.jpg)
Chloe's Chronicles welcomes acclaimed actress, writer, and producer Tonya Pinkins to discuss her directorial debut film Red Pill
Chloe's Chronicles welcomes acclaimed actress, writer, andproducer Tonya Pinkins to discuss her directorial debut film Red Pill, using her platform for social change, and a look at her expansive career and what’s to come.
.jpg)
Chloe ~Hi Tonya, it is so great to speak with you, as many know you are a critically~ acclaimed actress both onstage and onscreen but for those who may not know, can you tell us a little bit about your introduction into the entertainment industry and how this path came to be for you?
Tonya ~ Thank you Chloe for this opportunity to share my story. I was born and raised in Chicago. I never initially wanted to be an actor but I have always considered work and opportunity something you don't say no to. So I kept saying ‘yes’ to working for/with other people. Along the way cobbling together a career, and now, I’ve written and directed dozens of cabarets, two albums, two books, 9 Broadway shows, a bunch of Off-Broadway shows, episodic television, and a couple of movies. Then about ten years ago, I had some ideas of work I wanted to create and explore on my own.
Chloe ~ Looking at your career you have done a great job being involved in projects that serve as opportunities for advocacy or to shine a light on social issues such as your Tony-award winning role in Jelly’s Last Jam, Women of the Movement, The Hunt for the Chicago Strangler, and now your own film Red Pill. Is this something you consciously think of when taking on a project or what is your personal process of picking roles and stories you want to tell and how?
Tonya ~ I have chosen every job I do by who is in the room and whether there is a challenge for me to live up to. I am not interested in doing the same thing again and again which can be a requirement associated with the idea of becoming “really famous.” Big stars have a brand that is expected of them to repeatedly fulfill and deliver. That being said, I have always set out and looked to do something new and risk failure. I get bored easily. And at this point in my life, I want to support the ideas that the next generation is seeding. So, I’m very conscious of language, inclusion, authenticity, and changing appropriation narrative within the entertainment industry. But I also even challenge those ideas. I enjoy being the Devil’s Advocate as they say.
Chloe ~ Tonya, Red Pill is your feature film directorial debut following writing and directing the short film, What Came After (2016), how did this experience differ from that and what would you say the greatest challenge and greatest victory from this project was and why?
Tonya ~ What Came After was a triumph for me of completing a short film. I had started many other short films and this was the first one to be completed. WCA taught me that sometimes obstacles get in the way of your vision but instead of throwing the work away because it can’t achieve the vision, sometimes you can re-imagine and pivot and put out something into the world that can be even better. That idea of adaptability and creative compromise is something most people have trouble being willing to do with something so precious to them. I say fail! Make 'bad things’ as the first stepping stones on the road to your bigger vision.
RED PILL was life-altering in so many ways. First, all of these people showed up to help me. That was an overwhelming gift. That level of support means you now have to live up to these people’s belief in you. We had no money and no time. I was told all of the reasons why I couldn’t do it and it wouldn’t happen, “I couldn’t make a feature. I didn’t know how to do anything. I couldn’t afford proper producers or post-production supervisors.” So, all of that translated to me that I would do it, and yes, I had to learn everything and I failed over and over again. It is a miracle that it got finished, but the cherry on top that has made it all worth it was being selected and winning so many international festivals. RED PILL is translated into Greek, Russian, Catalonian, and Spanish. It spoke to people. Then we got distribution and are on Amazon, Fandango, DirectTV, Vudu, and Comcast. That is a rarity.
The book I wrote RED PILL Unmasked goes into depth about all the obstacles including on the production side of things as well. All I can say is that I believe it was destined to be complete because I did not have the knowledge or wherewithal to overcome all that I discovered I would and did during that process. Now, we have a finished film available worldwide!
.jpg)
Chloe ~Red Pill, follows the looming 2020 election, as not only the director and an actor in the film but also as the writer how did this concept come about and how did you navigate exploring this topic of conversation through the lens of the horror and comedy genres? Is there a scene or part of the film you are most excited for audiences to see translated from script to screen?
Tonya ~ I’m reading psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich’s works right now and he talks about how dictatorship is born out of people’s unwillingness to accept the truth and personal responsibility because they want an illusory comfort. In my opinion, we have been in that place in the United States for quite a while now. I believe this is how the country will fall. And even though I live in a “liberal” town, New York, I found it hard to find peers to share my views and concerns with who didn’t treat me like I was a crackpot. It was painful and sad. So I always believe that you can turn your frustrations into art.
