Critically and consistently acclaimed actress Regina King has been building a loyal fan base since she was first introduced to the public as a child in the mid-1980s in the long-running sitcom “227,” starring Marla Gibbs, Hal Williams and Jackée Harry. The show ran from 1985 to 1990.
Since that time King has worked in an array of popular films, each one completely different from the last. She has been widely praised for her versatility as well as her formidable acting skills.
Those films include, in chronological order, “Boyz N the Hood,” “Poetic Justice,” “A Thin Line Between Love and Hate,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Enemy of the State,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “Ray” (for which she won an NAACP Image Award as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture), “Miss Congeniality 2” and “This Christmas.”
King is currently part of the ensemble cast of “Southland,” a police drama airing on TNT.
Following is a Q&A conducted by Kam Williams, whose work is featured in the Michigan Chronicle periodically and often in many other publications nationwide. — Steve Holsey
By Kam Williams
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Kam Williams: Hi, Regina, thanks for the time.
Regina King: Oh, thanks for making the time.
Williams: What interested you in “Southland”?
King: Well, I was already a fan of (writer/producer) Ann Biderman’s work, and when I read the script, I really got excited about the prospect of playing a woman who was complex, not just a one-dimensional character defined by her children or her husband.
What makes Lydia Adams interesting isn’t her children or her husband, but the fact that she’s successful and driven and has a full range of emotions, which is indicative of most women between the ages of 35 and 45. So, I thought it would be cool to represent the sort of women that I know.
Williams: Do you see Lydia as reflective of a recent trend towards stronger female characters on cop dramas?
King: Yes, but the beautiful thing about actresses is that each of us can put a different spin on that type of woman.
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