The Spirited Actor - Daphne Maxwell Reid (03/17/2020)

Hello, and welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. I was a casting director for film and TV and commercials for over thirty years. I transitioned to a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New Jersey Drive with executive producers Spike Lee and director Nick Domez. I auditioned every rapper from Biggie Smalls to Tupac, and I realized that rappers and musical artists they needed help

Now. I know.

I know actors want to get the job. I get that, but being remembered by casting director that is powerful. Meditation of the day life has two rules. Rule number one, never quit. Rule number two always remember. Rule number one Duke Ellington, no matter how hard it gets, never give up. You should always keep the vision of your dreams clearly embedded in your mind. When things do appear bleak, just know it's a test. You can get through it, and

Well, thank you. I please to be asked to share.

Well, we're going to start at the beginning. That's where I want to start. And like I said, you know, this is a conversation, you know, I this is a platform for me to continue to educate and inspire actors on their journey and knowing the truths about the journey, not what they heard from actor be who messed it up and you know, became telephoned now Okay, we want the truth. Okay, so hard. Yes, So I wanted to

I really didn't try to. I in high school, I was playing with a group called the Group Theater Workshop in New York was led by Robert Hooks.

Oh yeah, I love Robert Hooks.

Kevin Hooks day Yeah, the group theat a workshop became the Negro Ensemble Company right after I left. Wow, I was working with folks back then who were teaching me to do improvisation and creation and presence and being and how to deliver a line. And this is in high school. But I thought, hey, this is a fun thing to do on Saturday.

Lines.

It was in the sixties, and in the sixties were there were not a lot of examples of black women who make a living acting. I had Diane Carroll, I had Diana Sans. I had a couple of people that I could look to, but they were working hard. I wasn't as talented as Diana Stance because she could sing and she was gorgeous, and I said, well, let me go to school and use my head, and you know, this is fun. So I never considered it as a career.

True.

You just don't distinguish and New York was such a homogeneous place. I mean there were people of all colors, races, countries. It was a wonderful place to grow up and be exposed to the actual world. So when I got to Chicago, it was quite different. There were black things and there were white things, and they didn't kind of mix together. So I had a lot of challenges in just dealing with being a black woman in a place that they

That's true.

I guess it was time to let them know who I was. So I went about living my life and got discovered by my junior high school teacher in New York who submitted me to something called seventeen Magazine's Real Girl Issue. And it was an issue where they took girls who had achieved things in high school and put them in one issue. And this is when seventeen magazine was large format. I mean, it was like it and I got selected because I was a merit scholarship winner

That's it.

That picture became a full page in seventeen magazine Wow, and was won by I leaned Ford, who was one of my model agencies in New York.

Right Ford Models.

Yeah, I became a Ford model of special booking because I didn't live in New York. I was in Chicago at school, so I would fly back and forth to New York. Now, this is going to hurt your heart. I could fly round trip to New York, from New York to Chicago and bath for twenty five dollars.

Oh my god, I'm Oh my god. That definitely hurts the heart.

Wowty five dollars. I would go to work, make fifty bucks an hour, and go back to school. Wow.

And did you have to in that fifty bucks? Did they take out that percentage already or did Were you able to come home with fifty bucks?

Oh? I worked a couple of hours hours and I came home with whatever. I came home more than I had when I was.

A scholarship That's amazing.

It was all just spending changed to me. And so that was my life. In college. I went back and forth to New York and did editorial modeling. I was never sold them to be the Runway girls or anything like that. So I did editorial modeling and one day I went back to New York. I had a kind of a mentor back there named Amy Green, and she would book me on things and call me and say, Okay, come shoot this and come shoot that, and you know, I'd go into the same day, I'd go back to school. Wow.

Wow.

That October of nineteen sixty nine, I was walking by the newsstand and I saw my face on the cover of Glamour magazine.

Wow.

And I was the first black African American girl on the cover of glamor bag.

Yeay, excellent.

It was like, oh, what a delight. I'm just playing. I'm still just playing school. I'm studying interior design and architecture. I met the love of my life. I'm gonna get married. So I got married in school. Wow, and commuted for the last year in school, but continued to model after I got out of school. Pregnant yay. Wow, one does in the sixties.

