Actor's Corner: Danny Deadwyler

I had the unique privilege of having an interview with a very talented actress, Danielle 'Danny' Deadwyler. She most recently starred in Gospel Music Channel's (GMC), A Cross to Bear. 
As Erica, a very troubled alcoholic young mother.

Danny is a very well spoken talent, and I hope to see her in much more in the future. I hope you all enjoy reading this interview as much as I enjoyed giving it.

Interview with Danny Deadwyler

You received your BA in History from Spelman College and your MA in American Studies from Columbia University, neither, of which have much to do with acting.

So have you always had a passion for acting and performing? Or did you most recently develop this interest in college?

Performance art has always been a part of my life.  My mother put me in dance school at Marlene Rounds at five years old, which eventually lead to me being educated/performing with Gary Harrison Studios and Total Dance Theatre, which also included theatrical performance.  Artistic expression was always integral in my youth.  I just happened to also want to be aware of my world from a more critical, academic perspective/milieu.  I actually believe my academic background has balanced and deeply influenced my performance skill.  I think smart artists are imperative and that’s who and how I try to behave, perform daily.  It wasn’t until I was post-graduate school with a few years of professional work stuffed behind my ears did I definitively seek the life of a full-time actor/artist.

You have also done quite a bit of theatre, what aspects of your acting, if any, do you feel have carried over into acting for film and television?

I believe the core of the emotional connection to characters/entities stems from the same place- the emotion you create when live on stage or enduring take after take for a film or TV show is created from the same place in the brain.  However, you carry a greater volume of focus and adrenaline when you have to perform a role 8 times per week for the duration of the production (which can anywhere from 2-3 hours per night).  There is a different temporal experience from film/TV to theatre.  Both, I find liberating in the act of; they are different processes of connecting to your peers/cast and crew/production team.

What type of roles do you gravitate towards? Or do you let your roles gravitate toward you?

I’m not necessarily producing large-scale works of my own where I declare the roles I will perform.  So in the search to stay employed and working with companies/production companies I respect, I tend to gravitate towards what is most appealing to me, pending what kind of shows companies’ seek to produce.  I have a bit of a baby-face and look younger than I am-which some say is beneficial in this industry- therefore, I tend to get cast in youthful roles, teen or children, young adult/women.  And the personalities of the characters range from naïve/innocent to tomboyish to young and sexy.

I anticipate a bit more raw characters in my future, the down-trodden women, those redemptive women roles that are not squeaky clean.

What has been your favorite role thus far?

I cannot say I have had a favorite role.  There is something to being an actor, one who accepts everything about individuals or can easily see how someone can think like that, because that ‘s what we have to do in order to actually inhabit/imagine another person’s mind state.  You have to say yes to everything and everyone, and because of that I love everyone, imperfections near and far.

In the film, A Cross to Bear, you play Erica Moses, who from what I’ve gathered is a homeless drug addict with a 15-month-old child. What were some of your challenges coming into and preparing yourself for this role?

She wasn’t a drug addict. She was an alcoholic and a critically wounded young woman (which stemmed from childhood trauma and abandonment).  Challenges lie in preparing for the heartache you take on when embodying something like child death, repeated trauma.  Those were the difficulties of Erica’s life and you live with that headspace as long as you’re filming and for some time after.  I have a toddler son and utilizing sense memory to trigger certain performances were very difficult to recover from.  You learn to embrace a darkness and that’s not easily dispensable.

You worked with Kim Fields on the set of A Cross to Bear, an actress and director, who has been in the industry for over thirty years. How was that experience and did she give you any advice on acting or the industry?

It was great working with Kim.  On-set was more of an act of totally embracing the role.  She more-so taught by doing.  I learn by observation.  She showed me true professionalism.  How to maximize performance, vibe with the director, etc.

Separately from what Kim may have shared with you, what advice would you give to women wanting to get into the industry of film and television?

I would tell women interested in film and television to be completely wild, playful and free of heart.  This industry can be challenging, full of a difficult repetition of rejection.  However, wild hearts can function in a rich way in the industry though.  Also, create for yourself, with whatever resources you have.  Creativity is malleable and ad infinitum.