2017

Originally posted at Medium

I recently got an email asking about my latest appearance on Madam Secretary and I thought I’d draw a cartoon about the whole thing.

Here was the email:

Wow!! I saw your episode last night and I’m blown away! So I had a question that you partially answered with a tweet. Do you speak Russian? At all? I saw that you had to learn 4 pages but did you have any background in the language. Also, your accent was amazing!!! Did you ever study the accent or did you just learn it when you got the audition?

If you’re curious why they wanted a Korean woman to speak Russian, it was because I was playing a person from Kyrgyzstan. I can pass for their people.<

SOMEHOW by a MIRACLE I auditioned and got a:

As I was leaving the building, I ran into a girl in the bathroom speaking Russian.

This girl who auditioned for the same role spoke into my phone all of the lines. She really was such an angel.

So I learned from experience that doing a foreign language takes time.

Especially since this was FOUR PAGES of high level Russian.

I made sure to get my head straight and gave myself a reality distortion field that I would not book this job. I wasn’t a native speaker so might as well rock this audition for another audition.

I walked into the room:

And BOOKED IT.

Now this is where the REAL PANIC set in. There was no way I was going to be able to speak four pages of Russian.

I could barely pronounce ONE word of Russian let alone four pages.

After I met Katya I was so impressed by her story of moving from Russia and coming to the United States to live.

All I had was four pages of a script. This was doable.

Her courage gave me courage.

On the day of the shoot I was super confident with my lines. I knew them in and out. I knew I could do them inside an exploding building.

This allowed me to calm down and be a pro.

Here was my wardrobe.

We were the last shot of the day. If we messed this up it could be a late night for the crew. My biggest nightmare is a cast and crew of hundreds milling about while stumbling unprepared.

Luckily, that didn’t happen.

We rocked it in a few takes and we quickly wrapped.

Working with director Robert J. Greenlea was terrific. It was so cool to work with him because of his positive energy and spirit of play — even after a long day.

Rob Yang who played the president of Kyrgyzstan is an outstanding actor and person and I’m so glad I got a chance to work with him.

So due to a lot of hard work, my training and pure gumption, I overcame my fear and ended up having an amazing shoot. Thank you, Madam Secretary for a terrific experience!

If you see the episode, you can’t even hear me speak Russian at all. But believe me I did it.

If you like this, please consider sharing with your friends  Thank you!

If this is the first time we’ve met, I’m an actress & artist who cares about peace.

Check out my short film: See Me, See You which deals with cops, race, humor & relationships.

As thousands marched against his regressive, pro-pollution agenda, Trump released an Earth Day statement which is…something. It does sound like an adult wrote it, but it’s full of gaslighting claims that fly in the face of Trump’s actual policies. And, of course, it doesn’t mention climate change.

NEW: Trump issues #EarthDay statement, saying US has “obligation” to protect its resources, while “reducing unnecessary burden” on economy. pic.twitter.com/MK9JlLuQ03

— ABC News (@ABC) April 22, 2017

“Our Nation is blessed with abundant natural resources and awe-inspiring beauty,” it begins. “Americans are rightly grateful for these God-given gifts and have an obligation to safeguard them for future generations.”

• So far, so good!

“My Administration is committed to keeping our air and water clean, to preserving our forests, lakes, and open spaces, and to protecting endangered species.”

• Trump revived the dangerous Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. The Keystone XL pipeline has already leaked 17,000 gallons of oil into South Dakota.
• Congress is considering “modernizing” (read: gutting) the Endangered Species Act because they know Trump will sign off on their bill.
• Lead ammunition and fish tackle are now allowed on federal land, placing fish and wildlife at the risk of lead poisoning.

“Economic growth enhances environmental protection.”

• Not when it’s coal.
• Solar and wind power create jobs “12 times faster than the rest of the economy,” but Trump overturned Obama-era commitments to these renewable energy resources and job creators.

“We can must protect our environment without harming America’s working families. This is why my Administration is reducing unnecessary burdens on American workers and American companies, while being mindful that our actions must also protect the environment.”

• Some examples of the “unnecessary burdens” from which American workers are now freed: waterways that aren’t polluted by coal mines, workplace protection from LGBT discrimination, and the benefits of 14 labor and civil rights laws

“Rigorous science is critical to my Administration’s efforts to achieve the twin goals of economic growth and environmental protection.”

• The EPA Office of Science and Technology has removed the phrase “science-based” from its mission statement under the Trump administration.

“My Administration is committed to advancing scientific research that leads to a better understanding of our environment and of environmental risks.”

