Dear Readers: February is Black History Month. It almost goes without saying that the entertainment world would be a much duller place without the contributions of the African American community.
Dear Readers: February is Black History Month. It almost goes without saying that the entertainment world would be a much duller place without the contributions of the African American community.
So I extend this thank you to the pioneers and trendsetters like Cicely Tyson, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Bill Cosby, Whoopi Goldberg, Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Dorothy Dandridge, Marion Anderson, Butterfly McQueen, Diana Ross, Sammy Davis, Jr., Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Alvin Ailey, Jesse Norman, Spike Lee, and so many, many others. Our world would not be the same without you. Bravo!
The King And I
Last Friday, you may have caught Charles Malik Whitfield's blowout performance on CBS' "Now and Again." Don't worry, if you missed him; you'll have plenty of chances to see him in action. He'll have a recurring role on the hit show.
In the meantime, we caught up with him on the set of his newest feature film, "The Court," also starring Sticky Fingaz ("Next Friday") and vet television actor Charles Robinson ("Night Court").
I am sitting with Charles Malik Whitfield on the bleachers of a less-than-glam elementary school gymnasium. We're on location just south of Downtown Los Angeles where Whitfield is busy filming "The Court," an urban basketball drama.
Whitfield likes to go by his middle name "Malik" (pronounced Mah-leek). His name is both African and Hebrew, meaning "king."
Whitfield's smile is familiar, and it should be. His stand out role as singer Otis Williams in the NBC Emmy-winning telepic "Temptations" earned him rave reviews and an NAACP Image Award nomination last year.
A young veteran of primetime, chances are you may also remember him as Dr. Ben Price on the daytime drama "One Life To Live." And more recently, Whitfield has been seen on "Touched By An Angel," "Homicide," "Law & Order," and a half dozen other shows.
He's also had starring roles in the feature films "Fresh," "Night and the City," and "Bleeding Hearts."
Off screen Whitfield's extensive theater background led him to appear in "On the Front Lines" at Carnegie Hall and in the "Asylum" at Lincoln Square.
But, his career has been quite a trip for Whitfield and the distance can be measured in more than miles.
Street Scenes
Growing up in the tough neighborhood of the South Bronx, Whitfield never dreamed he would end up in Hollywood.
In fact, Whitfield was well on his way to running the streets full time. But it was not to be.
One day, after swearing a blue streak at his junior high school teacher, he was promptly booted out of class. The teacher was a young white woman named Mary Ann Larkin-Andrews.
In order for him to get back into her class, he was told he must apologize to her.
Whitfield's apology was less than endearing. His apology went something like this: "I'm sorry for cursing at you and sh-t."
Whitfield laughs as he mimics Larkin-Andrews.
"She said, 'The boy's still cursing at me, what's wrong with this child?" Larkin-Andrews gave him an ultimatum. The only way she would let him back into her class was if Whitfield wrote a monologue.
After Larkin-Andrews explained the literary genre, Whitfield wrote a short monologue about a friend who had passed away.
"It meant a lot to me," he tells me. Whitfield had just turned 14.
Being forced to write this piece was an act that would define his life.
"(Larkin-Andrews) was so instrumental in helping me find the clarity in my voice and so many things that meant so much to me in my heart" Whitfield says.
Larkin-Andrews saw more than a troubled student, she saw an intelligent young man with great potential.
It turned out that Larkin-Andrews was more than a good teacher, she was well connected and respected on Broadway and in Hollywood. Her husband was famed set designer Peter Larkin.
"She had a rich background of aristocracy," Whitfield tells me.
It surprised him that such a privileged woman would be teaching in the South Bronx. However, years later, she would explain that she wanted to be part of the solution.
One thing is certain: Larkin-Andrews was part of Whitfield's solution.
After a life-long friendship, Larkin-Andrews passed away just last year, having seen her unruly student become a well-regarded actor and a thoughtful young man.
More To Come
Although, Whitfield's professional gigs started after he met Larkin-Andrews in junior high, he says the first time he appeared on stage was when he was just a pre-schooler. He was only 4 years old when he recited Langston Hughes' poem "Mother to Son."
I ask him if he remembers any of the poem and he laughs.
"Parts," he tells me and recalls lines he hasn't said for over 20 years.
The poem is a tough-love message from a parent to child. It's a lesson about how life can be hard. But perhaps more importantly, it's about perseverance.
It is not surprising that Whitfield still holds these words so close to his heart.
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair,
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor-
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's.
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you find it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now-
For I'se still goin honey,
I'se still climbin'
And life for me ain't been no crystal
stair.
Charles Malik Whitfield Takes The Next Step
Whitfield is starring in three upcoming movies: "Kali's Vibe," Prison Song," and "The Court." This spring, Whitfield will return to Broadway in "Shyster." And he will continue his role on TV's "Now and Again."
Oh, Monica. I can barely bring myself to report this, but being a responsible journalist with a juicy scoop, I feel obligated. Miss L. was reportedly condo shopping last Sunday in the upscale Westview Towers on La Cienega and Fountain Ave. in trendy West Hollywood. Is this native Southern California gal homeward bound? We are holding our breath.
Note: "On The Set" appears every week in our Entertainment section. Have a question about your favorite celebrity? Let Steven know.
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