Anthony Anderson: Divinely Inspired!
By Nathan James
Recently, I became acquainted with actor, writer and producer Anthony Anderson, whose new indie film, The Ties That Bind (Southeast Boy Productions), is establishing him as a talent to watch in the years to come. After an appearance on DJ Baker’s Doo Dirty Show, I was able to spend a pleasant afternoon with him, learning about his acting career, his current projects, his vision and dreams for the future. Anthony was very outgoing and convivial, and in our wide-ranging conversation, I got a glimpse of what it means to have an actor’s passion for bringing the audience into the world of his characters. As a gay filmmaker of color, Anthony’s insights are in step with the tenor of our times.
Nathan James: Tell us how you started your acting career.
Anthony Anderson: I started out in high school. I had an English teacher who would have us read aloud in class. I started reading in class, and I would become the character, to the point that the whole class would just stop and look. The teacher recommended that I act in the school play, which was Pippin. After that, I began going to auditions. My first agent found me in 1993. She gave me a monologue to read and the next day, I was doing a shoot for a website campaign. Things took off from there.
NJ: What were your earliest credits?
AA: I did a short film called Choices, some extra work on HBO’s The Wire, and a scene in Head Of State. Chris Rock was an inspiration to me, because he advised me to do my own project. I took that into my head, to do my own project. Before starting on that, I did a video for DMX, entitled Get It On The Floor.
NJ: Then you started developing your project?
AA: I just looked around and felt that I could be doing more with my talent, and I started to work on Ties That Bind. I always tell people that the script for Ties had nothing whatsoever to do with me. It was divine inspiration. I started in April of 2006, and finished it at 9:45 PM on December 31, 2006! I didn’t even read it. I let it cool off, and when I submitted it after the New Year, everyone thought it was great. It came out exactly as I wanted it to.
NJ: What was it like casting for the picture?
AA: After [casting agent] Cynthia James read the script, we began casting. I had no idea what to do, but lo and behold, the characters came to us! I saw Lynda (Lori Lewis) and boy, could she act! She just floored me. It was like that for the entire cast. All of the talent in the film was local, from Washington, DC.
NJ: What were some obstacles you faced in the making of the film?
AA: I thought that the “urban” label would be an obstacle for a black-oriented indie. When people say “urban”, they think “black” and sometimes, “low quality”. But people were shocked that it was so well done. Sight unseen, we needed people to take the film seriously, and they have. We’ve always received a standing ovation wherever the film was shown. We tried hard to keep the story and the ending a closely guarded secret. Even those cast members that weren’t in the last scenes of the movie didn’t know the ending until Ties was released. I wanted to do something spontaneous, and I felt I accomplished what I set out to do.
NJ: What does the future hold for Ties That Bind?
AA: So far, it’s sold over 1,000 copies on word-of-mouth. It’s really caught on. The film draws you in. People wanted to see what would happen next. It’s not a predictable drama. I was sitting with my uncle and I could see he was drawn to the story, and I knew Ties was winning people over.
NJ: What other projects do you have in mind for the future?
AA: I would like to pitch a series to [LGBT cable network] LOGO, actually, but also to any black affiliate. With LOGO, people might think it’s a ‘gay’ project, on a gay network. I can write a gay project just as well as a straight project. I am the sole writer on Ties That Bind, for example, and that’s a ‘straight’ movie. I would definitely love to be in a position to pitch projects to networks. There just aren’t as many African-American shows on TV anymore. People don’t think Blacks can do anything other than comedy.
NJ: Why do you think this is so?
AA: As people of color, we are often our own worst enemy. Black actors and writers are getting into comedy and reinforcing the stereotype. Producers don’t understand that we don’t always have to laugh. We need to see Black shows that are serious. Also, I think we are our own worst enemy, because we never learned the proper meaning of the word “support”. We cannot seem to appreciate other people’s success without harboring animosity. Instead of worrying about what someone else is doing, we need to life ourselves up, and get away from the “crabs in a barrel” syndrome”.
NJ: Who are your influences?
AA: The person that inspires me the most is my mother, Annie Mae Anderson. I got my hard-work ethic from her. Growing up, I remember her working 3 jobs! She’d leave home at five in the morning and come back at 11 PM. She used to tell me “don’t complain about what you want, be grateful for what you have”. We never lacked love in our house. My second inspiration was Vanessa Williams. I remember watching the Miss America Pageant and she drew me to her! I’ve followed her career all my life. She’s talented without tooting her own horn. You never hear any ‘diva’ stories about her.
NJ: You’ve been a longtime fan of James Earl Hardy’s B-Boy Blues, and now it’s going to be a movie (co-produced by Hardy and Maurice Jamal). Tell us your thoughts on that.
AA: I think in movie acting for me, there’s just something about a character where you feel such a connection to it. Like Madonna in Evita or Denzel Washington in Malcolm X, as an actor you feel a connection with that character or that story. For me the Mitchell character in Blues does that. The character just calls out to me! I always said that if Blues was ever made into a film, that I would be a great fit for Mitchell. If Blues is done right it will transcend the gay genre. Straight women will flock to it. If it’s done well, you’ll see past the gay characters. The B-Boy Blues book touched me because there are so many parallels between Mitchell’s life and my own. When I read Blues, I was in a dating situation just like in the book. When a book or a film engrosses you, it means it has hit a spot in you. Blues took me there, and I think I can take the movie there. Blues is my dream project.
NJ: While we’re on that, what are your dreams?
AA: There are four dreams I want to accomplish in my life: First, to own my own house. Second, find unconditional love. Third, be at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, when they award me an Oscar. Fourth, lead the cast of B-Boy Blues, and open doors for other gay actors, writers and producers. With me at the head of the cast of Blues, it would be great! I just need the chance.
Anthony Anderson’s movie, The Ties That Bind, can be found on the Web at http://tiesthatbind-movie.com.
Photo by DexStar G, The People’s Photographer.