• Trump’s proposed budget calls for slashing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget by 20%, as well as deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and NASA.

“As we do so, we should remember that rigorous science depends not on ideology, but on a spirit of honest inquiry and robust debate.”

• Trump tried to lead a witch hunt against employees who worked on climate-change initiatives at the Energy Department.

“This April 22nd, as we observe Earth Day, I hope that our Nation can come together to give thanks for the land we all love and call home.”

• Trump couldn’t even keep to his own hope, as he felt the need to send out a passive-aggressive tweet about how “jobs matter.” He couldn’t just wish everyone a Happy Earth Day.
  

  I am committed to keeping our air and water clean but always remember that economic growth enhances environmental protection. Jobs matter!

  — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 22, 2017

I could go on, but UN Women (the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women) already summed it up perfectly:

Catch up on what the @UN is doing to limit #climatechange: https://t.co/nHnIsHAX8L #EarthDay #ParisAgreement pic.twitter.com/8pneSGqjwj

— UN Women (@UN_Women) April 22, 2017

“Climate action creates jobs, improves our health, [and] saves money.”

(Via Business Insider, Huffington Post, and ABC News; image via Shutterstock)

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!

—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

(Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO)

John Douglas Thompson has been extolled by the New York Times as “one of the most compelling classical stage actors of his generation,” and noted as “the best American actor in Shakespeare, hands down” by James Shapiro, Columbia University scholar and an international leading authority on William Shakespeare. Now, Thompson will star as Caius Cassius in New York’s upcoming Public Theater Free Shakespeare in the Park production of  Julius Caesar at the Delacorte Theater in historic Central Park, May 23–June 18. Directed by Oskar Eustis, The Public’s artistic director, this contemporized production of Julius Caesar is the first to be produced in the Park since 2000. In 2005, Thompson played the role of Flavius in Julius Caesar on Broadway alongside star Denzel Washington.

Humbled and often overwhelmed by critical praise, Thompson hopes that the production inspires more people to support and experience the classics of the theater. “If it gets a new audience to come to a classic stage company, or any theater I work at that focuses on the classics, that’s good,” says Thompson. “Ultimately, I want people to come see the work—especially people who look like me to come see the work—I’m so passionate about.”

(Photo Credit: Courtesy of HBO)

Recently seen on Broadway in August Wilson’s Jitney, Thompson is featured in HBO’s highly publicized theatrical release of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, premiering this weekend. He appears opposite Oprah Winfrey in the role of Lawrence Lacks, the eldest brother to Winfrey’s character, Deborah Lacks, the youngest daughter of Henrietta Lacks. Directed by Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe, and based on Rebecca Skloot’s New York Times’ best-selling book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks features a stellar cast of theater, television, and film actors, including Rose Byrne, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Reg E. Cathey, Rocky Carroll, Courtney B. Vance, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Leslie Uggams, Reed Birney, Adriane Lenox, and Roger Robinson. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks premieres on Saturday, April 22, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Thompson, who is featured in three pivotal scenes, says working with Winfrey was a profound experience for him. “Working with Oprah was great because it wasn’t what I expected, he says. “She was incredibly accessible, totally open, and just there for us [actors]. I found her quite wonderful as the character Deborah. She was in the moment as we were filming these scenes. She was that character. She had created a physicality and a cadence and a countenance, particularly a cadence in the way she spoke with that slightly Southern dialect. She was very good; she carries the film.”
Thompson says he was fortunate and blessed to secure the role of Lawrence for this epic project. There were many other top New York actors up for the role. Working with director Wolfe was a first for Thompson. “George is incredibly skilled, and he just knew the characters,” he says. “He knew the story. He knew those people. He knew the book. He knew the script. He knew how he wanted to frame this story, and got us all on board. We rehearsed, which is rare. His vision and what he sees, and how he captures it, is genius.”

(Photo Credit: Courtesy of John Douglas Thompson)

In Thompson’s upcoming production of Julius Caesar, he says he was predisposed to Shakespeare through his mother. Thompson remembers that his mother would recite Mark Antony’s speech in Julius Caesar, and he would talk with her about Shakespeare, since she had been exposed to Shakespeare in school while growing up in Jamaica, the West Indies. Thompson, like most young people his age, studied Shakespeare in English classes at both a Jesuit high school and college. “During that time, I never thought about being an actor,” he says. “I remember liking the language, liking the text, liking the words, the meanings of the words, and the poetry.”

