Loretta Devine on For Colored Girls, Black Women and White Critics
The jury is out on whether or not For Colored Girls will find momentum at the box office, in the Oscar derby, or both, But for at least one-ninth of its ensemble of actresses, the film already represents a cultural success worthy of the celebrated 1975 source choreopoem by Ntozake Shange.
Loretta Devine stars as Juanita, a tough-talking, condom-dispensing nurse who counsels women against HIV/AIDS during the day and wonders where her elusive lover split to by night -- or most nights anyway. It's among the liveliest and full-blooded performances in Tyler Perry's film, providing the higher register of a nine-part harmony also featuring extraordinary notes by Kimberly Elise, Anika Noni Rose, Thandie Newton, Phylicia Rashad and Kerry Washington. It was Devine's first time performing Shange's poems (she missed the opportunity as a student in the '70s, when she said joining a local production would have meant leaving school), and she talked with Movieline recently about how she -- and all of her castmates -- made the most of them.
Tyler Perry wrote on his Web site that you "don't have to be a colored girl to relate to and enjoy For Colored Girls." What's your take on the audience and the potential reach for this film?
Well, I was in Waiting to Exhale, and it was a success because all kinds of women came out to see it. All kinds of women are able to identify with all the issues in it because they're very human and very universal. And I think Tyler has a big enough following that if enough people see it, then everybody's going to want to know what this is about. It encompasses everything -- every kind of relationship you could ever have is in this movie. It could have been done by an all-Spanish cast, an all-Japanese cast, you know? It's universal.
Juanita's thread deals with the play's theme of self-respect in love and sex. Yet Tyler updates this to encompass safe sex and HIV/AIDS prevention. What did you think about that interweaving -- upping the stakes, in a way?
Well, I was very happy that the character I played was a very positive one. She was working as a nurse at a clinic for women to better their education and their self-worth. In her personal life there were things that were unresolved -- things that it seemed like a woman in her position should have resolved. But it just simply showed how in relationships and love, you can't control how things go down. She was very passionate about the man that she was in love with, and she was trying to hold him. What's great about this particular piece is that all the women are not old, they're not young -- the age range is from very young to my age and older. This was an older woman who was still trying to have a love life. So the audience gets a chance to go through those emotions with her. She has to express how much she needed or wanted this man in her life, even though she knew better. It took her a great deal time to get to the point where she could walk away from this relationship.
Were there any other characters you were familiar with from the play or the script that you might have had your eye on, or who you also really appreciated as an actor?
Oh, no! I love the character I played. I got all the most exciting stuff. I got a chance to do some Ntozake Shange's most exciting poems. "Someone Almost Walked Off Wid Alla My Stuff" was one of the best poems in the entire piece for me, so I was very excited when I found I got a chance to that particular poem.
You're also on the hook for the first poem in the movie. It's kind of an early make-or-break point for whether For Colored Girls would work; did you sense any added pressure, either from Tyler or simply from yourself?
No; I didn't even know that. Everyone had their own set. You'd go to the set and work on whatever you're working on that particular day. I didn't feel the pressure of the first poem at all. The pressure came in trying to make it look like conversational -- like it isn't necessarily a poem, that you're relating to somebody on the other side of the door. I think I pulled that off, so by the time people finally met Frank, they knew who I was talking about.
We know what kind of legacy the play has in the three decades since it was introduced, but what kind of legacy do you think the film might have coming out of this era? How do they complement each other?
It's been 30 years since this play came out, and nobody even thought about it [as a film] until Tyler got it done. Well, I shouldn't say that; Tyler said Whoopi brought it to him at one point to try to do it, and there were other people who came to him about it. So the more it came back and back, he decided he had to take the challenge. Because the play is so iconic -- I mean, this is a play that's been done by girls in schools and colleges -- it has a history and a legacy of its own. I think the movie will become a classic just like Waiting to Exhale is a classic, because it's about the experiences of black women. In this country right now, we're very interested in black people because the president is black. The first lady is black. It's another way to know a race of people better.
That said, the movie critics who will help shape that legacy are predominantly white men who've always had it out for Tyler Perry. Isn't that a disadvantage in the immediate term?
You know. White men run everything. Don't start me up. [Laughs] There are people who love it. There are people who think it's not necessary. There are going to be black men who say, "I don't want to hear this any more." But this is a drama, you know? This is a piece of entertainment for people to go into and come out of and have things to talk about and reflect on their own lives and say, "Oh, God, that was me in my 20s," or, "That was a problem my girlfriend had." Because the movie resolves itself, and it teaches you that you have to find that thing inside you -- and you have to love yourself spiritually. That's the last thing that the film tells and teaches every woman: No matter what has happened to you, you have to go inside and love yourself. We're in a country that still embraces all kinds of cultures, and there's racism across the board for everybody. The people who run this country are primarily white men. So what you gonna do?
