Legendary Actor and Filmmaker Robert Townsend Stars in Playin For Love
Legendary
Actor and Filmmaker Robert Townsend Stars in Playin’ For Love
An interview with Robert Townsend
Interviewed and written by Aaron Robinson -
Editor
Photos courtesy of UPtv
Extensively known for creating classic films such as The Five
Heartbeats and Hollywood Shuffle, filmmaker Robert Townsend will
star in the UPtv premier Playin’ for
Love, in which he directed, produced and co-wrote with Michelle Amor
and Cheryl L. West.
Playin’ for Love is a romantic comedy about life and basketball. Robert
Townsend plays Coach Niven Banks, a high school coach who gets a superstar
player, where as the mother of the superstar player tries to take over his
team. The film also stars Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Jenifer Lewis, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
and Esai Morales.
In the
future, Robert Townsend looks forward to remaking the movie Brewster’s
Millions. I (Consciousness Magazine) had the opportunity to interview a man of
integrity and humbleness. Here is what the legend, Robert Townsend, had to
share regarding his latest movie Playin’
for Love, which will premiere on the UPtv on Sunday, July 12 at 7 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. PDT.
Aaron Robinson: Hey Mr. Robert
Townsend, it’s an honor to interview you sir.
Robert Townsend: Aw man, thank you
for taking time to talk with me! It’s an honor. Whatever you want to ask me,
I’m here.
Aaron: You play Coach
Niven Banks in the UPN movie Playin’ for
Love. To you, what was special about playing this role?
Robert: It brought
together a couple of loves of mines. I love basketball and I love that side of
it. There’s a movie I grew up on called Claudine
about a single mother. Diahann Carroll is in it with James Earl Jones. I always
wanted to do a love story about a single mother and a guy…an unusual love
story. It brought together the need that I had to tell a story, a love story.
Aaron:
You
starred, directed, produced and co-wrote the film Playin’ for Love. As a filmmaker, you wear so many hats, how do you
keep everything balanced?
Robert: Anytime you create,
you gotta have a great team. It really was the team around me, my DP, John Demps who always keeps it together… Lydia Nicole, my producer. When you really have a
good team, it makes life easier. The real beauty of this team is that it was
done in the community. This film went into the hood of Overtown and it’s really
hit by a lot of violence. I got the students together of Overtown, 20 kids,
plus another 30 kids from the University
of Miami
Aaron:
What
type of gratification did you receive from being a part of these kids life at
the moment?
Robert: You know, when I
think about the kids…I come from the Westside of Chicago. The neighborhood that
I came from was really a rough neighborhood. I think it’s needed to have
mentors that can give hope to kids because you never know who those kids are
going to be. I was one of those kids. I think I turned out okay, but it was a
lot of people that helped me, supported me and believed in me. And I think for
me as an artist, it’s important to give back.
Aaron:
As
you mentioned earlier, the film was shot in Overtown, Miami ,
which is one of the roughest neighborhoods in Miami
Robert: I’ve been working
with the American Black Film Festival for 19 years now. What happened is that
we were at South Beach
Aaron:
What
was some of the most valuable information that you shared with the youth
regarding how to make a film?
Robert: One thing is that…
like this one girl, she started crying the day I interviewed her. She said, “Nothing
really ever happens in my neighborhood. This is the first thing that happened
in my neighborhood that’s good.” She said, “Today is the anniversary of when
one of my friends was killed in front of me.” She then starts crying. I was
like wow! She said, “This means a lot
that’s you’re here.” I think for the kids, one part of it was that you have the
Hollywood people in their community walking
down the street and eating at the restaurants. It kind of makes them look at
their dreams and say, I can do that! I
could, if I put my mind to it I could win. I think a part of what I really
wanted to do was hopefully inspire and give the kids some hope and the young
adults there as well. I think we were successful.
Aaron:
You
also worked with a great cast. What was your experience like working with Salli
Richardson-Whitfield and the rest of the talented cast?
Robert: Salli is an
amazing actor, she is really good! She’s a wonderful individual; she’s
wonderful in the movie. Jenifer Lewis is on “Black-ish.”
She just makes you laugh all day long. Esai Morales
gave me a cameo in the film. It was just great to have him to be a part of it.
I’m truly honored that Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs agreed
to be a part of the film because it was his movie Claudine that made me want to
do a movie like this.
Aaron:
What
may viewers expect or connect with from watching the film?
Robert: It has morals and values.
It’s funny, it’s touching, [and displays] some of the things the kids are going
through right now. I think in a lot of ways, it’s a film for now. It’s a
classic love story in a lot of other ways. It’s gonna make you laugh, it’s
gonna touch your heart.
Aaron:
I had
the opportunity to interview Isiah Thomas numerous times and also do media for
him at several of his events in the past. He is a great guy. While doing my
research I noticed that he is one of the executive producers. Would you like to
elaborate on this?
Robert: Isiah, I gotta say
this; he has such a big heart! To tell the truth, we grew up in the same
neighborhood, so we share that similar background growing up in the inner-city,
understanding all the struggles of a kid trying to grow up around there. I
think the beautiful thing with him coming aboard as Executive Producer is when
he had basketball tryouts; he took the kids through NBA drills. Everybody
wanted to help out and try to make the movie. The Miami Heat’s, Pat Riley gave
us the American Airlines Arena to have basketball tryouts in. We had close to
5000 kids that came out to tryouts. They all got a chance to run on the Miami
Heat floor and Isiah took them through basketball drills and that was the most
amazing thing. He also talked to his friend at the American Federation of
Teachers and got them to come onboard to help make the film. So he’s truly a
man of character, because of course, his heart is sewed into it.
Aaron:
Do
you have any advice for upcoming actors, directors, producers, etc., who are
looking to make a living in any of the above mentioned?
Robert: The thing that I
would say to anybody that wants to be in show business is you gotta have a
passion for it; you gotta love it. I guess the true thing is you can’t do
anything but be in it. If you really want it, there is no other option. I think
that sometimes people get a little discouraged because things don’t go as they
would like them to go. I think a part of that is really understanding you’re
gonna have ups and you’re gonna have downs. If you can have the same joy in
your heart when things go wrong as you have when things go right, you’re always
gonna win.
Aaron:
Would
you like to add anything in closing before we end the interview?
Robert: You know, I really
want the film to be well. I want many people to tune into the UP channel when
it premiers on this Sunday. I’m really proud of the movie.
Aaron:
Mr.
Townsend, it was an honor to speak with you sir! I really appreciate you.
Robert: Thank you so much!
For more
information on the UPtv premiere visit www.UPtv.com
Follow Robert
Townsend on Twitter: @Robert_Townsend
The document Believe captures behind-the-scene making
of the film Playin’ For Love. To
watch the trailer and to donate to support the completion of the film visit www.Believedocumentary.com
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