The Men of “COLORED GIRLS”
Richard Lawson costars as “Frank” in the Tyler Perry film adaptation, “For Colored Girls”
Recently, I had the pleasure of hosting an advance showing of the new Tyler Perry movie, FOR COLORED GIRLS, based on the award winning play from Bay Area noted author, Ntozake Shange, taken from her book of choreopoems titled, “For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf.”
In 1974, Shange’s “Colored Girls” made its stage debut, combining poetry, dance and music, and most significantly, placing the black female experience center stage. In lyrical, honest, angry, funny and tender language, this heralded work evoked the feelings woven into the fabric of black female life in America. Within two years, the play became a Broadway sensation, won an Obie and Tony Award, and would eventually be produced in regional theaters throughout the country.
Now, some 36 years later, filmmaker Perry’s adaptation weaves together the stories of nine different women – Jo, Tangie, Crystal, Gilda, Kelly, Juanita, Yasmine, Nyla and Alice – as they move into and out of one another’s existences; some are well known to one another, others are as yet strangers. Crises, heartbreaks and crimes will ultimately bring these nine women fully into the same orbit where they will find commonality and understanding.
Each will speak her truth as never before. And, each will know that she is complete as a human being, glorious and divine in all her colors.
The capacity audience at the Regal Jack London Square Cinema in Oakland, CA came away from the screening feeling empowered, well represented, emotionally charged and appreciative of Perry’s effort, many calling it his best film.
Testament to such is Vashone Huff, Chief Protocol Officer, City of Oakland, commenting, “Tyler's Perry's provocative adaptation of Shange's For Colored Girls resonated with the very essence of the vibrancy, evolution and struggle of the black woman. I was overwhelmed as each character’s words and responses to life situations; I could ‘amen.’ It made me proud of my own personal evolution as a colored girl...Oscar worthy performances.”
Another enthusiast, Jada Roseman described the film thusly, “...amazing, breathtaking, unexpected, and exciting. This film hit home on so many different levels at some point in everyone’s life.”
Loretta Devine and Richard Lawson in a scene from “For Colored Girls”
I sat with Richard Lawson who is cast as “Frank” in this film to discuss COLORED GIRLS and his encounters with black women --
Sandra Varner (Talk2SV): Some would say this play is the seminal work of Ntozake Shange, chiefly because it is carried over from the 70’s to present day with multiple messages for African American women, one being how we are reflected in this culture. As part of this film adaptation, what is your interpretation of this work and the meaning of your placement within it?
Richard Lawson: Well, in 1975, I met Ntozake and we worked together; she directed me, Denzel (Washington), Sam Jackson, CCH Pounder and Bill Cobb in ‘The Mighty Gents.’ I did several of her other pieces: ‘Three for a Full Moon,’ ‘Focus,’ so I’ve worked with her on a number of occasions and she’s a friend. This piece resonates today because I think it’s a universal experience, it’s not just an African American woman’s experience. It is a woman’s experience in terms of dealing with relationships and identity and feeling good about oneself and the men. I’ve even heard some rumblings in terms of people not liking the image of black men in the film; I think it’s important to understand that in order to really paint light, you have to paint dark so the vision that we get from the woman’s experience doesn’t exist unless the dark side is revealed.
I think what’s also important is for us to understand that we cannot be sensitive about exposing the sides of ourselves that may not necessarily be the prettiest. We have to be willing to look at the warts so that we can grow as a people, so we have a greater understanding of how we can recognize when relationships like that exist. If you’re in the middle of a relationship, it’s kind of hard to see yourself because your nose is right on the page. But you can recognize it in other people that you love. What can you do about it? You can recognize abuse, you can recognize lack of communication, infidelity…even though my character, Frank, is considered to be infidel, he’s not really, he’s not married.
Talk2SV: Oh, so these are just other women in his life?
Lawson: This man had his own issues you know what I mean. We could --if the film was long enough and we were to do the epic film-- have a chance to get into the lives of men in terms of, ‘why is he like that?’ He’s really a good guy, but why can’t he maintain a relationship or be honest or stay connected. He has his own issues so you can get into the issues of this man; he is not just an evil person. None of the men [in the film are] are evil. They are a product of the sum parts of their upbringing and their lives need examination as well. Now, the result of that is this, someone’s life is ruined because of it. You know, people don’t grow up in this world with the intention of being bad and evil, it occurs for a number of reasons…out of some need or some other reasons, so that’s my take on that. I’m glad to see this thing finally come to the screen.
Talk2SV: It is a hard story to tell as well as to “take in” and as you’ve said, there have been rumblings of dark nature of this film; further, some have asked, “why is Tyler (Perry) doing it and so forth?” Whatever side you stand on, the reality is getting this story told was a remarkable feat. Talk about your experience working with Tyler Perry.
Richard Lawson, far right, in scene from Steven Spielberg’s “Poltergeist”
Lawson: It was an amazing experience. First of all, I knew that I was going to be working with thoroughbreds: everyone in this film has had some history in terms of making films, doing stage… they are accomplished professionals. All of us can look at any one of our resumes and we can see that we had a body of work so to show up on the set and to know that you’re going to be with people who can really bring it was amazing. Actually, all of my scenes were with Loretta, but Loretta and I had never really met.
