Today, Ava DuVernay’s I Will Follow premieres in theaters across the U.S. Recently I had a chance to talk to the film’s star, Salli Richardson-Whitfield on a part she just couldn’t pass up and how it has taken twenty years to get it. We also discussed celebrating black entertainers through our own awards ceremonies and creating our own stories…something many of you have been discussing over the past couple of years at Shadow and Act. Please check out my interview with Salli after the break…

Your latest work I Will Follow won the best first feature film award at the Pan African Film Festival last month, which is quite an honor, but unbelievably it’s your very first leading role in a movie. After twenty years in the business are you still amazed at the limited roles available to woman (particularly women of color)?

Salli : Yeah, I’d have to say it’s a bit frustrating. You would think there would be more opportunities for us. There’s always the movie where you can be the lead female in the movie, across from the guy and that’s what I’ve had the opportunity to do but to just carry the film…there’s not that many opportunities to. I think that is what the company [AFFRM] that is putting out I Will Follow is trying to change. More opportunities for women and black filmmakers in general so we can get those stories out.

What were your initial thoughts after you finished reading the screenplay for I Will Follow?

Salli: I think when I first read it, it was just one of those ‘oh my god this is great’ and then there was a moment of fear…wow they want me to do this? Can I do this?…you know you say you want something; you ask god for something; he gives it to you; can you handle it and are you smart enough to take on the task? So those were the thoughts that came to my mind and luckily I have a wonderful husband and a wonderful manager who said of course you can do this! I was like okay, lets do this, lets take on this challenge.

I read that Ava really wanted you for this part but having such a short period of time between when you got the script and when the shooting began, how did you prepare for the role of Maye? Could you relate to her situation?

Salli: [Laughs] You know at this age in my life I could probably relate to anything, I haven’t had a lot of death I had to deal with but I do have children and thinking of that in my life can easily bring me into a certain mood. But also knowing that this was a close story to Ava and talking to her…I think one day she showed me a picture of her aunt that had passed. And for some reason, I think that seeing the picture of the person she loved so much brought it home with me. And we had a few days of rehearsal with Beverly Todd and Michole [Briana White]...where I was able to meet them and get that feeling and it was very funny—we were all very much our characters; for some reason we fell right into those personalities. Then maybe it’s because I’ve been working in TV for awhile. I have learned do your homework but the less pre-planning works better for me. I like to know my situation, know the circumstances, memorize my lines and then just come there and whatever happens in the moment, happens. I think that served me well in this film. I think great acting comes from the heart and flows.

How did you cope with such a tight filming schedule, 15 days?

Salli: Well there again, I’m telling you, being on TV, she (Ava) really got lucky, I mean she has a cast, Tracie Thoms, me, Blair and Omari we’ve all been on TV shows. And we’re all used to shooting eight pages a day—ten pages a day. I think it just really served us well, served Ava. She told us you know we’re going to be doing like, six pages a day. I went, “Six pages a day! Girl, we fine! Don’t you worry, we got it!”

And you know on my show Eureka, I do a lot of tech talk, medical talk, and science…I’m always talking about stuff I have no idea what I’m talking about and it’s hard dialogue. I’m like, “You want me to do six pages and I’m talking real people talk?! Don’t you worry we will be just fine.” This is easy.

With this being Ava’s first narrative film, was there ever a time where you had a brief moment of apprehension? What was your experience like working with such a relatively new director?

Salli: You know…as you were asking me, I was thinking—of course I was wondering, what is this eventually going to look like but there was not a time that I was on the set worried. Like, oh boy she don’t know what she’s doing, there was none of that. Because even though people were getting paid nearly nothing, she really put a team around us that I felt were invested and they knew what they were doing and things were organized for a film that didn’t have any money. And I have no problem—I knew what I was walking into; we’re not going to have a trailer, make-up and hair is going to be in this room…me in general, I just go with the flow. I really felt comfortable, because things were really put together and organized, incredible for someones first film.

Have you ever worked with other women filmmakers before, do find that there is a difference in how they approach directing as opposed to men?

