By Tendisai Cromwell

Box office hit, The Help depicts the life of African-American maids during the ‘60s in Mississippi.  The film centres around the lives of housemaids, their white employers and an offbeat journalist who subtly attempts to challenge the racist social norms that place maids at the complete mercy of their employers.

The central character, Aibileen is a kind and dignified figure who reveals her silent strength and patience in her role as a maid.  Her experiences are solicited by Skeeter, the journalist who secretly endeavours to write a book about the hardships endured by maids from their perspective. Minny, another maid with a fiery personality and uncompromising attitude reluctantly becomes the third in a quest to give a voice to the voiceless by contributing her life story to the book.

The film is ultimately an exploration of class and race in a historic period in America. However, the Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH) accuses the film of failing in its attempt to address these sensitive topics. The ABWH released an open statement to fans of the film, challenging its depiction of the lives of African-American maids. The statement heavily critiques the film for lacking in both historical context and accuracy.

“The Association of Black Women Historians finds it unacceptable for either this book or this film to strip black women’s lives of historical accuracy for the sake of entertainment,” the statement reads.

The ABWH claims that both the book and film completely omit the common and unfortunate reality of sexual, physical and verbal abuse endured by the maids. As well, it is noted that the rich history and key developments of the Civil Rights Movement go almost unacknowledged. The ABWH also charge the film of mischaracterizing the racism experienced by the maids.

“Portraying the most dangerous racists in 1960s Mississippi as a group of attractive, well dressed, society women, while ignoring the reign of terror perpetuated by the Ku Klux Klan and the White Citizens Council, limits racial injustice to individual acts of meanness.”

The ABWH conclude that the film is not simply a superficial and inaccurate account of African-American maids, but it is not even primarily an exploration of their life narratives. Instead, it is asserted that the film revolves around the white journalist’s journey for self-discovery:

“The Help is not a story about the millions of hardworking and dignified black women who labored in white homes to support their families and communities. Rather, it is the coming-of-age story of a white protagonist, who uses myths about the lives of black women to make sense of her own.”

The following is a list of the ABWH’s recommended readings for insight into the lives of African-American maids:

Fiction:

Like one of the Family: Conversations from A Domestic’s Life, Alice Childress

The Book of the Night Women by Marlon James

Blanche on the Lam by Barbara Neeley

The Street by Ann Petry

A Million Nightingales by Susan Straight

Non-Fiction:

Out of the House of Bondage: The Transformation of the Plantation Household by Thavolia Glymph

To Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women’s Lives and Labors by Tera Hunter

Labor of Love Labor of Sorrow: Black Women, Work, and the Family, from Slavery to the Present by Jacqueline Jones

Living In, Living Out: African American Domestics and the Great Migration by Elizabeth Clark-Lewis

Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody

The full statement can be retrieved here: http://www.abwh.org/images/pdf/TheHelp-Statement.pdf

Filmmaker Charles Officer

By Saada Branker

Just three days after Charles Officer wrapped shooting his feature film in September 2007, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) came calling with his next job. He was to write and direct a documentary profiling Canada’s three-time Olympic athlete Harry Jerome.

Well aware that a documentary was new territory in his directorial journey, Officer accepted the position. Immediately, he began writing. “When I began conceptualizing the film, I actually went out on an investigative period,” explains Officer.

Wanting to develop his own perspective about the athlete who was Canada’s first to hold a world track record, he interviewed a series of people about Jerome. Officer scored a coup while meeting with Jerome’s ex-wife, Dr. Wendy Jerome.

“She revealed these seven really incredible photo albums that are about 50 pages deep with everything — every article, every photograph of Harry from when they met to when he died and afterwards. Newspapers, his track shoes, his medals, that was my inspiration for the gallery,” says Officer.

The might in Mighty Jerome

That mini museum helped pave the way for Officer’s interweaving of anecdotal narratives, archival footage and revealing re-enactments, which flow together in the black and white feature documentary, Mighty Jerome. Shot in Vancouver and Toronto, the film portrays defining moments in Jerome’s life and career.

Born in 1940 in Prince Albert, Sask. then raised in North Vancouver, B.C., Jerome grew up a biracial boy with a dream to run. As a student, he earned his master’s degree in physical education but passed on teaching. He instead focused on training for qualifying competitions leading to the Olympics and breaking sprinting records along the way.

Along with the achievements came the career-ending threat of harrowing injuries and intense media scrutiny.
Dr. Jerome, featured prominently in Mighty Jerome, says she was pleased with the doc. Officer and his team did “a really good job depicting what it was like for Harry … I think the film, while it touched on his achievements, also developed who Harry was,” she says.

Dr. Jerome confirms that people often mistook her ex-husband’s solemnity for shyness. “In some cases he was more withdrawn, sort of feeling his way before he relaxed. I don’t think Harry relaxed in the company of many people.” It seemed judgement was always near. Jerome’s injury and subsequent return to Canada from the 1960 Olympics are bruising examples.

The documentary reveals that some Canadian journalists considered Jerome a quitter. “Harry was pretty fragile in terms of things like that,” Dr. Jerome explains. “But I think he didn’t want to do anything that could be misconstrued and could interfere with his opportunities. And you can’t fault him for that. I thought he could have taken a stand, but I also understood why he didn’t.”