Okay, you juggling a lot. I have impressed family. Just jet sitting back and forth, back and forth.

Wow.

Yeah, it was fun.

In school, like I mean, you know, it says a lot about your character.

Well, I had a lot of fun. And I just modeled and modeled and modeled. And then when I got out of school, I was really not interested in getting a job as an interior designer. I kept modeling with the Chicago groups and started doing commercial and I was hanging out with people who did commercials all the time and voiceover talent and stuff. What is that? Let me see that. So they would show me and take me to a studio and I said, oh, I could.

Do this now. Did you feel that there was in coming from a world of model where you have no words, but you still have to sell that product or that piece of garment. Right did you feel that? How was the transition going from no words to now incorporating words and building a character even in a commercial.

I've been talking all my life, Okay, was no big deal. I want to do okay, yeah, oh show them that. Okay, I can do that. It was all O JT. It was just on the job. When I was on the job, I was paying attention to what everybody was doing. I wanted to know what the lightning guy was doing because he was making me look better, and I was wondering what the focused puller was doing, and he was making me in focus. So I knew positioning, I knew hitting my light, delivery of life, he's k I did that.

Wow. Hand written was.

Looking out for me. Wow. He saw something in me, and he just gloaned on it. So I did The Duke a couple of episodes in Chicago. I think we did maybe six or seven episodes, and then that was over, and I went back to modeling and mothering and trying to keep a marriage together that was falling apart because my husband was falling apart. And finally decided, Okay, this

Oh my god, Oh my god, that's excellent.

Me in that episode. Wow, And it was a great part. I got an agent the first week I was in La and started working.

That is very rare. Ladies and gentlemen, and that is very rare.

I am blessed. I understand this. It was not my efforts. It's got me where I was. It was the stars aligning, people seeing something in me and being able to uphold what they thought I could do.

That's beautiful.

So I was very, very blessed and still just getting to the point where can I make a living out of it?

Right in La?

In La. But it was the seventies, it was the late seventies, and the early eighties, and it was a time where they were looking for black girls to kind of get into position. They couldn't be too light, they couldn't be too dark. They had to be just the right flavor for them. Wow, And they would slide them in. And there were little opportunities that came up, and I was working my butt off. I did things A Hill Street Blue, Yeah, and McCormick and whatever, all of us. I did so many little.

Shows, eighteen guest starring, Yeah.

Those that were going on. I had a great career. And I met We met Tim. I had known him in Chicago because we had worked together, but he didn't do nothing for me.

Oos should we be recording this?

Yeah? Right, he knows.

I loved I love it. They are the best together.

Oh yeah, we've had a wonderful We just celebrated our fortieth Valentine State again.

Oh that's beautiful forty.

Yeah. We met in January nineteen eighty and have been together ever since.

I love it. That's beautiful.

I got to work with him. I met the guys when he was on WKRPNATI. When you're dating somebody and you go to their show, you meet the crew. You need the writers, you meet, the directors, you meet everybody, and hey, they put me in WKRP.

I loved it.

Two shows that then they move on to a show called Simon and Simon, and then writers said, okay, we're going to write you in here. Tends in the ud in this too. So that's how my career progressed. It wasn't me beaten down doors and saying I gotta do this, I gotta do this, my heart says, I gotta do this. It was I'm blessed with opportunities, and to take advantage of these opportunities to the fullest, I have.

To be prepared excellent.

So I stayed in shape. I just spent my downtime doing things that I loved, which is what I encourage actors to do. Find something you love with which you can eat and do that and and love that while you're waiting to be chose, because an actor has to wait to be chosen, and unless you are creating your own projects, you have to wait to be choken.

Wow, that's I'm going to reiterate that during the show. Way to be chosen, because you're absolutely right, and the preparation is, you know, if you believe and know that there is a role out there for you, and when that role presents itself, you are ready for that. And I, like you said in the downtime, that's where the preparation begins,

Okay, we had been working on a bunch of shows in La my husband and I. We did Sister Sister, We did Frank's Place with Dun cancel much later. Yeah, right when we finished Frank's Place, we got picked up Snoops. That's the show we got as a payback for canceling Frank's Place. Network kind of held on to their talent and we did CBS shows for many years, and then we had deals with TBS. Tim created shows for CBS, so we.

