For this past weekend’s aTVFest at SCAD in Atlanta, another show that I got to screen and interview cast members of the Starz series, Survivor’s Remorse. The comedy show, produced by LeBron James, follows the life of a high-profile basketball player.
This show and the kind demeanor of the cast took me by surprise. I only recently found out about it through aTVFest. Watching the trailer was an interesting experience in itself, showing that this is a show not like many others, feeling a bit flashy at first (appropo for the life of a sports star), but what catches me off guard is how it shows people of color (POC) doing things that I am not used to seeing them do in the more prototypical mainstream roles; for instance, black families, typically seen as mainstream Democratic, go hunting, which is often referred to as more Republican pasttime. Although it was interesting seeing the preview, it wasn’t until the screening that I realized that Survivor’s Remorse is so much more. It addresses and dives deeper into many more social dynamics. Sure, as a comedy, it has it’s light-hearted moments, flashy culture of the sports star moments, and even some romance, but what I am most impressed by is how many perspectives are represented. In one episode, you find the complex conflict between light and dark skinned people of color (both sides with deeper than the surface issues of identitiy and opportunity), the perspective of a man (in all his complexity, surprising vulnerability, being completely and objectively represented — not seen often in feminist arenas) right next that of his powerful wife. We see the conflict between wealth & status, political ideology and relationships. You see people in various demographics that are in conflict with one another intentionally and unapologetically represented, yet still in relationship with one another. I mean, how often do you get to see both the liberal point of view of a powerful feminist WOC right next to a man who is not trying to hurt her but also maintains his own perspective and power? Hardly ever. Often, it is not allowed for people to have relationships with another with a very different perspective — I love this kind of conflict, because it’s real. When people can feel fully their own emotions and yet are allowed to stay in relationship with someone who has different feelings is a sweet thing. I look forward to seeing more of this play out!
The conversation with the cast/writer was no less sweet. See what they had to say to young creatives starting out:
1. Interview with Teyonah Parris, Meagan Tandy
HCSCADATL: I’m Christine Burney from Her Campus at SCAD. Clearly the show is focused on showing a different, more realistic side of the African American women of color (WOC) stereotype-going against it ya know? So, I guess, I’d like to ask two questions. 1. As, like young, beautiful women, but also as WOC, what is your priority, as far as like how to progress and inspire young women to progress with you, in breaking these stereotypes, and into success that is empowering for everyone?
Teyonah Parris: I think, first, I would say, thank you for saying, young, beautiful women AND being women of color, as opposed to a BUT. Because those two things are not separate. I would say, having a show on this on television, where you have representation of not only different socio-economic groups of cultural differences represented in the African American community. I think it’s already showing people a reflection of their own community. I think that alone — when I see people that look like me, when I see people that remind me of my friends, of my family, I connect to them in a way and I listen to what they say. I’m like yeah, that’s how we are or maybe I don’t really know that sort of person, so I want to hear their point of view and where that comes from. I think the fact that you have four women on this show, four black women on this show, who are all very very different, it just goes to show that what we already know, which is to be black is not a monolithic experience. It’s very nuanced, it’s very-we’re multi-dimensional people with layers of feelings, layers of talents, gifts. And it’s different for all of us. It’s not all the same experience. So, I think, just the show itself being on air, people having access — young women having access to a representation of themselves across the board, is already an exceptional thing that Starz is doing.
Me, personally, when I look at roles and decide, what do I want to do, what do I want to be a part of? I’m always looking at, how does this women — where does she fit into the world, what story is she trying to tell? Do I feel like it could inspire people? You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to have all your stuff together; you can have major issues and major break downs. If I feel like someone can learn from it, someone can be inspired by it, that’s the kind of material I gravitate towards. So, I think that answers your question.
Meagan Tandy: I just love the fact that this show gives black women a chance to be beautiful. I don’t feel like we are always given those positions on other shows, like we’re always the best friend, the girlfriend, the girl on the side. This show, a black women is also, ya know, number two on the list, number four on the list; we’re the wife, we’re the business woman, we’re everything on the show. And the fact that a show like this has created the opportunity to be seen in that light, I absolutely love.
