Arts & Entertainment
Everything’s Coming Up Rosie!
R
osie Maria Perez was born
on September 6, 1964 in
Bushwick, Brooklyn where
she was raised in a Catholic
orphanage after being abandoned
by her mom and taken from her
aunt. She made a most memorable
screen debut as Spike Lee’s girl-
friend, Tina, in Do the Right Thing,
and later landed an Oscar-nomina-
tion for a nonpareil performance in
Fearless. Her many other credits
include White Men Can’t Jump,
Won’t Back Down and The Coun-
selor.
Rosie serves as the Artistic Chair
of Urban Arts Partnership and sits
on the Presidential Advisory Coun-
cil on HIV/AIDS. Here, she talks
about her career and her autobiog-
raphy,
“Handbook
for
an
Unpredictable Life.”
Kam Williams: Hi Rosie. I’m
honored to have this chance to
speak with you.
Rosie Perez: Absolutely, Kam.
KW: I really enjoyed the book!
RP: Oh, you’re one of the few
journalists who actually read it
before speaking to me. That’s won-
derful!
KW: What inspired you to write
your autobiography?
RP: I didn’t really know at first.
I kept asking myself, “Why am I
KW: I found it very mov-
ing, especially since I had no
C ELEBRITY
idea about any of it. I just
I NTERVIEW
thought of you as that bubbly,
talented, attractive actress I’d
seen in movies and on talk
by Kam
shows.
Williams
RP: And I am that person,
but I’m also this one. And the
reason I decided to share with
the students was because I
saw them come into the Acad-
emy so burdened by life every
doing this?” because I’m such a
private person. Then, one day, the day. When you are a low-income,
head of programming at my chari- poverty-stricken, Title 1 kid, you
ty, the Urban Arts Partnership, said have so much to endure just wak-
she was excited that I was writing ing up. So, you may have a bad
it, and she hoped I’d be giving attitude or a chip on your shoulder
copies to the students. My first before you even get to school. You
reaction was “No,” since the sub- may arrive so anxious, angry, hun-
ject-matter was really heavy, and gry or apathetic that you may say to
because of some of the language I yourself, “Why should I pay atten-
was using. But she then reminded tion in class?” You might be
me that I’d already shared my sto- beaten-up on the way to school,
ries with them, and I almost burst because you live in a bad neighbor-
into tears. I realized, “Oh my God! hood. Still, I had to inform them,
That’s why I’m writing it.” Those especially the seniors, that they
students had been the first people, didn’t have the luxury of bringing
outside of my inner circle, to hear all that baggage into the world
my story. It happened when I par- which they would be stepping into
ticipated in one of our programs as adults. I’d say, “You need to
called Life Stories, where we come to terms with it, or let it go.
encourage the kids to open up and One or the other. And if you can do
share so they can understand their both, then you’re golden.” If you
lives. One day, I was challenged to are unable to get past that baggage,
share my story with them. That‘s the opportunities that should be
where finding the inspiration and
strength to write this book began.
See ROSIE on page 11
July 16, 2014 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 7