Talk2SV: Really, your paths had never crossed.
Lawson: No, we knew of each other, we had an appreciation and respect for each other but we had never met. I met her for the first time when I came downstairs to get into the car to go to the set for the first day of filming. She was downstairs and we rode in the same car; within three blocks of meeting her, we both fell in love. Just to have a tremendous appreciation and a wonderful chemistry [between us] we were like two kids on that set. I think it affected the people that were around us because they saw two professionals having fun at what they do and we just had a blast working together.
Talk2SV: You were also in the film version of Terry McMillan’s “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.” In similar literary fashion, McMillan has an anthology of stories centered on black women. Do you feel that as an African American man you can fully define black women?
Lawson: To ‘define’ is a strong word. I don’t know that I can define anything because black women are a many things. If I look at the history of my own family, my great grandfather was a slave who bought himself out of slavery, then, went back and bought his brothers and sisters out of slavery and became one of the most respected men in that region of Louisiana. Through hard work and sharecropping, getting people to gather together and so forth, he bought lands, grew crops and today, the family reunion is somewhere around 700 people strong.
Talk2SV: 700 people…at a family reunion?
Lawson: Yeah, so he planted a pretty significant seed. The women in my family were all women who worked: my mother worked 16-hours-a day for 16 years and because she didn’t have a high school education; she emptied bed pans but she wanted a better her life. She worked and she bought one little house in Brookfield Village (in Oakland, CA). Then she sold that and bought another house after she divorced my father. She went to work because she knew she didn’t want to have to depend on any man or anybody. She worked and bought one house after another.
When my mother passed away, she didn’t really have much of a chance to enjoy her life; she never took trips, she just worked. She took care of people, she had 16 emotionally challenged people ([that she cared for] and she adopted three kids. She raised me and my sister so to have her as a model was significant for me on one hand.
Then, in terms of my experience in life, being fortunate enough to be in this business, to meet a lot of women and a lot of people, I have been through the range of experiences with women in terms of taking advantage of my fortune and probably misusing my celebrity. My opportunity with women on one hand coming to understand what that emptiness is about and then being able to appreciate women on another hand that today, I’m in an empowered world of women. I ‘empower’ women. I empower my daughter and I empower women to be all that they can be. So, I understand much about women from all sides: from the standpoint of growing up with the images I had then, me being in this business and being the object of many people’s desires and seeing where that was, to really understanding that women and men are not that different in terms of what we need.
Talk2SV: What we need as individuals?
Lawson: Yes, as individuals. So, I try to empower women not to give in to the sort of expectations of what women ‘should be’ in terms of the traditional things that you’d expect that a woman ‘should do.’ I break all those bounds with my own daughter since the age of six; I tried to teach her to have her viewpoint, not to realize that, as a woman, she doesn’t lose a thing. As some will say, ‘well your or well a woman can’t do this and shouldn’t do that.’ I don’t subscribe to any of those boundaries. I have a pretty interesting viewpoint of what women are and what they’re capable of being; my belief today is that way --probably as much as anything-- because I have a school. I teach through my school and I empower women because I have more women students than I have men students. The women who come to my school are empowered to create their life and follow their dream and to not be waylaid by the expectations of other people, even sometimes traditionally our own families, because your family wants you to have babies and stuff like that. There is nothing wrong with that and nesting, but if you have ambition to have something more in your career you have to include that, not put it aside. I see more women lose their dreams because of the expectation of the world around them. They drop the career to become the traditional woman. There is nothing wrong with that choice if that’s your dream, but if it’s not, then you should follow your dream. I think I’ve had a really good vantage point about what women are, particularly African American women and women of color.
Talk2SV: That’s a lovely place to pause, for now. Next time, we’ll need more time to talk.
Lawson: We must.
More on the Richard Lawson Studio:
A Comprehensive On-Camera Audition and Cold Reading Class
What's the product?
This class is about changing attitudes and routines that lead people to the same disastrous results.
It is my intention to create substantial change in the way the actor approaches themselves and the audition process. It is my desire to create a game that will be fun to play because they are as prepared as they need to be, to play it successfully.
The purpose of this class is to help the actor:
- Learn to make better and quicker choices in the audition process.
- Learn how to create "good room".
- Understand themselves as a "product" and how to deliver it.
- Demystifying your relationship with the camera.
- Confronting the fear of auditioning.
- Developing a winning audition work ethic.
- Empower the actor to "create" their careers and not "wait" on their careers to happen to them.
Class is structured to challenge the actor on an industry level. The whole premise of the class is to prepare the actor for what will be faced while in the trenches.
For further information or to contact the Studio with questions, contact:
The Richard Lawson Studios
14431 Ventura Blvd. Suite 533, Sherman Oaks, Ca. 91423, 818.793.8767
Website is www.richardlawson.net