A daughter’s memories

Much of the intricacies of race and media make it into Officer’s film, as do the complicated truths that follow Jerome after his divorce in 1971 and sudden death in 1982. Namely, a longstanding rift between Jerome’s sister, Valerie, and Dr. Jerome, which left Officer with no choice but to respect Valerie’s wish to be excluded from the film. But perhaps the relationship most affected by the abrupt death was the one between Jerome and his only child.

Debbie Jerome was only 18 when her father died. She still carries vivid memories of him picking her up at the airport when she visited Vancouver. The hit song Joy to the World by Three Dog Night comes to mind: “That song was on the radio and we would always go to Dairy Queen and get a butterscotch sundae,” she recalls.

Now a mother and grandmother, she expands on Mighty Jerome’s role in her healing. “It helped close some doors and brought some closure, which is what I had hoped to get from the film,” says Debbie. “They told the most beautiful story and the vision is perfect. I think they’ve done my father nothing but justice.”

Samuel Getachew

By Samuel Getachew

At last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, I stood up and asked a daring question to actress Natalie Portman. I was covering the event for a local Ethiopian Canadian newspaper and knew she had recently visited the country, so I asked her about Ethiopian film making and any future plans to take some of her work there for a public showing.

While the whole room eyed me with confusion, Ms. Portman answered how much she liked being involved in charity work in Ethiopia and how much she was struck by the beauty and humility of Ethiopians that she had met on her brief visit. My question not being answered, I sat down and heard more mainstream news outlets ask such friendly questions as the name of her hair stylists, if she had a boyfriend and many similar inquiries.

The experience left me determined to expose myself to Ethiopian film making on a recent visit to my home country.  I visited many cinemas and theatres and was pleasantly surprised to discover that most were always sold out with local, Ethiopian-produced movies and theatres.

Movie making is now a mainstream business there, and many talented actors and actresses are being afforded a rare opportunity to showcase unique and top notch talent. Young actress, Meseret Mebrate, of the local soap Gemena fame and dozens of films is such a person.

I was first met Meseret at a screening in Addis for Hiroshima, a movie about leading Ethiopian business people attempting to smuggle hazardous waste by exploiting many people and families along the way. Though she is a supporting character, in every scene, she is the star. Tall, elegant and beautiful to watch, she makes every part come to life.

I later find that she goes around the auditorium meeting her fans and asking for their opinion. This is rare for many stars and might be the making of Ethiopia’s greatest film, TV, radio and stage superstar. I ask her for an interview, and she grants me the privilege the following day.

As she approached in a brand new Lifan, an Ethiopian car company of which she is a spokesperson, hands were being thrown her way before she could even park. She was directed to the most privileged area, while the guards promised to clean her car while she was away.

Everyone compliments her work, calling themselves her biggest fan. “She is more beautiful in person” seems to be the universal compliment, while “I can not wait to put our picture on my facebook” is a close second.  She shakes my hand and apologizes for being late for about 10 minutes. I was too taken aback with her presence to notice.

I ask her to her reflect on her journey so far. She tells me her movie career began near her neighborhood of Gebe Gabriel, where she was a member of the St Gabriel Church choir.

“I really liked the experience of being born from that surrounding and it gave me a rare fulfilled life that I still carry with me”, she tells me. In time, she was discovered and was recruited to do a starring role in the TV series, Tears of a Candle. This series exposed the stigma associated with HIV / AIDS in Ethiopia. Her brilliant performance as a rape victim in the TV series made her a household name in the minds and hearts of many people. It was even reported in a local paper how her strong performance convinced her father to often refuse to watch some of her work.

At the conclusion of the series, she moved on to star in many movies and TV shows. One notable performance was in the movie, Gudefecha where she was a love interest. Through the performance, she gained the trust and mentorship of Director Tatek Tadesse, whom she describes as her greatest mentor. She also credits directors such as Asheber Kabetamu of Gemena for paving the way for many talented actresses. In the Gemena series, where she won the first Ethiopian TV and Radio Drama ’50,000 Birr award, she has played multiple roles including a psychology student and maid.

The graduate of the Master Photography and Videography Vocational Center in photography in Addis Ababa wants to someday follow in the footsteps of directors Tatek and Asheber. With a reputation of often advising directors at movie sets, “with respect and love” she tells me, it seems the birth of Director Meseret Mebrate is nearer than expected.

She looks at the careers of great international actresses such as Julia Roberts and local talented actor Fikadu Teklemariam for inspiration. As a fan of Buna (coffee) Soccer Club, she can often be spotted in cheering them on at the National Stadium and describes soccer as an “art”. If she was not an actress, she tells me, she would have pursued a career in medicine.

With a huge diamond on her finger, I ask the question that is on the mind of millions of her fans. She laughs and tells me that she has a steady partner and the ring was indeed a promise ring. For a minute, I reflect on the kinds of questions I often heard at the Toronto Film Festival a year ago, and ask her who her stylist is. She spends about five minutes telling me the story of her stylists, the young and talented Mahlet Afework, A K A, Mafi. Instantly, I am introduced to Mafi her inspirational work and become a fan. Then again, how can I not, when the compliments and words are coming from the most talented and convincing actors in Ethiopia.

In thousands of ways, Meseret Mebrate is indeed, a true future international superstar in the making. I hope she knows that she has lots fans right here in Canada – I am one of many.

See video of Meseret’s Best Artist Win

Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces iCloud during a keynote address to the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Monday, June 6, 2011. PAUL SAKUMA/AP

By Darling Nicky

An Apple a Day Keeps the Competition at Bay

“Wow! Apple is no joke. Talk about world take-over.” via @darlingnicky999 on Twitter

So, I was browsing the latest headlines and (of course) my eye caught several postings about the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that took place June 6 in San Francisco.  There, Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc. announced a number of changes to existing services that essentially take the best applications from other companies and package them in an iFriendly format.  (Can I even say “iFriendly” or is that already some Apple commissioned software for teaching good manners?)

