Filed under: Interviews
Having done some theater work in the past, including starring alongside Phylicia Rashad in 'Blue,' Hill Harper is no stranger to film adaptations of plays. Although 'Mama, I Want to Sing!' hasn't been released yet, the world is still waiting to see the film version, which stars Hill and R&B singer Ciara.
In the meantime, while on hiatus from his day job as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes on the CBS drama 'CSI: NY,' the Iowa state native took the time to come back to the Big Apple to work on Tyler Perry's adaptation of Ntozake Shange's legendary play 'For Colored Girls.'
Harper plays Donald, a detective and husband of Kelly (played by Kerry Washington). Though the couple has their own challenges to overcome, they represent good-natured figures throughout the tumultuous movie's storyline.
In speaking with Black Voices, Harper talked about his role, his work with both Perry and Washington, and whether 'Mama' will ever see the light of day in theaters.
Having done theater in the past, was 'For Colored Girls' something that you wanted to do?
Hill Harper: I definitely wanted to be a part of 'For Colored Girls' because the play itself is so legendary, and it's a play that I think changed Broadway in many ways. Different plays have come since, like 'The Vagina Monologues' or 'Colored Museum.' It really spawned a new era in theater. It's definitely to my mother and her generation; that play was definitely something that was a game-changer for them. So when I got the call, I was just extremely excited about working with Tyler Perry and that amazing cast, and excited to play Kerry Washington's husband. So I'm really, really proud about the fact that I'm a part of the film.
How would you describe your character?
HH: He's a real stand-up guy, and when folks see the film, they'll realize that there's not many stand-up guys in the film. The play is definitely about the women and how in many ways they have struggles with the men in their lives. In this case, I'm the one male in the film who is a real stand-up guy, a real straight shooter and a good man.
Some would say that your character saves the movie from being a male-bashing film.
HH: I think so. I think obviously if my character wasn't there, it would be a film where every guy is just bad, bad news. So I'm proud that Mr. Perry decided to allow me to represent the good men out there.
Did you ever think that a play like this would be made into a film?
HH: It's interesting. The transition from stage to screen of any material is always difficult, and it takes a real creative mind to figure out how to make it work cohesively. It's great that it's happened. With the women speaking the monologues - you don't lose that even though you have a story that's presented visually. Film is a visual medium and obviously stage is more of a spoken medium. So in this case, you really have a blend of the two, which I really love. I think that Tyler Perry did an amazing job.
.
How was it working with Kerry?
HH: I loved working with Kerry. I've known her for years and have a great deal of respect for her. But we'd never worked together. I just think that she's fantastic. We have similar interests outside of acting, as far as community service and politics and things. So we've crossed paths a great deal but have never acted together. So it was just a wonderful opportunity and a great experience to work with her.
How was your first time working with Tyler as a director?
HH: It was great. He really lets his actors act and find their characters, and then he gives really clear direction when something is working or not working. It was really wonderful working with him. I think that he did a fantastic job. He had so much experience, and he knows what he wants very clearly. So I love working with a confident director who really knows what they want and gets everyone to work cohesively to serve the film, which I really appreciate.
What do you think is the difference between his approach to directing compared to someone like Spike Lee or Charles Randolph Wright, who you've also worked with?
HH: That's a tough question. Charles Randolph Wright comes from the more traditional theater background. So he's definitely an actor's director. Then Spike Lee comes from a filmmaker background, strictly, and he has this visual. All of Spike's visuals serve the story, and I think that Spike really tries to cast actors that will deliver while he creates the visual. Often times, if you're doing it well, you're not necessarily hearing from Spike. That's from working with him on two films. He wants you to do your thing, and he's going to do his thing, so it's not like he's the type of director that's going to come up to you after every take and say, "Great job, great job." Tyler is very similar to that. I think that Tyler has the best of both worlds, both in the sense that he has experience in film and television as well as theater. That's why I think it made him the perfect director for 'For Colored Girls.'
How was working with the rest of the cast? Did everyone try to get together to establish a good chemistry?
HH: Working with that cast was amazing. Tyler had a dinner one night right at the beginning of production. He also had a dinner right when we moved down to Atlanta to shoot the interiors. We shot the exteriors, obviously, in New York. The cast was just amazing professionals. What I love is that this film is the reverse of what most Hollywood movies are, where the women character service the male characters. In this case, it's the exact opposite. The male characters service the female characters. The performances that these women put down are incredible, and it just goes to show you the depth and reach of talent that we have among our actresses. It's just incredible. So I think that all the talk and rumors about Oscar nominations are warranted with the performances from the women. They're just fantastic. There was an opportunity for everyone. Obviously, the scene in the hospital, multiple scenes in the hospital, was all of us together at the same time, so that was wonderful. I know that there was a real cohesion, a supportive nature among the cast. When you do theater, you see each other so much and you're together all the time and often times in film you're not. You're staggered and you're with different actors, but in this case, it really felt like a theater group, and you really felt bonded and connected to everybody. I'm pretty much the only male character who acted and had scenes with multiple women. The other male characters just worked with one woman for the most part, whoever they were connected to, whereas I think I had the good fortune to being able to work with all of the women in one scene or another. I was very proud of that.
Do you have any more films or books for you in the works?
HH: Well, 'CSI: New York' is shooting right now. We're on Friday nights. We moved from Wednesday to Fridays, and I'm very happy about that. We're doing extremely well on Fridays and so I'm very happy to still be playing Dr. Hawkes in season seven, and feel like it's just flown by. I'm working on a number of projects, some of which I'm developing myself but the focus is always acting first and so I'm looking for those great roles. I'm looking for other projects that move me as much as 'For Colored Girls' and then battling to get the roles. That's really what it's about. That's the career of an actor. On the book side, I am working on another book. I haven't discussed publicly what it's about or the title or anything like that, but I'm working on another. I work on that in my down time. It's acting first.
Will we ever see 'Mama I want to Sing?'
HH: I don't know if we'll ever see that film. Sometimes films get made and they end up in a vault somewhere, and they get pulled out 30 years later, and everybody's older and people look back and say, "Wow. How come this didn't come out?" Again, in that film, I'm an actor only. I'm not a producer and so I don't know what's going on with that film. I'll tell you that I loved working with Charles Randolph Wright. I want to work with him again. He's a great director. The first time that I worked with him was on stage. I was in the play 'Blue' with Phylicia Rashad in New York. It was great to work with [Randolph Wright] again on film. I hope that it comes out. Ciara lives here in L.A., and I see her around every once in a while. I think it'd be nice to see the film. I've never even seen it.