The story of Julius Caesar resonates with today’s political climate and the social environment of activism. Written more than 400 years ago, Julius Caesar is a play about the fall of the Roman Empire. Thompson’s character, Caius Cassius, is in direct conflict with Caesar and is the first person to start the rebellion to plot his demise.

“That’s what makes [this] stage performance so fascinating because it speaks to our current time,” says Thompson. “It’s very similar to what’s happening now. It’s a story about the machinations that create the fall. The fall of the leader, the impeachment of the leader, the death of the leader. It’s about people making big mistakes, who miscalculate, based upon their personal desires. They create a situation where there’s a lot of collateral damage to themselves and those they support. It’s also about wanting better leadership, and a better future for your country, for your family, and for yourself. How was Shakespeare so prescient to know what future civilizations and countries would be going through? That’s the genius of him. That’s why he’s always in the moment. He speaks to our future. He speaks to our past, and to our present. A play like Julius Caesar, albeit it’s over 400 years old, may as well have been written on November 9th.”

John Douglas Thompson in TROILUS and CRESSIDA (Photo Credit: Joan Marcus)

Thompson has performed in numerous Shakespeare plays, including Macbeth, King Lear, Richard III, Antony and Cleopatra, and Troilus & Cressida, which he performed last year at Shakespeare in the Park. Best known for his extensive work in Othello, which he has performed in seven productions to date, Thompson said Othello is one of his favorite Shakespeare plays.

This fall, Thompson will star in the role of Hamlet at the American Contemporary Theater in San Francisco. Many consider Hamlet to be one of the greatest plays and one of the greatest roles ever. Thompson said Hamlet has been on his bucket list for a long time. “I have never, in my life as an actor, in the more than 20 years, have ever seen an African American or a black person play the role of Hamlet. I’ve seen many versions of Hamlet, but I have never seen someone who looks like me, represented in that role.”

Awarded the Samuel H. Scripps Award for extraordinary commitment to promoting the power of language in classical and contemporary theater, and the Robert Brustein Award for Sustained Excellence in American theater. Thompson’s other works include The Iceman Cometh, A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler, Red Velvet, Mother Courage, Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, Tamburlaine, Satchmo at the Waldorf, The Emperor Jones, The Father, and The Forest, among others.

Although Thompson envisions more work in television and film in his future, he says theater is his first love, which is why he will always be connected to it. “It’s the only medium that is truly a part of our human DNA. When we were in the caves, though we were Neanderthals, we told stories to each other to describe the hunts,” he explains. “In the caves, we drew pictures and made noises. Theater was always a part of our lives in describing our lives to our families or people in our tribe. Theater is an inherent way of storytelling. It’s been with us since our inception. My indoctrination to theater through August Wilson and the play I saw [Joe Turner’s Come and Gone] was profound, and that level of profoundness only came from theater because it’s a live and breathing art form. I can’t see my life as an actor without stage work. It’s just impossible to imagine. I will always be doing theater. It will always be a part of my life.”

Part of Thompson’s greatness as an actor is demonstrated through his unyielding commitment to the craft of acting and the art of discipline required to perform eight shows a week. He knows the importance of not indulging in alcohol or any other substances or distractions that prevent him from maintaining a healthy mind and body and performing at his highest level during a production.

“I want to honor the playwright who wrote the words and gave me the character to play,” he says. “I want to honor the audience who came to see a show because either they heard about it, or they’ve seen it before, and want to have the experience of being in the presence of the production again. I want to honor the other actors I’m on stage with that I’m giving my all, and I’m going to be there for them, and that there’s nothing that’s taking me out of that experience because I’m not prepared.”

Like a champion, he often says there’s a Jack Johnson in all his characters. Profoundly inspired by Johnson’s power, uniqueness, and his one-of-a-kind genius, Thompson approaches his roles with that same larger-than-life quality that Johnson exhibited in the ring and in life, whether he’s playing Othello or Tamburlaine or Hamlet or Becker. Thompson says Johnson is an archetype he often thinks about as he prepares a character for stage.

Gwendolyn Quinn is an award-winning media consultant with a career spanning more than 25 years. She is a contributor to BlackEnterprise.com, Black Enterprise’s BE Pulse, Huffington Post, EURWEB.com, and Medium.com. Quinn is also a contributor to Souls Revealed and Handle Your Entertainment Business.

By Francesca De Biasi Have you been longing for some authentic 90s r&b taste? Your wait is finally over: TLC are back! Way Back is the new song released by the iconic r&b/ hip hop duo on April 13th. It features rapper, Snoop Dogg and was first heard during the TV series Star on March [...]

The post TLC Are On Their ‘Way Back’ appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.