Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / Oct. 23, 1982, edition 1 / Page 19
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SATUROAY, OCTOBER 23. 1982-THE CAROLINA TIMES 3 Paul Win field Talks of Lifetime of Challenges Paul Winfield didn't, know much about the South when he was a boy growing, up in the Watts area of Los Angeles. Nor did he know much about the Civil War. "To show you how remote that situation was for my family," he said, "all through the 1930's and 40s and 50's.my mother was a Republican, simply because of Abraham Lincoin and the Emancipation Proclamation. In every other way she was a fairly sophisticated and politically aware woman, but she always felt she owed an allegiance to the Republicans 'because of this romantic story about freeing the slaves." ' Now, Winfield portrays Jonathan, a potter who is killed for hiding runaway slaves, in "The Blue and The Gray." The epje eight-hour mini series - about th American Civil War will be broadcast in three parts, beginning '. Sunday, November 14 (8-11 p.m.). continuing Tuesday November 16 (9-11 p.m.) and concludng Wednesday. November 17 (8-1 1 p.m.) on the CBS Television Network; Winfield appears only in the first part. The challenge of hrolelike this." he said, "is trying to create-afull character when u're onlv working a few days. If 1 didn't feel 1 could do that, I wouldn't accept the part. What's interesting about Jonathan is that, while he's on screen for a short Sunday October 24, 1982 WFMY WPTF I WTVO ! WUNC I WTTG I WRAL I WTBS I WGHP I CH.2 CH.28 ! CH. 11 CH. 4 I CH. 5 I CH. 5 i CH. 17 I CH. 8 I Cablt 11 dble 3 ,1 Cable S Cable 9 I Cibli 10 Cable 12 I Cable 13 j I 700 I Kenneth I Jerry . I Lone Ranger I I Jimmy I World James Dr.0.Jame$ 15 I Copeland I Falwell I Zorro I I Swaggart I Tomorrow I Robison ' Kennedy l 30 I h I Kwlcky I I I Spiritual ifs i I 45 j " i " I Koala I J j Awakening ! Written 1 ' I ft 00 I Rex I Kenneth I Curious I I Frederick 1 Robert Three 1 Gospel Expo ' if 15 Humbard Copeland I Kaleidoscope I I ff. 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I One Day At I " -4- I i I 45 j A Time i Happy At A Time " I " I " l ! f 00 Trapper John Last" I Trapper John I To The News i "'- i TBS News I f f f f 5 I " I' I I Mum ton I I I "I I 30 I I I I Wodehouse l Odd Couple I t I I ; 45 ! " 1 " I .", ; 1 Playhouse : -;" I " J I I .4 00 I Wews l Madame s . Nws I rwaftf l Sports I Wows 5 l Jorry I News Iff"1 1 wc CBS News Zone . Wrapup ' ABC News: Falwell ABC News I I f jo CBS News Jim Bakker Entertain- Twilight Movie: Wrestling I Barry I 45 j Mo Forto I " nwnf I Zone "Fuzz" j " I ' I ftroor g00 Movie: This " I . I Open Up Entertain lyi5 Week I I ThisWeeki I U 30 . fnspht Curtous I l I 45 I " I " . Kaleidoscope I I . L " , , I'. time, he's a catalyst whose death changes the pro tagonist's life. So my goal is to establish him as a sym pathetic presence who can serve as a focal point for the story even after he's no longer seen." Winfield is no stranger to challenges. "I learned early on that, regardless of which world I was traveling in, the: black community or the white community, I sometimes had to appear to be conforming." he said. "I sometimes had to tell people what 1 thought they wanted to hear." An example. In junior high school music .class he had to choose an instrument to play. Winfield selected the violin, then switched to the cello. "In my neighborhood," he explained, "the cello was a more practical instrument than the violin. Carrying it to school, it looked more butch than a violin case. I could tell people it was a baby bass and that I planned to be a jazz musician. "Of course I had no such plans at all. I just needed an joa.jtle cover so that J. would appear to be conform- ing. In fact, in those days Win field' didn't know what' he planned to be. "I was pretty much a loner during my schooling," he said. "My I father was. a laborer, and w moved around a lot. You didn't have time to get to know people. Books really became my best friends.' That all changed when he played a small rote in a school play and scored a per sonal success. "Suddenly I was accepted," he said. "I didn't need any introduc tions. People came up to talk to me. I didn't even have to be dressed in the latest styles." Winfield's fate was sealed. He determined to become an actor, despite his parents',' disapproval. "They never really approved of my-decision," he said, "and they were quite right. At the time there were very few suc cessful black actors. People knew Harry Belafonte, Sam my Davis, Jr., and Sidney Poitier. Two of those three sang and danced, "and I didn't do either." But he persevered. In time he was. getting guest spots on television series. "Once my parents could see me on TVT it became very exiting for them," he said. "I'd overhear them telling people, 'We always knew he'd be great'." When he received an Oscar nomination as Best Actor for his role in "Sounder," Win field took his mother as his date to the Academy Awards ceremony. "It was one of the. highlights of her life." he said. His own personal highlight is his portrayal of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the six-hour mini-series "King," for which he received an Emmy Award nomination as Best Actor. "That's the piece of work that best defines what I do and who I am," he said "Portraying Dr. King was the hardest thing I've, ever had to do. First, there was the brute work of playing a leading role in a six-hour mini-series. We filmed in Georgia during a, hot, un comfortable summer, and we were harassed by the Klan.: "But overriding all that was the responsibility of por traying someone who was, in my opinion, the most impor tant American leader of this century in terms of changing a nation's perception of itself. Yet, he was a man who never during his lifetime felt he accomplished anything, felt he was a failure in every way." For Paul Winfield, the struggles are pretty much over, though the challenge: are not. Constantly in de mand, he can afford to be selective about scripts. A reflective man, he is still something something of a loner. He lives by himself in an old San Francisco home he has restored. He's come a long way from those days of carrying a cello through Watts. But not so far that he's forgotten. "Once when my mother was visiting me in ""San Frnacisco," he said, "I took her to a hugh nursery. Various people would come up and ask, 'Aren't you Paul Winfield?' And she would take over, saying 'This is my son, did you . see "Sounder"?' giving them a whole list qf my credits. "A we were about to leave, ,a woman come up to me. You could tell she knew me from somewhere. I saw my mother getting in gear to deliver her spiel. Just then this woman asked me, "Don't you drive the Fillmore bus?" My mother did a fast U-turn an walked to the other side of the room. "Later on I reminded her, you have tojtake the bitter with the sweqt." WOMEN-IN-ACTION is; having its Annual- Dinner-1 Membership Meeting on ' Wednesday, October 27, 7 j p.m. at the! Downtowner' Motor Inn. Fpr more in for-L mation call 682-1431 or 682-9578,
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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Oct. 23, 1982, edition 1
19
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