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(November 23, 2004)

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     Danny Glover has appeared in productions with some of the biggest names in Tinsel town and has worked with an influential cast of talent behind the camera as well. Not only has he starred in motion pictures shot by "last name only" mainstream heavy weights like Spielberg, Demme and Kasdan, the actor has also worked with a prolific list of skilled black directors like Bill Duke, Ernest Dickerson, Charles Burnett and the late trailblazer John Berry.

 

      This October, the veteran of TV, stage and screen returns to theaters in the Psycho-Thriller “Saw,” in which he portrays Homicide Detective Tapp, a man obsessed with finding the serial killer named Jigsaw, who has escaped from his grasp after killing his partner. Although he's portrayed the role of law officer in the past, most notably Roger Mertaugh in the “Lethal Weapon” series, Danny reveals that he had to dig around within to embellish Tapp's on-screen persona.

 

     "You're always thinking that you could do more [as an actor]. The question is, if an artist is an instrument to storytelling, then how does he effectively tell a variety of stories? And if I feel it in myself that I'm an instrument, then how can I explore as much as I can explore?" says the veteran of stage and screen.

 

     That said, before an actor can begin developing a role, he has to be invited to the dance; the phone's got to ring first. According to Danny, once the call was made, he got hooked by a short film shot by the first-time Australian director James Wan. “Once they showed me a copy of James' work ¾ on a little 10-12 minute clip ¾ I thought "oh this will be interesting," he recollects.”I read the script and said 'okay, this will be very interesting' ¾ I took it on that basis, I mean it wasn't like anyone was knocking down my door with interesting [parts] to do" he continues. "In a sense, I felt really compelled and wanted to do this; I thought that the possibilities [for the character] were enormous."

 

     The premise of Saw is dark and foreboding which might make one wonder if the scary feel of the movie spilled over onto the shoot itself. "Actually, I thought there was a kind of really wonderful atmosphere around the film and maybe that's a tribute to James [Wan, the director]," Glover points out, "because it was almost like as if you/ we were pushed through because of his buoyancy ¾ his energy was just so alive. Unfortunately, the way that films are [made]; none of us are given that opportunity, basically, to really continue to explore [most of the time].  I'm talking about great actors; actresses like Meryl Streep aren't [always] given the opportunities that she deserves, given her enormous gift, he emphasizes. With an enormous gift, you want that kind of responsibility to show all [that] you have.

 

     Glover made his feature debut with a small part in the Clint Eastwood classic Escape from Alcatraz back in 1979, he has since constructed a wide-ranging body of work ranging from the noble (“Grand Canyon”), heroic (“Predator 2”), amoral (“Witness”) to downright deplorable (“The Color Purple”) that have yielded nuanced performances which have surprised fans and, at times, the actor, himself.

 

     "I played a serial killer in "Switchback" and I got a kick out of that.  ¾  I scared audiences and friends [alike], “he adds with a laugh.”People were like ' I saw that “Switchback”, ‘he quotes with a sardonic tone. ‘I didn't like you in that role ¾ I can deal with Mister, I can go so far with that, but [Bob Goodall] made me uncomfortable,'  they preferred the benign characters,” he recalls of his fans' distaste for the darker material. "There are parts of “The Color Purple” that I have not seen [still] because I was so blown away ¾ I was scared ¾ by where I had gone, he admits.”There are certain scenes that I couldn't look at in that film because it just unhinged me."

 

     Detectives and serial killers aside, Danny sheds light on what excites him about his profession, why he looks to the future, not just the past and why, as difficult as it may be to believe, he's still working at his artistic craft.

 

     "We're talking about make-believe, it begins with that, the thing is that the level of make-believe is so amazing in film. The ability of our minds to just become immersed in it ¾ that's what I like about it, the actor exclaims. "When I took To Sleep with Anger, I said - all I could remember was a part of my stuff that I remembered; recalled emotionally. I said, "I want to go on this journey because of what I don’t know or I don't know how I'm going to feel or whatever. I can't presuppose what I'm going to feel." And that's the best situation for an actor or actress, is not to know where they're going to go ¾ I felt that with Saw also; I ended up in this very special place. I can't take stock of my career yet," Glover concludes, "there's been some good films and everything else, but I always think that there's always feelings that there could be more and not only that there could've been but there is more. - BY CHRIS PRYOR

 

Doing the Right Thing
      Corporate giant NEXTEL through its Boost Mobile division has partnered with hip-hop stars Kanye West, Ludacris and The GAME, for an exclusive “Anthem” ringtone, which Boost customers can download from the Boost Mobile website (www.boostmobile.com). All Boost proceeds from the ringtone sales (approximately $1 per download) will be donated equally to the United Negro College fund, Ludacris Foundation and Chicago State University Foundation to help make a positive difference in the lives of youth of all ages across the country. Look for a spotlight on Boost Mobile VP of Marketing Darryl Cobbin in an upcoming edition of RTSC.
 

 

RTSC DVD Pick
      ·In stores now on DVD is the laugh-out-loud action/comedy independent film “Super Spy” written, produced, directed by and starring the hardest working comedian in show business, AJ Jamal. With the launch of his new company, Elephant Music & Films, Inc. ("EMFI"), AJ Jamal makes his filmmaking debut with "Super-Spy," a James Bond-type spoof, featuring a star-studded cast of some of black Hollywood’s most noted comedians and actors.  The cast includes LisaRaye ("The Players Club," “All of Us”), Garret Morris ("Saturday Night Live,” “Martin”), Reynaldo Rey (BET's "Comic View"), "Tiny" Zeus Lister, Jr., (“Friday”) and breakout comedian Spencer, Karyn Kobayashi, and Jimmy Logston as Jimmy Bond, the first black James Bond. For more information visit www. superflythemovie.com .

 

 

 

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