RED PILL is me saying, “ LOOK! LOOK! The house is on fire!”
My personal taste is that the darker you go the funnier you have to go. I like finding the humor before and after a tragedy because that’s really human nature. I like scatology. There is nothing in RED PILL that isn't to my taste. I did not have to answer to anyone. I take sole responsibility for every frame. And that is something I feel proud of. I don’t find blame to be a satisfactory emotion. Blame to me is a sign that you have relinquished your personal responsibility. I find it cowardly.
Chloe ~ Tonya, in your long and successful career you made your early start in Soap Operas appearing in As the World Turns, Guiding Light, and most notably All My Children as Livia Frye Cudahy for over 246 episodes. What do you think the process of acting in Soaps and the turnaround time production-wise taught you as an actor and now as a producer who runs her own sets?
Tonya ~ Being a part of Soap Operas made me a machine when it came to learning lines and dumping them. In and Out! I know people who remember their lines from all their shows. Not me, I remember them for shooting and then they are gone.
I’d say that I look forward to producing something with the financial backing for prep. I think good prep makes for smoother shoots. My only regrets on RED PILL are that by my own choice, I was wearing so many hats that there were times I couldn’t just focus on being the director or the actor exclusively.
Chloe ~ The Zombie Wedding, currently in Pre-Production, is a film that you are slated to direct derived from a 2015 play of the same title, as someone experienced in both mediums of stage and screen, how do you hope to translate the story? What challenges do you expect from this, if any?
Tonya ~ I am super excited about The Zombie Wedding. I love all things, Zombies! Being on Fear the Walking Dead is one of the highlights of my career.
We are in discussion right now about how these zombies will look in a new way from all the existing film and television zombies portrayed already. These are talking Zombies. It’s been very fun talking about design. There is also a huge musical element and finding what music will fit and what will be new takes on old songs versus new songs has been a lot of fun. I think zombies are the perfect symbol for any ill in a community. We will be using The Zombie Wedding as a way to explore what it’s like to be different. And as “difference” is currently under assault in society right now in various ways this movie couldn’t be more timely.
.jpg)
Chloe ~Follow-up question to that, is there any chance we could see you make a return to your roots of stage performance any time soon? Is that something you are open to exploring?
Tonya ~ I must admit being the boss was intoxicating and addictive. I used to love taking instructions. I now want to spend the next forty years of my career entering the stage of giving instructions. I will be singing a song at The Mix-Up on Little Island in Manhattan on June 16-19th, 2022. So, I will always be willing to collaborate with friends and find my way to the stage, but honestly working six days a week building someone else’s castle when I could be working around the clock building my castle, no longer holds the same appeal to me that it once held. I’m going to be sixty on May 30th. I'm entering the last chapter of my life. If I don’t do the things my heart dreams of now they will never exist in this world through the view of my eyes.
Chloe ~ You have had the opportunity to be a part of some great projects both dramatically and comedically such as Madam Secretary, Army Wives, God Friended Me, Katy Keene, Fear the Walking Dead, Scandal, and Gotham just to name a few. What genre or kind of project are you hoping to explore next?
Tonya ~I have been super fortunate in the variety of opportunities I’ve had. I always have a bunch of projects going. I am currently working on a documentary tracing my life back as a Civil Rights baby back to the continent of Africa. I’m also taking on other writers' scripts to produce and direct. I am also in the process of adapting a series of Urban Fantasy Adventure novels which we will take out to pitch as a series. I am also a visual artist so I will be having my first public show, where I am painting, in July. A friend has also asked me to illustrate a children’s book. So, I am always keeping myself busy and creative.
Chloe ~ What can you tease our Samera Audience about what is next for you project-wise and what we can expect from you next this upcoming year?
Tonya ~ Fingers crossed, I will be writing and directing a few different upcoming projects including some romance stories for television. Look out for that! Thank you again Chloe for the opportunity to share my story! Please invite your readers to play the RED PILL Game which can be found at: https://redpillmovie2020.com/play/
And the audiobook of RED PILL UnMasked:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Red-Pill-Unmasked-Audiobook/B09QDZ7SJK