Anna Deavere Smith is a remarkable woman. She is an actress, playwright, author, activist and Tony Award® nominee. Also known as Rainbow’s mom on “Black-ish,” Anna comes to SIDEWALKS to discuss her HBO movie, “Notes From the Field,” based on her acclaimed one-woman show.
Video Content: Anna Deavere Smith (2018)
In the extended interview, SIDEWALKS host Veronica Castro talks to Anna Deavere Smith about her career, being a professor, and HBO’s “Notes From the Field,” a film version of her acclaimed one-woman show about America’s Failed Justice System.
Mini-Biography:
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Anna Deavere Smith is an actress, playwright, and professor. As an actress, she started her career in theatre. On TV, Smith had a regular part as Gloria Akalitus in “Nurse Jackie,” as well as recurring roles on “Black-ish,” “Presidio Med,” “The Practice,” and “The West Wing.” In films, Deavere Smith appeared in such movies as “Philadelphia,” “Dave,” “The American President,” “Rent,” and “Rachel Getting Married.” As a teacher, Deavere Smith is at the Department of Art & Public Policy at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and NYU School of Law, as well as the artist-in-residence at the Center for American Progress. Previously, she was at Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University. As an author, Deavere Smith wrote “Talk to Me: Travels in Media and Politics” and “Letters to a Young Artist: Straight-up Advice on Making a Life in the Arts – For Actors, Performers, Writers, and Artists of Every Kind.”
Interview Credits:
Recorded: February 21, 2018
Host / Producer: Veronica Castro
Editor: Richard R. Lee
Special Thanks To: HBO Films