There is no one American beauty or just one beautiful color in the pantheon, especially in regards to black people – there is no better color. LaTanya Richardson Read Quote
I came to New York in 1974, when I graduated from college. And you had to use ‘Backstage’ because all of the auditions were listed there. Most people didn’t come with agents, so you got to see a lot of what was auditioning and when and where. ‘Backstage’ made sure you knew the major places. LaTanya Richardson Read Quote
Atlanta was a welcoming presence for a lot of artists; they called it ‘the Mecca of the South.’ I got to see the Negro Ensemble Company, Cicely Tyson, Geraldine Page, Ruby Dee, all onstage. LaTanya Richardson Read Quote
I think that we’re reducing who we are as human beings to these cell phones and these devices; now we don’t even want to pick up a telephone to talk – we just text. LaTanya Richardson Read Quote
I have not tried for a career that’s showy. I have always tried to layer things in and not push it. I love an underperformance, where you’re so entrenched in who that person is that you’re living in it. LaTanya Richardson Read Quote
I don’t think you can ease yourself into theater. I just thrust myself into it. LaTanya Richardson Read Quote
In the theater, it’s a visceral and physical response because you move around so much. You have to do something physical to pull you in. On TV or in movies, everything is so small. You can just lock into a character and ease yourself into that way. LaTanya Richardson Read Quote
Look at Michelle Obama. Everyone keeps making a big deal about her arms being exposed, but don’t get it twisted: her arms are out for a reason. Black women have had those arms forever – lifting, picking cotton, toting and carrying babies. LaTanya Richardson Read Quote
Folks are always talking about 40 acres and a mule, but what we need is some psychoanalysis. Forget 40 acres in a mule: sign all of us up for some shrinks so we can get ourselves right by reflecting and truly learning ourselves. LaTanya Richardson Read Quote
Woodie King Jr., in 1970, had started a company called the New Federal Theatre, which was ensconced at the Henry Street Settlement. I did a number of plays there, and I auditioned each time. The plays were mostly new. New York was very fertile ground; there was a plethora of African-American plays being done. LaTanya Richardson Read Quote
