This intimate conversation with Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Keith David traverses his expansive career and the invaluable lessons he has gleaned along the way: performance craftwork, author’s intent, and finding the humanity in each character toward exploring the human condition. At the heart of his success is thoughtful artistry, which has helped him craft longevity in the television and film industry. Keith David’s perspective on the craft is deeply rooted in the text and consists in “finding a kind of engaged objectivity”—his desire and ability to tap into the tone of each story he encounters. This interview explores David’s remarkable credits from his iconic ensemble performance in Oliver Stone’s Platoon to his more recent critically acclaimed lead role in OWN’s Greenleaf, from his numerous television, feature film, and theatrical appearances, to his award-winning documentaries, animated features, video gaming, and commercials.
Crafting Longevity: An Interview with Emmy Award Winner and Tony Award Nominee Keith David Available to Purchase
Joi Carr is the Professor of English and Film Studies at Pepperdine University, serves as Director of Film Studies, an Academic Director of the Institute for Entertainment, Media, Sports, and Culture, and Creative/Program Director of the Multicultural Theatre Project, which offers an art-based critical pedagogy and is the subject of her first monograph. Carr serves as a Research Associate for Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project, Harvard University. She is a singer-songwriter, actress, and playwright. A long-standing member of the Screen Actors Guild– American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, she serves on the National and local EEO and Women’s Committees, and as an elected SAG-AFTRA Convention Delegate and an alternate member on the National and LA Local Boards.
Joi Carr; Crafting Longevity: An Interview with Emmy Award Winner and Tony Award Nominee Keith David. Pacific Coast Philology 1 April 2021; 56 (1): 60–77. doi: https://doi.org/10.5325/pacicoasphil.56.1.0060
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