Did Snoops and we were exhausted and we decided we're moving out of la and we're going to Virginia because they just elected the first black governor in the United States, so something must.

Be happening back there. And Tim is from Virginia and was supporting the governor for his run. So as soon as he got elected, we bought a farm back in Virginia. We said, okay, time up.

Nice.

Working for the past ten years really hard, and we're going to slow down nice. So we did that. Right before we left, I got an audition call. We want you to come and there's a role for a mother and it has to do with a young rap star. And I said, wait, wait, wait, wait, no, no, no, I'm not doing no rap stuff. Sorry, So I said no, thank you. I didn't go to the audition, but they told me about the project right, And I said, now

I'll be there, okay, okay.

Yes, And I came back to LA and it took two weeks of auditioning. I auditioned probably five times, and every time I went back to a callback, there were women there that I had never seen in my life. M wow. And I kept going back, Oh good, I can go back, and I kept going back, and then finally said, okay, now tomorrow you go to the network. I said, oh, okay, I get to the network callback. There are three of us, totally different people.

Wow.

But I had already hit it off with James Avery, who I observe and our auditions were always fun and delightful, and we had a chemistry, so I was confident, but I didn't know what they were looking for, so I was not overconfident. After I read for the network, I went home and I guess I prayed, and Tim was out in LA with me that time, and we just sat around and we said, Okay, we'll find out tomorrow.

Wow, but you had your theater training though, right the yeah, yeah, But when.

You start on a sittim you don't know. You have to learn how to wait for the last right. You can't just keep talking.

Right right and talk over it.

You can't talk over the last right. You got to let it breathe during rehearsal. We have the writers who supposedly laugh, but they laugh at.

Anything, right, Yeah, okay, true.

I was welcome at Fresh Prints as if I had been in television for forty years and was queen of whatever. I mean. They treated me with such respect and such that's great. I was greeted with dozens of red roses in my room with me and welcomed me. It was really really wonderful. And after the first scene, huh, I settled in so and it became very comfortable to do.

When you know, that's really great to know that you know, you were welcome because the transition, you know, was unorthodox so to speak, right, I mean in television world, because I don't know, and I tried to remember this, but did anybody address it? Like you know, I just feel like we were given the information there was going to

It just felt like I had been there the whole time. Wow, they did address it, and it's one of my favorite episodes, which is my too. Yeah, in the kitchen with Dandy, Jeff comes and brings it a present for the baby.

Yeah. I thought that was brilliant the way you guys addressed it. Yeah, I bravo. You know I told you that twenty eight minutes was going to fly by, and they just gave me the five minute morning signal. Oh my god, Yes, I'm telling you so. I already knew. Listen, we're gonna we are coming back because we're going to fast forward. We're going to address this audience of actors.

Was, because you have such a spirit that I just admire so greatly and have always admired. I they mentioned your name and I just light up. I said, oh yeah, that's just as hon it.

Oh thank you, damning me. I got little tears growing your buy. I appreciate love me oh always always, Like you know, my first the first show I ever had. You were on that show as well, So I appreciately love your support. And I know the actors, all of the actors listening and my studio family in here. They're walking away with some jewels, so they're excited that you're coming back. Excellent, excellent. So you have a wonderful day, and thank you so much. Tell and I said, Hi,

Abuse, Yes, miss Johnson, abuse.

There's no drugs in my No drugs because Precious, no, damn well, I willpa asks Bright Blue if she brings some drugs in my.

I am referring to inappropriate acts of a physical and sexual nature involving Precious.

Why don't you just say that that? Okay? When did the first start?

Yes, according to Precious files, she's had two children by your boyfriend, the late Carl Kenwood Jones, who is also her father. You've been calling her saying that you want to be reunated with your daughter and grandson, and then you want them to come home. Well, I think you'd better explained just what happened in that home.

Precious waits nervously.