Salli: Not really, honestly I’ve not been directed by very many women. I’m trying to think…maybe a few on TV. And then it’s really different on a TV show ’cause you’re doing your same character and they’re not really ‘the boss’ like normal…I don’t know it’s just really different on a film not as focused on them (directors) as much. But I wouldn’t say there’s that big of a difference, either you’re prepared and you know what you are doing or you don’t; man or woman. And she (Ava) knew what she was doing; she was prepared; she had a vision; she was focused and that’s all I need to know. Maybe it would be a big difference if I had some big sex scenes or something and felt more comfortable having a woman around but that wasn’t the case.

I would like to ask you a few questions about the industry, since we just wrapped up another Oscar season, I wanted to know what you thought of events like that; do you feel that being acknowledged by these organizations validate your talent in the industry or do you personally define your career achievements by other measures?

Salli: Oh I would love to be that evolved that I didn’t care but of course we would all love to get an Oscar; we would all love to see our people being acknowledged more but part of that is being given the roles to be able to be considered. It’s like, a catch 22, you can’t be mad that nobody is up there there getting an award, because there was nothing for them to be nominated for. There is a lot of work to be done and it’s kind of a recession going on right now for black actors in Hollywood. Then again, that’s why a film like this and how they’re putting it out is so important, because we have to start doing it on our own. The more it gets out there and they’re doing better, we will be at those film festivals. And also, like the image awards, those things should be important to us too. It can’t just be like ‘oh it’s an image award, that doesn’t matter.’ No, it should matter because we are celebrating ourselves. But of course everyone should be at the Oscars too.

Do you find that there is a complacency that comes with doing a television show like Eureka? Like it makes finding quality film roles harder because you have a steady gig?

Salli: Actually its been opposite for me, because the one thing that is helping me to choose the films I really want to do is I can go do a film like this, which has nothing to do with paying my bills nothing to do with making money, it has to do with feeding my soul and doing good work. So I can go do my art film because I have my steady job; I got my bills paid; And even though I really love doing my TV show and there are times where I get to stretch—you know I’m directing the show now, I get to grow as an artist there but I have my stability there and I can go out and really look for the special projects I want to do without it being, (sighs) I guess I’m going to have to take this stupid film that I don’t want to do, that’s a bit offensive to me because, I need to pay the bills.

Is it hard to balance family life with the demands of filming a TV show and other projects such as I Will Follow?

Salli: Now has really been the most challenging; it’s been hard. I’m thinking about how I leave in a month to Vancouver—you see my show shoots in Vancouver. So then, I don’t see my kids in a week; I fly home every weekend. Right now I’m thinking about it and it’s heartbreaking but I got to do what I have to do. Honestly, besides that I do this because I love it, everything I do is for them anyway. I have to do this to secure their future. So you try to mix that in with working out, trying to stay skinny, still look good and get some sleep—(pauses) honestly right now I don’t know how I’m juggling it. So I dunno I wish I could tell you…It’s really hard and I miss my kids sometimes. I’m lucky I have a wonderful husband that stays in LA with the kids and is very supportive during this time that has been very busy for me–-and that the kids are happy and feel secure.

You been in the business for a while now, I’m sure you’ve seen and heard a lot. What words of wisdom could you impart on actresses just starting out?

Salli: I would say that it’s important—even what I did when I first started working, doing Posse and Low Down Dirty Shame—I was always still in class. Even now, in this film I didn’t have the opportunity but I would go to my acting coach, go to a coach for an audition. I’m always trying to get better and better. And looking at my work and finding out what I can do more of. So I would say always be striving to be better and don’t waste time; don’t get distracted by the boyfriends and the parties, cause that’s not what it’s about. It’s about being great at what you do.

For me, that was a wonderful note to end the interview on.

I would like to thank Salli Richardson-Whitfield for taking the time to speak with us here at Shadow and Act about her new film and her career. She was great to talk to; a very warm and intelligent woman.

I Will Follow opens today, please check your local movie listings for theaters and times in your area.