theblackactor.com

One Lady. One Time. Margaret Avery

I saw Margaret Avery once.  I remember when I first saw The Color Purple, I really wanted to see this actress again.

But I never did.

Margaret Avery had been around for quite some time, long before The Color Purple.  I may have seen her in something other than The Color Purple; maybe in another pic or on a TV show.  After all, she’s been around since the 70’s.

She’s been in about a dozen films since The Color Purple (I didn’t see them) and she’s done some television; so she is working (good) and she will be in Tyler Perry’s upcoming film, Meet The Browns.    

She’s aging now.  And although roles may await her, she’ll never be another Shug Avery.  I wish we could have seen more of her.

I really enjoyed her in the role.  She was perfectly cast.  She nailed it!

She was nominated for Best Spporting Actress for her effort; but, like many of her peers, she remained underrated, underworked and underappreciated.

I wanted to highlight her here, if for no other reason than to pay tribute to one fine performance, one moment in time.

Glenn Plummer

When I was preparing to write this post, I didn’t even know his name.  I just always remembered him as the lead actor whose work was exceptional in the film, South Central.  Glenn Plummer landed on the map in the 1992 hood drama, South Central.  With a sincerity and sensitivity that is hard to match on the screen, he portrayed “Deuce” gang member and ex-con, Bobby Johnson.   He was very, very good in this movie.  He clearly understood the character.
    
Though I’m pleased he has sustained regular work over the past two decades, I am disappointed Hollywood has ignored this gifted actor and denied him the meaty roles for which his talent is worthy.
    
His film credits include supporting roles in various films; mostly Z-list movies.
    
He played Pernell, a criminal facing a life sentence, in the Hughes Brothers’ hood drama, Menace II Society (1993).  His role was small.  But he did his job well.
    
He portrayed rap artist Jeriko One in the film, Strange Days (1995).  His role was small.  It was what it was.
    
He was in Showgirls (1995).  He played James Smith, a struggling dancer/choreographer.  He was good in the role but it, like the others, limited him.
    
He was cast in Up Close and Personal (1996) as cameraman Ned Jackson (who also happens to be a pianist).  His character pops in and out of the movie.  He hangs around a bit at the end.  It was a very small role.  He did his job; the best he could do, with what he had.
    
In 2003, he played pool shark and gangster, Chico, in Poolhall Junkies (2003).
    
In Saw II (2005), he didn’t really have much of a role.  He did with it what he could.
    
In the film, El Cortez (2006) he convincingly played Jack Clay, a heroin dealer.  It was not a role with which he really had an opportunity to showcase his talent.  Nevertheless, he was solid in his supporting role.
    
Okay, I can keep repeating the same thing or I can say…
    
Given his tenure in the business and the range of his talent, Glenn Plummer should be a household name.  Sadly, he is not.  I would like to see him play meaty leading roles in quality films.  I would like him to receive good offers.

Jurnee Smollett

I was captivated by Smollett’s dramatic proficiency with the role of Eve Batiste in Eve’s Bayou in 1997.  Sometimes for me there is no better cinematic experience than to watch in awe, a gifted child actor do what he or she does.  What happened to this unforgettable child actress?
    
Well, she’s not a child anymore.  Though she has worked since Eve’s Bayou (several guest TV appearances), she’s only done three or four movies since then.  Eve’s Bayou is the only movie I’ve ever seen her in.  She is still unknown to many.  I had to do an internet search to identify her.  She hasn’t been on the big screen much since Eve’s Bayou  because she has either eschewed the business or because there are few decent roles available for her.  There may not be any decent roles for her.
    
I read that she’s an aspiring recording artist.  Our loss.  It's too bad.