Well, I Precious belong at home because I'm a good mother. She had everything, and then told her that pink and white baby carriage, little pink booty socks, dresses, everything I put on her pink. Precious, she's so smiling and healthy. They don't go by. I don't throw up her wheels in the air. I take her up and down one hundred and twenty fifth Street. I mean, Karl loved Precious. I dreamed of the day we was gonna, you know, get married, get housed with grass color TVs all.

In the rooms.

Precious that she was born about the same time as Swestsun that got killed. You remember him, don't you?

Precious?

Precious looks at a loss.

He born some summer time, by the same time as you.

I was born in November. As far as I know, that's.

Right, my little Scorpio child. Scorpio's crafty, and I ain't say they lied, just you can't.

Always trust them.

Precious looks embarrassed beyond embarrassment.

Miss Shunson. When did the abuse happen? How often?

Where?

And when? When you first aware of what was going on?

When?

I don't know when it starts when I remember it. She's still little? Yeah three? Maybe I give her bottle. I still got milk in my precesses, but not from her, but from car sucking.

I give them titty precious bottle. Hygiene you know.

Excuse me, uh huh, you mentioned something about hygiene connection with this, Wise can't go on.

I bottled her titty m bottle are better for kids, sanitary, But I never get dried up because Carl always on me. It's like that you know, child man, a woman got got both. What you're gonna do when in bed? Put it on one side of me, on the pillow, call on the other side of me.

This Wise looks as if she's stopped breathing.

I think that was the day it started. So you're me the Then he reached over the Precious. He said, Carl, what you're doing? He said, shut your big ass up. It's good for her. I say, stop it, Karl. I want him on me. I never want him to hurt her, and I didn't want him doing anything to huh.

I want him my man.

For myself to text me up on my child me me God damn it said y'all, you can't blame me for this shit happened in the Precious on me. I love Karl. I loved him. He had daddy, but he wasn't my man.

Mary can't help but to shoot a look of anger at Precious while missus Wise pauses to regain her composure. Scene. This is a very very I want to pull on both of you, guys. This is a very difficult scene. For those of you who don't know this scene. It's from a film Precious. There is abuse of the highest levels. I can't even comprehend a child going through this, And that was one of my questions with you, because I'll address both of you.

But.

Lean, as a psychiatrist, you're supposed to be neutral and clearly in the actions excuse me, it's stated she's floored. That tells us something about your disposition. Miss Wise can't go on. Miss Wise looks as if she stopped breathing this situation. And I'm sure you've been around a lot of situations in this. You know this is your job, right, This sounds like you've never had this experience. So where do you where do you search to get this type of experience with this?

I definitely how to use imagination because for it to be this extreme and I just pictured, you know, if it was like I pictured my little sister if I was younger, and when she was younger, and like I had a hard time even like fathoming three years old, like just the size of a baby at three years old. But yeah, it's so it's so extreme that like the only thing I can pull from is imagination. How to create it because I have not experienced or or have seen it.

So and then there are maybe references of films, like, you know, we're talking about abuse, so they play enough every Saturday, you know Jennifer Lopez's films, Maybe there are films like that. In reference to where women were being abused, It's a very difficult subject. I mean, I can't imagine, you know, being in a film and I know that we're acting, but the truth of this is that this young girl is being abused in the same bed with

Yeah, I mean I definitely as a coal read It's like going through it, I was like, oh wait, all of this is happening. Okay, cool, But like if I was to do research and stuff on it, I have to make sure that you don't judge the character, because you can't play a character and judge it at.

The same time.

Right, So coming from the respective of an abused woman, I have to think about, well, she had trauma, and what are her traumas and what are her triggers and going through all of that, it's like, okay, well, how did she justify her actions or did she even feel to fight in them, Like I just try to put myself in the mind frame of the person and what are her surroundings and what were the stakes? Like if she didn't allow this to happen, would she be out in the street?

Well?

What you know? Like, so none of it makes it right, but it's like trying to make sure that like I just put myself in their shoes as opposed to like judging it from the outside, because you can judge anyone's situation from the outside and you have no clue what's happening on the inside, and you don't exactly know, not that this would ever happen in my life, but you don't know what would happen or how you react when certain things come up.

That's right.