The rumours about whether Apple would finally jump on the Blackberry Messenger bandwagon were put to rest with the revelation of a new feature for iOS5 called iMessage that will allow iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users to send encrypted messages to one another either in bulk or individually.  The current MobileMe which was used to sync and store Apple contacts, photos and other content has been replaced with iCloud, which in addition will sync documents and apps to other devices.

iCloud will also come with 5 GB of storage that work similarly to Dropbox, but will also enable updating across all devices when a file is updated on any device linked to the account.  Among many other improvements (or theft of ideas depending on how you look at it), the change that I think will resonate with Apple enthusiasts around the world will be the “cutting” of the proverbial cord.  Apple users will no longer have to connect their Apple device to a computer to use iTunes for device activation and operating system downloads.  Apple is making the user experience a truly wireless one.

Whether you are an Apple, RIM or other Smartphone user, there is no question that we have become uber-dependent on these little pocket computers.  While no matter how much laptops have made our lives a little easier enabling us to work out of virtual offices (beach, subway, boyfriend’s house),   we typically leave them behind when we go to the grocery store (or even the bathroom).  With all the innovations in mobile applications – there is no excuse for not finishing that spreadsheet – while spending some time on the porcelain throne.

“Sorry Boss.  There is NO reason I couldn’t adjust that expense sheet from the club bathroom.  Afterall, that’s what iCloud is for!” via @darlingnicky999 on Twitter

#thatswhatshesaid

Sequel City

“Imagine if Hollywood had made a Gone with the Wind Part. 2?” via @darlingnicky999 on Twitter

Skimming the Top 20 movies of this past weekend, and realized that the Top 3 grossing movies at the box office for the weekend of June 4 to June 6, 2011 were ALL sequels.  In #1 was the 4^th instalment in the X-Men series called  X-Men: First Class, in #2 was the return of Bradley Cooper and the hilarious ensemble of The Hangover 2,  and in the #3 position was the animated Part 2 of Kung Fu Panda.

I have such mixed feelings about sequels.  In some cases where a literary work, like the Harry Potter series or Twilight, required several books to tell the tale, multiple movie instalments make a lot of sense.  However, in some cases, it feels like the movie studios are just capitalizing on what was a very lucky break the first go round.

Of interest, 2011 has the most sequels planned than any other year, so if you are a sequel junkie, here they are: Cars, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Hangover, Happy Feet, Hoodwinked, Johnny English, Kung Fu Panda, Piranha, Sherlock Holmes, Mission Impossible, Pirates of the Caribbean, Spy kids, Twilight, Fast Five, Final Destination, Puss ‘n Boots (from Shrek), X-Men, Winnie the Pooh, The Muppets, Planet of the Apes,  Valentine’s Day, The Thing and Harry Potter!

Not everybody waits with anticipation for the sequel to a good movie to come out…

“RT @DarlingNicky999: Imagine if Hollywood had made a Gone With The Wind Part. 2?<<”Quite honestly my darling, I just don’t give a damn!” ~ Rhett Buttler.” via @davidfmewa in response to @darlingnicky999 on Twitter

#ThatsWhatHESaid

Darling Nicky is an entertainment writer, blogger and publicist.  Check out her out at www.darlingnicky.ca

By Saada Branker

To think, the art world almost lost Cameron Bailey to journalism. But that’s not the case. It’s been three years since he was named co-director of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), joining its CEO Piers Handling; and many more years since he became a mainstay on the film scene.

Over those past 20-plus years, Bailey has been—sometimes simultaneously—a film critic, curator, TIFF programmer, broadcast host, and writer laying down layers of content that helped to strengthen the foundation of Canadian film. Today, he oversees teams of several TIFF programmers and deals with major film companies.

Bailey’s immersion in world cinema is precisely why his profile gets captured then captioned again and again by the media. Born in England then raised by his grandparents on a Barbados farm for four years, Bailey and older sister Maxine came to Canada when he was eight.

He read a lot and grew into a kid who loved Toronto’s public libraries and later a keen student of world cinema. The literal theory course, among others, at the University of Western Ontario, helped Bailey to ponder “the fairly tough and sophisticated ideas” on how art works, he says.

A former member and director of the defunct Black Film and Video Network, he critically contemplated filmmaking in Canada in the late ’80s with a handful of esteemed rabble-rousers who were also groundbreaking filmmakers and producers. “We came together and started by just knocking on doors. We would knock on doors of the Ontario Film Development Corporation (OFDC) and the National Film Board and say, ‘What are you doing for Black filmmakers? What part of your activities address the needs of filmmakers of colour?’ We weren’t alone. There were a number of organizations doing this at the same time,” says Bailey who later became a board director for the OFDC.

For the love of film
The consciousness-raising continued until the mid 1990s. Bailey joined TIFF as a programmer in 1990 and the following year travelled to Burkina Faso in Africa with Handling, who was then the director of TIFF, for the Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou. “We were inspired,” he remembers. “It felt like the entire African film world was there. There was real respect and honouring for the creative efforts of African filmmakers. Even when people were making different kinds of films, they understood what they shared in common.”