[Top photo: Dr. Billy Ingram/FilmMagic]
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Comments
Okay, the movie might be worth seeing (I love Tyler Perry and his work) but the way this article was worded was incredibly racist. Black Women and White Critics? That's an incredibly offensive title to me as a human being. The moment that the media (and people in general), stop refering to 'Black Politics' and 'Black Voices' and simply start referring to 'American Politics' and 'American Voices' then we will have truly reached Dr. King's vision for the future. I also think Mr. Perry could have chosen a much more tasteful title; this is a reference to an offensive term used in the 60's. I'm not saying everyone has to jump on board the 'socially acceptable' train, but other than dividing the community into 'Black' and 'White', which this article implies, does the title serve another purpose? Titles like this, articles like this, and attitudes that incorporate 'Black Anything' are racism. You do not see 'White Anything' on the market and I hope we never will. This is sad, Mr. Perry, you are dividing the community this time, not serving to bring people together. God does not want us to be divided by colour, creed, or any other physical state. By creating divisions like this, you are dishonoring the unity God wants for his children. I ask all Americans, but especially those in positions of larger communication like Mr. Perry, to please stop creating barriers.
The movie might be good viewing (I love Tyler Perry and his work), but does he realize that he's dividing the community? The title serves no purpose other than to divide the community the way the writer of this article did so insensitively into Black and White. That violates Christian values, Mr. Perry, that teach God's unity and love in not making anyone stronger. The story is great, but the title of the film and this article are just another example of modern racism that divides the community in claiming to pay more attention to 'Black Politics' and 'Black Voices'. People, that IS the epitome of racism; dividing, labeling, and acting according to race! Wake up and stop creating barriers. If anything we are all human beings and could do well to learn from the fact that no other nation divides itself by using these racial terms. Titles like the film's and this articles should not be encouraged, they are offensive to me as both a human being and a spiritual Christian.
The title actually refers to the colors each woman represents of the rainbow which was the original title.
Titles like "For Colored Girls" can spark an interest in all colors. There were approximately 1/3 of other races viewing the movie. What's great is that you may view any movie you desire. If you have chains on your brain, its your choice.
"For Colored Girls " To take this from stage to screen was phenomenal. Full of energy, and emotions that carried me from one end of the spectrum to another. Whoopi Goldberg, Loretta Devine, Anika Noni Rose, Kimberly Elise, Thandi Newton, Janet Jackson should I go further?? No division on color, just the world we live in. I saw this film once and will view it again!!! Some souls need awakening!!!! Mr. Tyler Perry I await your next journey.
All I can say is phenomenal movie. I shed so many tears and at some points my heart got so heavy because of the depth of every woman's situation. Every woman was her own seperate color but when they came together they created something so beautiful. A rainbow. So after watching this movie I did not consider the word 'colored' to be a word that divided or isolated a certain race from another but a word that could and should unite us all. Anyone who is an accountable human being would should not criticized the title of this movie, instead, focus on the message because the situations that took place could happen to people of all creeds and colors.
We need HIV/AIDS education. It's very important!! CDC has granted CSU $1.9M for HIV/AIDS education. The number of members on the largest STD dating&support site == stdloving.com has reached 500,000 members. OMG! why so many people are infected by HIV? There is no doubt that we need SEX-ED
It appears that you don't know the full background of this well directed movie. Tyler Perry was outstanding with bringing this 70's book of poems, on & off Broadway play, to the big screen. Get to know the writer and read the book and then maybe you'll feel differently about Mr. Perry. The writer, Ntozake Shange. She was very talented back then and she still is. Mr. Perry incorporated a veer disturbing epidemic of today with things Black Women have been going through for ages. I don't feel he was taking sighs or leaving any race out but the book is about us (Black Women). His movies are uplifting and very thought provoking. This is what the Black community needs. Something other than horror & shoot 'em up bang bang all of the time.
I couldn't disagree with you more and I am terribly sorry you missed the stronger tones in the movie. The title doesn't refer to their ethnicity, as it does each woman being represented by a spectrum of the rainbow. This isn't about color and creating barriers and suicide. These characters overcame barriers and knocked down walls to support each other in love and womanhood. They didn't all even like each other, but still bonded in difficult times and found love through their suffering. It shows how we can be oblivious to what other people endure and that we can all truly help each other. It shows that we are all more alike than we think. It shows a reality of what women give of themselves. It shows examples of how a woman should hold her head high, no matter how tired or battered by life. It shows that it does get better. I find these characters and the poetry of Ntozake Shange through the eye of Tyler Perry to be beautiful and empowering. I think it's the search for some personal,cultural or religious stereotypes that individuals seek out that create the barriers. However, if one attempts to not look at this work in such a way, one will be moved by the strength and union of these women's characters played out phenomenally by the whole cast, irrelevant to their "color". It was one of the best movies I have seen in some time. The support and love shared by these women would help many in real life if we took the time to see a little deeper into our neighbor. I wasn't aware that type of love wasn't Christian. Very empowering...and for what it's worth, this is the opinion of a white woman but this work is universal for women and mankind in general, as all art is.
Rihanna ripped the beat from Only Girl apart with those enthusiastic vocals! I wish that the rest of Rihanna's album are as stellar. Ri's musical flavor is different this time round and I totally adore it!
"Your dividing the community" What community are you referring to? The Black African American community? ?? I'm a bit confused as to what/who you are referencing. Please lets not bring religion and being a "good" Christian. Christians, as well as Muslims have been massacring human being for centuries in the name of Christ, Muhammad, Allah, whatever.
The movie represents a piece, poetry, a work of art that essence must be captured as purely as possible. Side effect of religious zeal: loss of creativity, sex drive, common sense, sense of self, reasoning.
I think the same. It should be this way.
Very nice blog.I like this and will come back very soon.