I always try to make sure that, like I want people to know that the stereotype doesn’t define who we are. You know, and I want people to know that black women, or just black people in general, we can be seen outside the box that society has said that we fit into. And that fact that this show has given us this opportunity, I think is absolutely awesome. One thing that I’ve heard really, very often especially in LA, is there are a lot of people that don’t find black women to be beautiful. What I say to that is, it’s our society, if you look at our magazine covers, there not really putting a lot of black women on the covers. Not dissing Beyoncé at all — but the only black women that we’re getting on the cover is someone like Beyoncé; she’s got the blonde hair, she’s very light-skinned. So, when they’re seeing women that don’t look like Beyoncé, all of the sudden, we’re not beautiful. So, the fact that we have the chance to be like, hey you know, we can dress up, too and look awesome and amazingly beautiful as well, I love that the show does that.
HCSCADATL: Absolutely. So, what is your top piece of advice for like young women. People who are beautiful, but who have skills, like what is your number one piece of advice for how to start out in the creative field, specifically?
Meagan Tandy: Well, you know, if you have a passion for something, it always starts out with learning your craft. Whether it’s being an artist, you know, we’re artists as well. But, you know, being a painter or a singer — you’ve got to know your craft. You want to develop that skill, research it, make sure that you’re strong and an expert in that craft. And, then, start pursuing it. That would be my best advice to that. The people that have a passion and they don’t go after it, I feel sorry for those people, because it’s like, if you have a dream, you know, get into it. Start putting yourself out there.
Teyonah Parris: I would say to young women, know that your beauty is not what you look like. That is a small subset of what makes one beautiful. It’s how you treat people, how you treat yourself, respect yourself. We definitely need to what Meagan was saying about there being representation on print and ad and all that sort of thing. That is important. It is important to see a visual representation of yourself, on the covers, but your beauty is way beyond that. So, my other piece of advice — I know you said one but — it would be to stay true to your moral values, because at the end of the day, all you have is you, and your self-respect and you have to wake up with yourself. That will get you far; people will see you and respect you for your boundaries and how you choose to navigate whatever playing field you enter. Stay true to yourself, to your morals, what you believe in and what you stand for. That’s essentially what makes you special, what makes you unique. What makes you different from the next person.
2. Interview with Mike O’Malley
HCSCADATL: What do you think about boundaries, as far as talent, success, and growth. You know you start to get recognition from various outlets and stuff. What do you consider to be the most important priority at those times? As far as like setting boundaries for like your personal life and separation.
Mike O’Malley: How do you define boundaries?
HCSCADATL: Just like, how you preserve your energy for your priorities. The reason I ask this question is because on the show, it looks like there are people who kind of take advantage of people who have resources, so, how, when the people you care about the most, are the ones who ride on the wave of your success-how do set boundaries?
Mike O’Malley: I think it’s on a case-by-case basis, in terms of. I can’t speak for anyone else. I don’t know, I’m trying to think. I don’t know what my boundaries are. I think everyone has a road that they have travelled, if they’re going to travel down the road to success and they know, I think, anybody who’s succeeded on some kind of level, as an athlete or an actor or as a writer — there’s so many people who had to help’em get there. And that doesn’t mean, like, you know, whoever taught Steven King how to write in first grade, deserves to get a chip off his royalties from you know The Stand. But, I think that, in his home town, if his high school composition teacher asked him can you come — and I’m sure he’s done this — you know, you’ve got to help people out. I mean, there’s a lot of people who helped me get to where I’m at, and so, I just try to do the same for other people, but I have three little kids now; so, its just the amount of time. The other thing is that when your writing ideas and working on scripts, you really can’t be reading other people’s scripts, because they might be working on something that’s parallel to what you’re working on.
HCSCADATL: Yes. So, what are your top thing you would say as advice for those who would like to move into television production.
Mike O’Malley: I’d say, start now. Whether you want to be an actor, designer; if you want access into the film and television industry, you have to start writing stories. And, if you can win an argument, you can write drama. Because that’s what it’s about and don’t say that you can’t, because you have to start now. That’s what I would say, especially to young people, I would say: you know the one thing that, as people get older, they don’t know the vernacular that the young people are using, or what it’s like to be younger, going through whatever it is with dating, sex, work, parents, drug-use, drug-abuse, um, politics. People are always trying to get young people to consume movies and television and what they want are authentic voices. So, what you should really do is just start now. You should not wait until, at some point, when you get to where you’re gonna be — you know I’m gonna be in a show — just start doing it now.
And, stay in home and work for every night you go out.
HCSCADATL: That’s really good advice, OMG. There can be opportunities to go out every single night.
Mike O’Malley: Well, and yeah, you got to meet people, but you gotta write, you gotta create, because there’s other people that are doing it.
Check Survivor’s Remorse out on Starz