That inspiration gave birth to the idea for Planet Africa at the TIFF. “The context is important,” Bailey explains. “There had never been a program devoted to African cinema or Black cinema at TIFF before.” But the festival had many programs devoted to regions he says, such as the Latin American and Asian programs, and Perspectives Canada. “All of those programs were put in place for the same reason—to grow the audience for a certain kind of filmmaking that maybe wasn’t as accessible to most moviegoers.”

That was 1994. Bailey recalls going to pitch the idea to Handling thinking, “I can certainly make the case that the same was true for Africa. The big difference was this wasn’t just going to be films from the continent of Africa, it was going to be about filmmakers of African descent.” Planet Africa ran from 1995 to 2004 showcasing filmmakers of colour.

Show and tell
“Cameron has always been there,” says Sharon Lewis, a celebrated actor and emerging filmmaker. It’s a Sunday afternoon of show and tell at the downtown Toronto state-of-the-art TIFF Bell Lightbox. Bailey has just finished moderating a panel of eight filmmakers as part of the Wedge Curatorial project called Witness As Desired.

Lewis’ sci-fi short film, Chains, originally aired on HBO and had just made its Canadian debut in the cinema seating 150 film fans. It’s her day to shine, but she’s talking about Bailey, whom she’s known for years: “I think he’s worked hard at keeping TIFF inclusive,” she says. “So, with the demise of Planet Africa and the rise of Cameron Bailey, he continues to be our cheerleader for Black films.”

Dawn Wilkinson is just as affected by Bailey. Her short documentary, Looking for Dawn, premiered at the Wedge event. “When I was a student at the University of Toronto, I would cut my classes to go to Planet Africa films,” says Wilkinson. “Seeing those films at a time right before I made the decision to make my very first film, Dandelions, seeing Cameron up there talking about the significance of these films, and seeing myself represented more than I ever had before, was a huge part of me making my first film,” she says. “I don’t have any other words for the influence he’s had. It’s just that deep.”

Ask the directors

Q: How has Cameron Bailey’s dedication to promoting Canadian filmmaking affected you in your own work?

1. Alison Duke:
The Batty Boys Revenge
“Seeing Cameron Bailey’s rise, administratively, in the film world and now into the role of co-director of TIFF really affirms for me that our local stories can now be international. And I can make international stories and show how it affects us here in Toronto and in Canada.”

2. Jason Ebanks: Olé
“When I first became interested in making films, I initially wanted to move to the States. I often thought it was hard to get ahead or even be noticed as a Canadian filmmaker. Over the years, I’ve found Cameron’s hard work, dedication and passion for showcasing Canadian content in TIFF truly awesome! It has since made me extremely proud to be a part of the Canadian film industry.”

3.  Peter Dean Rickards: Proverbs 24:10
“He’s putting an effort into having what you can call indie people gathered and presented at a really respected theatre; as far as how that affects my own work, it’s exposure. So I’m thankful for that.”

4. Powys Dewhurst: Where Do White People Go When The Long Weekend Comes? The Wondrous Journey of Delroy Kincaid
“From Cameron the writer, to Cameron the occasional advisor, to Cameron the activist, to Cameron the film lover who sometimes debates film with me, this was what I cherished. No hero worship, but for the last 15 years or so, perhaps without even realizing it, we needed to know that he, along with a handful of others, was somewhere out there.”

Mark Stoddart with Spike Lee and the portrait he painted 19 years ago.

By Mark Stoddart

It is a familiar saying: “Tell me a fact and I will learn; tell me a truth and I will believe; tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”

This single truth has inspired and motivated each brushstroke I have swept across a canvas. While the immediate subject changes, the purpose behind my art remains the same: educate, empower and unite.

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Shelton Jackson Lee (aka Spike Lee). For me, Lee is a realist, humanitarian and a man who embraces his people using passion as his compass. An accomplished writer, director, producer, actor and author, Lee has revolutionized both the landscape of independent cinema and the role of Black talent in film.

Few would argue that he is a respected filmmaker and a forerunner in the DIY school of filmmaking. His work will go down in history as powerful coupled with a unique style of storytelling.

I’ve always felt a special connection with him. He is constantly involved with the three things that inspire me the most: sports, music and activism. Whether it was his early movie appearances ( Mars Blackmon in She’s Gotta Have It, Mookie in Do the Right Thing, Shorty in Malcolm X), Lee has always managed to send a message through his work and has shaped my consciousness to become the visionary that I am today.

As I inched closer in line at his book-signing, my excitement mounted. I felt like a fan meeting their favourite athlete or artist. I was speechless yet energized. The legendary man, whom I’ve looked up to for close to two decades, was about to sign my book!

Pulling myself together, I introduced myself, managing to utter a few quick words about him being my role model. I caught my breath and explained that while in college in 1992, I painted a portrait of him, hoping to one day present it to him personally.

My dream came true: I got to give him a copy as a token of my appreciation for inspiring me to do what I do. He graciously accepted.

The author and Spike Lee

He signed my book, “Thank you for the art ~ Spike Lee.”

After that giddy feeling left me, I realized that meeting Spike Lee and giving him my work will always be an important victory in my life. But something else was marinating in me. Something very poignant.

Sixteen years ago I created a visionary board comprised of several things I wanted to accomplish. As ridiculous and unobtainable as some may have seemed, I honestly believed in their realization. Not everything on that board has manifested, but almost everything has. Spike Lee was on that board.

They just wanted to serve their country.Even though there was an urgent drive for new soldiers in 1916 during WWI, local recruiters refused to enlist black men because of the prevailing stereotypes.

