My interview with actress Phylicia Rashad for "For Colored Girl Who Have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf".

       

      Meeting actress and singer Phylicia Rashad was like being an adopted child meeting his biological mom for the first time. Phylicia is considered to be everyone's mom being one of the first most popular african american mothers on television. Watching her everyday on "The Cosby Show" made you want to live in her brownstone in Brooklyn Heights, with the funny dad, and loving but rambuncous siblings (the perfect family enviorment). Everyone knows Ms. Rashad for her pivitol role as Mrs.Huxtable on "The Cosby Show", but on the day of this interview it wasn't about that.
       This interview was about her new remarkable role in the book to film movie "For Colored girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf". The film is based based off of poetry from Award Winning writer Ntozake Shange's original book. The film is about nine women going through tramatic and difficult situations that a great amount of african american women (not all, but some have gone through). For example, some situations like rape, abortion, crime, and heartbreak. Phylicia plays the role of "Gilda", the nosy neighbor who deep down has love for everyone in the building, but also has a secret past that reciprocates "Tangie's" present played by Thandie Newton.

         Even though the film has an all star african american cast (Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, Loretta Devine, Kimberly Elise, Thandie Newton, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Tessa Thompson, Kerry Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, and Macy Gray) the poetry not only hits home for african americans, but also touches all different races in some form of another. The film was definitely a risktaker for actor, director, playwright, screenwriter, producer, and author Tyler Perry who said when given this project turned it down a couple of times. Watching the film from my eyes, Tyler Perry did a wonderful job making a very entertaining film while still keeping the poetry intact and not dumbing it down for the audience. For some who have not read Shange's poetry you get a emotional and educational ride in this film, while still keeping it's entertainment value. If you are the type of person who is looking for a film where "Madea" and her gun make an appearance then this is not that type of film. Tyler makes an A-Plus transition which we don't see a great amount as he loves to add comedic value to so many of his films.

         When meeting Ms.Rashad I was a little bit nervous, but anxious as anyone would probably be meeting their "Metaphorical" biological mom for the first time. Nervous because she has done so much for the african american community when it comes to breaking stereotypes, the roles she chooses to play, and her community activism. I was anxious because like Wendy Williams always says "She's a friend in my Head", and Ms. Rashad was everything and more. She made it her duty to make me feel comfortable. We sat side by side on a lovely couch at the London hotel (NYC), and we had an excellent conversation as if we were good friends catching up on all of the good times.
       
         We talked about how she came up in the industry, advice on how to get in, talked more in detail about certain parts of the film, her role, working with such a wonderful powerful cast, and more. If you are interested in listening more in detail then definitely check out www.HarlemTalkRadio.com or you can go to the link below to get the in depth interview.

Link to Interview:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/harlemtalkradio/2010/11/15/630pm-the-world-of-black-theater--phylicia-rashad