Page 4 - TVTimes.5.7.17

4 May 7 - 13, 2017
El Dorado News-Times
cover story
Power and change
Freida Pinto, Babou Ceesay headline stellar new miniseries
Fix your incontinence.
Find your happiness. restore your normalcy. renew your confidence.
• Learn about male stress urinary incontinence and who it affects
Southern Arkansas Urology
• Explore treatment options
• Hear how real people li2kexy5ou restored normalcy in
their lives
• Discover information for spouses and caregivers
6671
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
urology
DR. SAMUEL T. HOUSTON
southernarkansasuro.com
FIX INCONTINENCE
By Cassie Dresch
TV Media
It’s already being hailed as an Emmy heavyweight, and it’s not hard to see why. “Guerrilla” shines a light
on a revolutionary time in the United Kingdom’s history, when the British Black Panthers were a driving force in the pursuit of racial equality, and does so with a strong cast and an acclaimedwriteranddirector.A
new episode of “Guerrilla,” the six- episode miniseries from Academy Award winner John Ridley (“12 Years a Slave,” 2013), airs Sunday, May 7, on Showtime.
Based loosely on true events,
the series is set in 1970s London, England, and follows Jas (Freida Pinto, “Slumdog Millionaire,” 2008) and Marcus (Babou Ceesay, “A.D. The Bible Continues”), young lovers with strong political opinions, but no follow-through on their ideals. That changed in the first episode of “Guerrilla,” when a friend was killed by police, and the pair became active revolutionaries.
“I’ve never been able to play somebody like this — I’ve never been given the chance,” Pinto said of her character at a press stop last month. “This is the kind of role that actors livefor.Youcanplaycharactersthat are good, but don’t always show your range. I’ve always known that if
you give me the chance, I’ll show you what I can do. I am so blessed that John saw in me the passion and the drive I have.”
“I connect with [Jas], I felt pro- tected by her,” she added. “Jas has her passion in the right place, as well as this hunger to put everything that is within her out in the world. But she lacks strategy and direction. I come from a very authentic but not harmful place, but I am also driven by extreme passion.”
Pinto has been lauded for her performance thus far, with the likes of Deadline’s Dominic Patten calling her “excellent” and the Hollywood Reporter’s Tim Goodman saying she’s “convincingly fierce as she becomes more radicalised, but her evolution
is believable at every turn, less su- perhero than determined activist.” As the conclusion of the miniseries nears, she just continues to get bet- ter and better.
This isn’t lost on Ridley, whose writing has also received heaps of praise.The“AmericanCrime”creator also had plenty of wonderful things to say about the actress in a phone interview with Greg Braxton in April.
“In addition to being a very talented person, Freida is also very passionate,” he said. “I knew she had spent time working with activist causes and working with underprivi- leged children all over the world. She had a way of speaking with passion, but without anger. She’s a
great actress and a great
partner. ... ‘Slumdog Mil-
lionaire’ was a phenomenal
first film, and it was a role
based on her emotion and
her God-given good
looks. For actors
of color, par-
ticularly female
actors of color,
it can be hard
to move on
to the next
thing. I was
lucky to have
a very solid
role [for her],
and she was
available.”
Pinto’s casting in the lead fe- male role hasn’t been without its detractors, how- ever, with some
saying “Guerrilla” doesn’t feature enough black women as headlining characters. Ridley, for his part, has remained steadfast in his choice to include her.
“Part of what we are saying is that a white person walking down the street at this time would look at [Jas and Marcus] and say, ‘Oh, those blacks,’” he said in an interview with the Observer. “To the outside world, they’re both black, but the reality is that they are a mixed-race couple. Their love and commitment is a big part of the show because they have to fight for that. They’re down for each other. There are people who will have a problem with that, and I hope that they do because that problem is also part of the story we’re telling.”
Even Farrukh Dhondy, an Indian- born member of the British Black Panthers who was at “The Frontline” in the ‘70s, offered a comment on the alleged “black erasure” by Ridley. “I don’t understand because we are not the BBC, we don’t need to tick box- es,”hetoldtheRadioTimes.“Ticking boxes on gender and race is not what John Ridley set out to do. He set out to capture a piece of history, and it is completely legitimate that an Asian woman would be involved. I was a leading male, I was a member of the central core, there were other Asians in the central core.”
At the end of the day, Ridley achieved what he set out to do, something he’s become known for:
starting a conversation. He did so with “12 Years a Slave,” he’s continued to do so with ABC’s “American Crime” and now he’s done so with “Guerrilla.”
“I think it’s a solid piece of storytelling, and I hope it will
mark the beginning of a cycle of these kinds of stories of people of color and their experiences, whether
documentaries or fictional narratives,” Ridley told the
Observer. “This isn’t just black history — it’s Brit- ish history, and it needs
to be told.”
Catch a new episode
of “Guerrilla,” airing Sunday, May 7, on on
Showtime.
Babou Ceesay as seen in “Guerrilla”
• Tires • Brakes • Shocks • AC Repair • Oil Change • Lift Kits • Light Bars
Celebrating
70 Years Of Serving South Arkansas!
We Accept
A/Vanhook Tire B/Trotter Auto Group 2 x2
Get your car ready for spring!
AUTHORIZED DEALER
2880 N.W. Ave • (870) 863-8156
COMMON
• Asking others to repeat themselves
• Answering questions with an inappropriate response
• Thinking people mumble or don’t speak clearly
SYMPTOMS
OF
HEARING
LOSS
• Playing the TV or radio A/South Arkansas Women’s Clinic
B/Audibel Hearing Services
2 x3
HEARING SERVICES
• Avoiding social encounters because of struggles with hearing
We have State of the Art Hearing Aids and Quality Service to help you have Better Hearing and a Better Quality of Life!!
There’s no reason to “suffer in silence”. Nothing compares to the lifestyle change of hearing clearly again!
too loud
524 West Faulkner (The Plaza) • El Dorado, AR • 870-862-8330
6098
2768