“Nothing is to be gained by blinking facts. The civilized negro is vain and imitative; in Canada he is not being impelled to enlist by a high sense of duty; in the trenches he is not likely to make a good fighter; and the average white man will not associate with him on terms of equality. Not a single commanding officer in Military District No. 2 is willing to accept a coloured platoon as part of his battalion; and it would be humiliating to the coloured men themselves to serve in a battalion where they were not wanted.” So wrote W. Gwatkin, Major-General Chief of the General Staff, in a memo dated April 1916.

As a compromise, Gwatkin recommended the establishment of a labour battalion.

The No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canada’s “Black Battalion,” was formed in 1916. Honour Before Glory, a film by writer, actor, producer and director Anthony Sherwood illuminates the legacy of this unit.

“The most fascinating thing about doing the research for the film was the lack of information regarding the No. 2 Construction Battalion. Most libraries and archives had practically nothing on the black unit. It was still Canada’s best kept secret,” says Sherwood.

The contents of Reverend William White’s diary provided the emotional insight and the inspiration for this film. Archival footage and interviews also expose some of the realities black soldiers faced during WWI.

“His diary was written with such passion, poetry and honesty that I was compelled to write the story,” says Sherwood. “Professionally, this was a great project to do because not only did I have a personal connection to the story, but it was a unique military story that had never been told on film before.”

Rev. White, the Battalion’s chaplain, was a prominent Baptist minister in Truro, Nova Scotia. He was one of many black leaders who led the drive for a black unit &emdash; and was Sherwood’s great uncle.

The No. 2 Construction Battalion, headquartered in Pictou, Nova Scotia was trained in Pictou, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Sutherland. In total, 605 men and 19 officers left Halifax on March 28, 1917 for Liverpool, England; the unit included 168 black Americans. All of the officers were white except for Rev. White, the only black commissioned officer in the entire British Armed Forces during WWI. Members of the battalion came from across Canada.

The late Senator Calvin W. Ruck said, as chair of the Black Battalion Committee in a submission to The Historic Sites and Monuments Board in 1991, that blacks were treated as third-class citizens and listed blatant acts of discrimination against those trying to enlist.

A close personal friend of Sherwood, Ruck wrote The Black Battalion: 1916-1920, Canada’s Best Kept Military Secret, which was published in 1987.

Says Sherwood: “[Ruck] helped bring me into the world when I was born at home in Halifax many years ago. So you see, there were many close and personal connections to the story that made me compelled to produce this film.”

Even though they were fighting for freedom and democracy, black soldiers were subjected to racism on the war front; and the home front. They fought battles overseas and in Canada with honour and glory.

Black participation in military efforts did not start or stop with WWI. In fact, in 1859, William Edward Hall of Nova Scotia was the first Canadian navy man to earn the Victoria Cross, the highest award for military valour in Canada and the Commonwealth: it honours courage and bravery. Sherwood has created an educational play about Hall, which was scheduled to be performed in schools in February, 2010.

Blacks fought for the British during the American War of Independence; in the War of 1812 (as The Coloured Corps or the Company of Coloured Men), they fought at the Battle of Queenston Heights and other battles; in the 1837-38 rebellion; defended Canadian borders against the Fenian invaders in 1866; and in WWII. They also fought in the Korean War and participated in the Suez crisis. Enlistment and participation has become easier and less hostile since then. The truth is that black Canadians have, and continue to serve around the world in various units and capacities with pride.

Photo by Alenka Slavinec

Cle Bennett exclaims that he never ‘got into acting’.  Rather, it got into him.  Born to Jamaican parents, the Toronto raised thespian professes that since he was a child he was playing make believe, and as actors like to express sometimes, he never stopped playing.  Childish fancifulness transformed into a serious profession that eventually garnered him a supporting role alongside the likes of film giants Dustin Hoffman and Paul Giamatti.

He recently won two Gemini Awards for Best Supporting Actor in his television performances for CBC’s Guns and HBO’s The Line.  In addition, his name surfaced on the film festival circuit with his supporting role in the critically acclaimed Barney’s Version among the aforementioned Hoffman and Giamatti, set to open December 24^th in Toronto and Montreal.  The workaholic stays busy with guests star roles in a variety of television and film projects.

Cle spoke with Sway to discuss his creative process, playing make believe, wanting to play Malcolm, and channeling negative energies into success.

Were you born in Jamaica or Toronto?  What was your upbringing like?  Do a lot of your personal experiences bleed into your characters?

I was born in Toronto to Jamaican parents, and to tell you the truth I think I had a pretty normal upbringing, as far as Caribbean upbringings go.  A lot of the characters I play have experiences that are so far removed from mine, that I have no choice but to leave “me” at the door, and fully embrace their lives.

How would you describe yourself as an actor?

I’d like to be able to say that I’m a convincing or believable actor.  All I ask of other actors is that they make me believe – and this goes back to the playing as a kid thing – it’s no coincidence that it’s called playing “make believe”.  An actor’s objective is to “make” the audience “believe”.

What are your favorite films?  Why?

I have a number of them:  City of God, Malcolm X, Usual Suspects to name a few.  I guess I like them for different reasons. For example I love the story telling in City of God, and Usual Suspects; but I love the way how Malcolm X was able to move my soul.

What are your favorite performances? Why?

I would have to say my performances in Guns and The Line are my favorite. In both, I was playing what most people would refer to as “bad guys”, but I made an effort not to judge the characters.  Even though they both do a lot of dishonorable things, my objective was to play them in a way that would elicit the empathy of the audience, and I believe I succeeded in that.