So and your past plays a role, your fears play a role, like your stakes. All that plays a role. So yeah, when I'm like if I was reading for the first time, as you always say, the first time you go through, Yeah, I'd be floored because it like of everything that's happening, and I think about my child and what would happen. But then I have to flip the table and think about, Okay, where is she coming from?

Right, what are the stakes for her.

So and I like that statement that you don't judge the care you can't judge the character. You don't know this story behind it, right, And in this particular case, you definitely were abused and molested as the mom some that happened in your past. But I still think that out of all the situations that you have had over your career, you've never had this, And that's why it was important for the writer to write she is floored,

Yeah, right, Yeah, I think about when I was when you know, I was just reading this when I was here. But we had when you had Derek Bernard on the show, he talked about it, like the reminder about serving like the relationships like in the you know, in our work. So I was trying, even me as a therapist and a psychologist, I was trying I'm sorry a psychologist. I was trying to I was almost trying to like give her the benefit of the doubt like before, like I

Which is good because acting is a part of listening. So she was giving you that breathing space as well. So another thing that I wanted you to add, Leanne about your preparation, what.

Was that that if I had time to prepare for this, I would try to go to shelters or you know, homes or centers for women who have been abused to like really get a sense of the truth of it, because I wouldn't want to play a characature in a role like this.

Excellent, So observation, homework, research, all of that stuff is about the preparation. And then of course you know you need time. So I applaud these ladies because this is all a code read so they are literally getting it just as I'm getting it as well. Okay, so this time, let's read it again. I'm not going to read any action and we are just really focusing on building these characters. Okay, whenever you guys are ready.

Abuse, yes, mis Sehnston abuse.

There's no drugs in my house. No drugs because Precious, no, damn Well, I will ask Bright Blue if she brings some drugs in my house.

I am referring the inappropriate acts of physical and sexual abuse involving Precious.

Why'd you say that that? Okay? Okay? When did it go? When did it start?

Yes? According to Precious as files, she's had two children by your boyfriend, the late Carl Kemwood Jones. It's also her father. You have been calling her saying you want to be reunited with your daughter and grandson, and then you want them to come home. Well, I think you better explain just what happened in that home.

Well, I the Precious belong at home because I'm a good mother.

She had everything and told her at.

Pink and White baby carriage, Little Pink booty socks, dresses, everything I put on her pink, pascious. She's so smiling and healthy. They didn't go by that didn't throw whole wheels up in the air. I take up and down the hunch ins with the fifth Street me and called loved. I dreamed of the day we was gonna, you know, get married, get housed with grass color TV and all the rooms press. She born at the same time. It's Westsun that got killed. You remember him, don't you, precious?

I was born in November, as far as I know.

Yeah, that's right, a little Scorpio child. Scorpio's crafty.

Look. I ain't saying they lied. They just can't always trust them.

It's Johnston. When did the abuse happen? How often and where? And when were you first aware of this? Even going on?

When?

I don't know when to start. When I remember it, she still little, and maybe around three.

I give her bottle.

I still got milk in my breasts, and says, but not from hub, from Carl sucking. I give him titty precious bottle.

Hygiene you know, excuse me, h, you mentioned something about the hygiene and connection with.

I bridled her titty m bottle moore, better for kids, sanitary. I never get dried up. It's Karl always on me. It's like that, you know, child man, woman got both. What you're gonna do? We in bed, So I put on one side of me, on the pillow, Carl on the other side of me.

I think that's the day it started. So he or me. Then you reach over the precious. I said, call what you're doing?

Said, shut your big ass up. It's good for her, say I say, stop it.

Call.

I want him on me. I never wanted him I heard uh. I didn't want him doing anything to huh.

I wanted my.

Man for myself. Sex me up. I'm my child.

Hey god, damn it. See you can't blame me for all that ship that pressure has happened on me. I love Karl. I loved him here daddy, but he.

Was my man.

And scene wow, very very powerful. My wish is that our our audience was able to pick up the tension the relationship. Just you know, this was a really really deep scene. Give it up for Liaan and Alisa. Thank you. Wow wow brings it. You know, we need to pick me up energy in here. Pick me up. I love if you're looking for love. If you are looking for love, you're going to love this book. The Spirited Actor Principles for a Successful Audition by me Tracy Moore and I