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Issue Date: Feb. 17, 2002
Tyson, left, plays Rosa Parks' mother in an upcoming TV movie. Elise stars opposite Denzel Washington in "John Q."
— Photo by Julie Dennis Brothers for USA WEEKEND.
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Movies
Cicely Tyson and Kimberly Elise
Interview: Jan. 15, 2002
Save for a brief party conversation a year ago, they hardly know each other. But tell that to legendary actress Cicely Tyson and virtual newcomer Kimberly Elise; during the photo session for this article, the two were all but joined at the hip. Although nearly four decades separate the two stars, they have more of a sisterly bond. Elise, 30, praises Tyson, 69, to the skies for her Oscar-nominated role in "Sounder" and her sizzling, Emmy-winning turn in "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman." Tyson, meanwhile, calls Elise, known for vivid roles in "Beloved" and "Set It Off," "one of the most spiritual, powerful people I've ever met."
Elise: I always look at your choices and your career and all the integrity. When I get a script I'm not sure about, I always say, "Would Cicely Tyson do this?" Then it becomes clear. "The Autobiography of Jane Pittman" was just on the other night. And still, to this day, no one comes close to achieving what you did in that film. I thought it was a real thing happening. I thought it was a real person. There has never been a performance like it. I mean, they should have changed the rules and given you an Oscar, but you know what, it's beyond a piece of metal. I think the reward is that people still embrace it, and they feel it, and they're still moved by it.
Tyson: One of the things I still find disconcerting, when I came into the business, I came in fully prepared to do everything an actress is supposed to do. And to play every type of role, because that's the only way you can expand your instrument. And in my early years, there were a number of experiences that made me decide I could not afford the luxury of just being an actress. There were a number of issues I wanted to address. And I wanted to use my career as a platform. You are limiting yourself if you only do roles that are positive for black women. But I decided early on in my career I would only do those roles. I almost did a "blaxploitation" movie. I read the script and had to retch. I knew if I did it, I would have spent the money on a psychologist.
Elise: See, that's why we have such a connection. I have two kids to support, but I agree completely. [But] someone else will accept the role, and they're going to get more stature, and then when a really great part comes along, they'll get it.
Tyson: Exactly. But I don't condemn anyone for making their choices. If someone chooses those roles, fine. But not for me. When someone stops me [on the street] and says, "I just wanted to say your movie changed my life" or "You're the reason I became an actress," that lets me know I made the right decision.
Elise: When we did "Beloved," there is a scene when Denver [Elise's character] leaves the house and I said to Jonathan [Demme, the director], "We should shoot this like when Cicely Tyson went to the drinking fountain in 'Miss Jane Pittman,' " and he said, "OK, well, I didn't think about that but ... OK."
Tyson: Really?
Elise: Absolutely.
Tyson: In my work, people say I'm strong. But I'm not aware of any of it. If I were conscious of it, that can only get in the way of future performances. When I attack a role, be it TV, film or stage, the first thing I say is, "Listen I don't want to know anything. If it's good I don't want to hear it; if it's bad I don't want to hear it." The only thing either thing can do is distract me. I like to stay focused. The day after we shot the scene where I walk to the fountain [in "Miss Jane Pittman"] — and it's not even my favorite scene, by the way — I walked onto the set, and the whole set was reverberating. I could feel something. But I didn't want anyone to talk about it. And they respected that.
Elise: [Things have improved,] but as long as I still have to fight to get my image on the poster alongside my white co-stars — even though my part is bigger and more significant — or when they tell me we already have a black person in the movie and use that as a viable excuse not to hire me, things haven't changed enough. [What it comes down to is] you have to achieve a certain level of success to even be considered for [coveted roles]. And it's not about who is "the most right" for the part, it's about who is the most popular, and that's true regardless of race, but it becomes even more difficult for us because we have fewer options to begin with.
Tyson: [A lot of people in Hollywood] thought "Ali" was going to go through the ceiling. We should have gone to see that movie. "Malcolm X" was another one.
Elise: There is a lot of lip service about how we need better films, but when they get made, we don't go. I think there is a responsibility, as an actor, not to let the studios use us. Hollywood keeps producing these cheap black movies that make a fortune, and, in many cases, perpetuating stereotypes.
Tyson: I wish there was more awareness for a person to say, "OK, so I won't own this piece of jewelry," and if enough people did that we could have some change.
Elise: I still love "Eve's Bayou" [1997].
Tyson: Yes! And "Down in the Delta" [1998]. That didn't stand a chance. Great movie. We have to support our own films. If we don't, how can we expect others to support them? When "Sounder" was released [in 1972], Paul Winfield and I walked past the theater on Broadway and there was not one person at the box office. But 20th Century Fox believed in the film and got behind it, and today it is a classic.
Elise: That was the year you and Diana Ross ["Lady Sings the Blues"] were both nominated for Best Actress.
Tyson: It was the first and the last time two black women were nominated in the same year in that category. That night was electrifying. When it got to the category, the room was on fire. But I knew Liza Minnelli was going to win. I knew Diana and I would cancel each other out.
Elise: I can still see [Tyson in the running scene from "Sounder"]. No one does joy and pain from the soul better.
Tyson: And you, Kimberly ...
Elise: I'm still in training.
— Moderated by Alan Carter, a writer in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
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