You’ve been fortunate to play diverse roles.  Do you feel that being black limits you in Hollywood or in the Canadian film industry in terms of the range of characters you can play?

I don’t feel my blackness limits me in terms of the range of characters I can play – as in have the ability to play. I do however feel that the powers that be may have limitations in their own minds that cause them to limit the range of characters I can play, if you know what I mean.

How do you prepare for a role?  Any idiosyncrasies, anomalies, quirks?

If I broke down the way I prep, it would take up the whole interview, and you’d probably think I’m obsessed with this stuff – which I kind of am (laughs). So, for the sake of brevity, I’ll just say that I prepare by first getting so familiar with the dialogue that it becomes second nature.  Then with that out of the way, I dig deep – sort of like a psychoanalyst – into the character’s mind, and try to find the motivation behind every word, and action.

I read that you are really into music and that if you weren’t acting would be considering a career in it.  Does music help you to prepare for roles?  For example Daniel Day Lewis listened to a lot of Eminem to prepare for “Bill the Butcher” in Gangs of New York.

Nah, I can’t say that I use music to prepare for my roles. Not directly anyway.  I mean, usually in the early stages of my prep, I’ll go out for a run; and for that run, I have a certain playlist that gets me into a zone, but it’s not character specific.  For example “Going The Distance” off the Rocky soundtrack always gets me ready to um, [to] go the distance!

You worked opposite heavyweights like Dustin Hoffman and Paul Giamatti in Barney’s Version.  What did you learn from that experience?  Did you observe anything about their approach that you took with you?

Honestly I didn’t really learn any lessons in particular- and that’s not taking anything away from them – it’s just that we were all there to work, and so I was just focused on doing the job I was hired to.  I felt blessed and honored that my work had brought me to a place where I had the opportunity to play on the same team as those gentlemen, so If anything, I learned that, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.

What is or are your dream projects?  What kind of films do you hope to make and why?

I’m interested in playing important, historical roles.  Part of the reason I admire Denzel Washington so much is because of what he did with Malcolm X.  I would have loved to play Malcolm.  There’s a special kind of challenge in playing a role that people are already familiar with – a certain discipline – and I’d like to take on that challenge.

You won a Gemini award for your role in Guns and the The Line.  Do you feel Guns succeeded in effectively addressing the complex dynamics that perpetuate gun violence in Toronto/urban centers?

I believe so.  A spotlight has always been pointed at the black community as being responsible for all the gun violence, but you can’t have gun violence without guns being readily available.  Up ‘til now no one has known or even cared to ask where all these guns are coming from – this film redirects the light to that particular root of the problem, and shows that it’s not just a Black thing.  It’s much bigger than that.

Can you talk about the thoughts and emotions that emerged from winning the Gemini Awards?

Best feeling in the world, man!  Nothing turns me on more than setting up a goal, and then knocking it down.

In your speech you ended with “Just understand, anything’s possible, I’m the proof.”  What were you speaking about exactly?  Why do you feel that is important to address?

I was just saying I’m the proof, that if you channel all those energies I spoke of like anger, frustration, fear, etc, into something positive, it’s possible to succeed in ways that you can be proud of, instead of channeling them into negative outlets where you’ll only succeed in getting yourself incarcerated or killed.  I just wanted these guys to realize that I’m only standing there holding a trophy because I was pretending to be as angry, frustrated, and scared as they are for real!  They have real passion within themselves that can take them anywhere they want to be in life, if only they would learn to focus that passion in the right direction.

What projects are you working on currently?  What do you aim to achieve going forward?

I’m in between seasons of my two series Shattered, and Lost Girl, so I’ve been shooting a number of guest spots on various shows until we return.  As well, I’m the pre-production phase of a few film projects.   Going forward I hope to continue doing the same thing I’m doing now, but on an ever-growing scale.  As long as I get to keep playing make believe for a living, I’m good!

Photo by Alenka Slavinec

Omari Hardwick. Photo by Dimitry Louiseau.

By the time Omari had gotten on the phone with Sway he had spent all night at the hospital.  He was audibly exhausted and distraught.  I assure him that the interview will take all of ten minutes.  “I’m going to try to muster all the energy I can to give you,” he says.

His dog had undergone surgery after surviving a vicious attack the night before.  He describes it as a “peculiar day” while speaking to me on the drive back from the hospital.  I didn’t know what to expect from the Atlanta bred, once NFL bound athlete turned actor.  I was mostly content to be speaking to someone who starred alongside thee Janet Jackson in For Colored Girls.

Instead, I had an engaging conversation with a shrewd and genuine artist aware of his career trajectory and intensely serious about his profession.  He carried himself as a principled guy mindful of Tinseltown politics and very much levelheaded and relatable.

In our conversation he mentions his dog and uses her perseverance as a metaphor for his own tenacity in the industry.  The comparison is appropriate.  This is a guy who, like his Colored Girls director Tyler Perry, at times lived out of his car in L.A. before he found his first break working alongside another American luminary in Spike Lee.  Since then, he’s worked in a variety of film and television roles including The Guardian, Dark Blue, Saved and Lee’s Miracle at St. Anna.

The interview ran well past the ten minutes I guaranteed as we discussed film, Hollywood, For Colored Girls, Spike Lee vs Tyler Perry, and his path to the A list.

Tell us about your background, where you grew up and what it was like?

