotland"), Alexis Bledel ("Gilmore Girls") and Evan Rachel Wood ("The Wrestler"), all turned out for the Museum of Modern Art screening, along with director Robert Redford as well as co-stars Robin Wright and Kevin Kline.
"The Conspirator" tells the true story of Mary Surratt, the mother of one of the men who conspired to kill Lincoln and the owner of a boarding house where the conspirators are believed to have hatched the assassination. When Surratt (Wright) is arrested and charged with aiding the assassins, a young lawyer and Union war hero, Frederick Aiken (McAvoy), is forced to defend her in a kangaroo court military tribunal.
Though the "The Conspirator" is set in the 1860's, its stars were confident that the film would appeal to contemporary audiences and even younger theatergoers.
"I’m not the biggest history buff but when I saw it I was completely captivated," Wood, 23, recalled. "It's more about relationships and people rather than the actual event. I think history buffs and younger generations will like it."
McAvoy agreed, insisting that the film’s subject matter was especially relevant today.
"Miscarriages of justice…You don’t have to look far to see that," the Scottish actor remarked.
"The Conspirator" is the debut feature from the American Film Company, a production group dedicated to creating historically accurate fiction and owned by DNAinfo founder Joe Ricketts.
In addition to the bevy of talented stars, the film's producers enlisted the help of expert historians to oversee its creation.
Bledel noted that the filmmakers' commitment to history was often painstaking.
"The costumes are really from that time, a lot of them," Bledel said. "The dresses were falling apart so they had to sew them back up as we were wearing them."
"The Conspirator" opens April 15.