Well I grew up maybe 10 minutes on the outskirts of Atlanta.  Decatur, Georgia to be exact.  It was like any urban community I guess.  Typically families were ranging from mom and pop in the household, blue collar families to single family households where maybe it was a lot harder for certain individuals I grew up with. By the time I was 15 or 13, the high-school I was attending was not my local high-school, it was about 45 minutes away in north east Atlanta, and I would go home every day in the city.  I had the sport background and I was the middle kid.  It was a good upbringing.  My mom and my pops were both in the household, and I was very family oriented.

You were into sports and were NFL bound until an injury cut that career short.

Yep.  In high-school I played three sports growing up, actually four at one point if you’d include track.  Played basketball, football, baseball [and] ran track one or two years.  The sport that really took me to the next level was football.  It garnered me a scholarship, I went off to San Diego post-college and ended up working out as a free agent and got a shot.  Then due to injury I backed away from that, and found my way in New York studying theatre from hole in the wall theatres to off-Broadway.

How did you get into acting in the first place?

It wasn’t really after.  I minored in theatre at the University of Georgia.  I transferred from Berman University where I signed coming out of high school, and I was recruited by a lot of colleges, Georgia being one of them.  So when I transferred I just looked for a school that was a little bit more diverse like I was finding myself to be.  And the University of Georgia had such a great Communications department which I majored in, and theatre was big there. The school allowed for that multi-faceted side of myself to really be explored.  I ended up trying out for the league and not knowing whether I would parlay that into maybe a job as an anchorman or sports analyst, and then coming back full circle and maybe trying my hand at theatre.  But when I got cut as early as I got cut, I just said forget it let me just go for the gusto and try my hand at acting.  But it was already calling me when I was in college.

When you moved to L.A., at one point you were living out of your car.

Yeah you know at times – the irony of that is there were times of-course I was poor like any struggling actor, eating Ramen noodles to 99-cent chicken sandwiches at the local fast food spot.  I did have my days where I was living out of a car.  I also had those days after booking my first job.  My first real gig as an actor was Spike Lee’s Sucker Free City, and to be honest with you when that did not become a series like we thought it would be, I found those days in a car again.  It was kind of a rollercoaster for a while until the year of Gridiron Gang, The Guardian and the show Saved.  That’s when I kind of took off.

What made you so certain that you’d make it when you found yourself in those types of situations and you were making that sacrifice?  Where did you find the drive to keep at it?

I think the drive was already there, I didn’t have to look far for it.  It’s ironic, because picking up the dog from the hospital just now, I realized why I like myself enough or so much is because the same fight that this dog has in her to be able to survive the awful attack last night is perhaps the same fight that’s inside of the dog Omari [to survive] the onslaught of attack that Hollyweird throws at you.  I didn’t have to look far for the fight.  I was fortunate as I told you to come from a very close knit family.  We survived a lot [so] that was there.  I think I did have those moments of being human where I called home and was like I don’t know if I can continue to do this.  But I felt destined.  I think I heard God’s voice in the back constantly telling me that I’d make it.

Another guy that lived out of his car before finding success was Tyler Perry.  So how did the opportunity for  For Colored Girls come about?

It was a project that saw a lot of us in terms of the audition room, and then it was shelved for a while because of different things, studio dilemmas and what have you.  When it came back around six to seven months later I auditioned again.  I auditioned I think on a Monday or a Tuesday – I was already working on the second season of Dark Blue.  Probably within two days they told me that the job was going to go to me and that I booked it. I had already been on I guess Tyler’s Radar for a while for previous projects, but none of those ever clicked in terms of us working together.

Omari Hardwick. Photo by Dimitry Louiseau.

What was that experience like working with and being on set with the Janet Jacksons the Kerry Washingtons and everybody?

For me man it probably was a bigger deal for me to be on the set with Phylicia Rashad, Loretta [Devine] and Whoopi Goldberg. No slight obviously to my peers in Kerry and to the icon in Janet Jackson.  But I think more so I had to pinch myself because of the fact that I was working with these legends who raised us all.  Being raised and listening to and watching Janet Jackson was equally but separately a pinch.  That was just as humbling, for different reasons obviously than working with the legends of Loretta and Phylicia, but equally as powerful to work with Janet Jackson and kind of go in not knowing what to expect from her as an actress.  Like you said Kerry, Kimberley [Elise], Thandie [Newton], Tessa [Thompson], Anika Noni Rose, Macy Gray – I kind of know what to expect from them as actresses and they’re young guns in the game and trying to continue the path that Phylicia, Loretta and Whoopi have set for them.  But Janet, I just didn’t really know what to expect from her as an actress.  More so for me it was a nice pleasant surprise to be able to play tennis with her as an actress and see that she can hit the ball back.  It was a great process.

You also worked with Spike Lee as you mentioned.

Two times now.  First on the pilot Sucker Free City, which was my first gig in the business, and the second one was Miracle at St. Anna.  It’s been a great run in terms of working with him and it was four years between the first time and the second time.  Hopefully there’ll be many other opportunities to work with him, but we have a very dear relationship and I always will be indebted to him because of the fact that he was simply the first person, the first director, the first power player to really let me work and tell the town this guy is somebody that we should all pay attention to.

What was it like being around him creatively given what he means to black film?

It was very educational.  That’s a vague answer, but specifically things like the first thing he ever told me, which was 90 per cent of directing is who you cast.  Now I’ve tried my hardest to take that with a grain of salt.  I tend to think acting is overrated if the director is great and the writing is impeccable.  Maybe the team concept and the fact that I come from sports and he’s such an avid sports fan our analogies and the way that we talk is so similar that it was a telepathic communication.  We just had a synergy that maybe you see with Bobby De Niro and Martin Scorsese, and now Leonardo [DiCaprio] and Martin Scorsese.  I think Spike and I developed that very, very early.  I just learned really how to set up a shot. I do want to direct in the future and I learned how much colors matter.  Spike’s always splashed a lot of colors on screen and juxtaposed those to a lot of white and grey images at the same time.  So yeah, creatively, he’s a monster.  He’s brilliant.  I guess I’m more of an artist than an actor and so it meshed perfectly.  The way he looked at life and the way he looked at film is a lot like the way I look at both.  So, it works.

Ok, excellent.  So you’ve worked with both  and you’ve been around both Spike Lee and Tyler Perry.

And Andy Davis who’s brilliant from The Guardian, and Mathew Vaughn who shot Kick-Ass. You know, not to keep it just regimented to the directors who look like me when I look in the mirror.  I’ve been fortunate to work with some beasts of all races really.

Right, that’s true.  But the question I was going to go into was that Spike and Tyler have very different I guess approaches to how they portray black life.  So what are your views on those different perspectives?  I mean they themselves have butt heads in the media before [concerning that].

I just returned from Atlanta for a film festival, for I Will Follow with Charlie Richardson and Blair Underwood, directed by Ava DuVernay.  And I was just saying to a friend based on that film, and based on Ava being a new director and a female black director, how ironic it is that you get a Spike Lee and his power, his gift, and his artistic edge in one lane, and then of-course Tyler Perry’s business savvy and his ability to create such a stage and a platform for creative voices to be heard that Hollywood doesn’t necessarily allow to be heard.  You have these two entities and it’s so ironic that if they could combine the gift that each of them [has], whether it be combined in one of them or in the two of them working together – or two [other] directors who have the same gifts that could work together – we really would be pleasantly surprised at what could come from it.  They are very different and I’ve taken the gift, the creativity and the artistic edge that Spike brings to the table, and I’ve been in awe of the power and the stature of which Tyler Perry has been able to create this mega world that he’s creating.  I’ve sort of used them both for my approach to acting and as an artist on one lane, and as a businessman on the other lane, because to be just simply an artist you can’t work in this town.  So both approaches I feel like I’m using every day of my life as an actor and as a potential producer and director.  They’re very different but equally as powerful.

Now you have a few projects on the go.  What do you aim to achieve both in the short and the long term?

I was reading Hollywood Reporter two weeks ago, spoken from the perspective of Chris Pine, who is starring right now with Denzel in Unstoppable, on the new A list actor and the state of the A list actor.  And the difference between the new A list actor versus the old guard.  It was hard for me not to obviously recognize that there were ten A list actors there but nobody was there that looked like me.  So an immediate goal is to be that guy who is spoken of in that same company.  I feel a couple of us out there have a shot at [that].  I definitely think that that’s a very attainable thing for me just from my confidence.  Like I said, just to create opportunities for other people from a director’s standpoint and from a standpoint of a producer.  To be able to do what Will Smith, Denzel and people who’ve come before me have done, and giving opportunities to other brothers and African American actresses, or actors of Latin and Asian ethnicity.  Just to allow these people that don’t have the same voice that a Chris Pine has to be able to have the same voice.  I feel like I’m in a driver’s seat to really make that happen.  As long as it happens, I feel like I’ve accomplished what I came out here to accomplish.

Born in the mid-’70S in Montreal to Trinidadian parents and raised on Canada’s West Coast, Viv Leacock’s knack for being a natural entertainer has landed him roles in plenty of Hollywood and Canadian productions in the last decade. This married father weighs in on his evolution as an actor and his roles in The Thaw and Cell 213.

How did you go from having dreams of being a stand-up comedian to acting in television and film?
When I was 17 years old, there was a talent contest in my high school. One of the judges for the show was a local agent who approached me after the show and told me I had really good stage presence and charisma. I ended up going to an audition for a local show called Neon Rider and ended up doing five episodes. But eventually I walked away from acting for seven years.

What was the turning point that brought you back to acting?
Our mom passed in 1997 from the effects of a mild stroke. The only thing that got me out of the house was an acting workshop with a local casting director named Carol Kelsey. I went into the workshop completely open to any impulse and let my mother’s death hit me. I almost felt wrong using the memory of my mom, but I was so connected with the person I was doing the scene with and that’s where it all started coming together again for me.

How did you land the parts in Cell 213 and The Thaw?
My agent, Natasha Trisko, gave me the breakdowns for both characters. She believed that the virtues the characters possessed were in me as well. In the audition for The Thaw I gave my own little twist to it and ended up getting the part. With Cell 213, the character was an inmate, 6’4″, huge dude. I got the makeup and special effects woman from The Thaw to scar up and put tattoos all over my face. The next thing I knew, I was flying to Toronto for the shoot.

Why won’t producers take a powerful leap to help create more recognizable black talent?
Not enough has been done before this point. There’s no star system in Canada. They don’t know how to market us here. It’s difficult in that a lot of the producers and directors have a hard time with the whole black Canadian thing. There’s not any personal type of interaction to the point where when they see a breakdown for a show that calls for a doctor, they don’t automatically consider a black person for the role. They don’t think it because they don’t see it and that’s the problem.

Originally published in Sway Magazine, Spring 2009

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