{"id":63566,"date":"2012-07-09T16:33:27","date_gmt":"2012-07-09T16:33:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2012\/07\/09\/robinne-lee-talks-the-undershepherd-miss-dial-and-being-mary-jane\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T10:45:29","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T10:45:29","slug":"robinne-lee-talks-the-undershepherd-miss-dial-and-being-mary-jane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/robinne-lee-talks-the-undershepherd-miss-dial-and-being-mary-jane\/","title":{"rendered":"Robinne Lee talks The Undershepherd, Miss Dial, and Being Mary Jane"},"content":{"rendered":"

Robinne Lee talks The Undershepherd, Miss Dial, and Being Mary Jane<\/strong>By Wilson Morales<\/p>\n

July 9, 2012<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Coming out this fall and the nearby future are a slew of projects that actress Robinne Lee<\/strong> is involved with, including Russ Parr<\/strong>\u2019s The Undershepherd<\/strong>, the indie film Miss Dial<\/strong>, in which she stars in, and the BET series, Being Mary Jane<\/strong>, starring Gabrielle Union<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Having started her career as part of the ensemble romantic comedy \u2018Hav Plenty<\/strong>,\u2019 Lee would then be seen in various films and TV shows such as \u2018Buffy the Vampire Slayer<\/strong>,\u2019 \u2018Deliver Us from Eva<\/strong>,\u2019 \u2018Hitch,<\/strong>\u2019 Numb3rs<\/strong>,\u2019 a recurring role on \u2018Tyler Perry\u2019s House of Payne<\/strong>,\u2019 and \u2018Hotel for Dogs<\/strong>,\u2019 opposite Don Cheadle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At the recent 16th Annual American Black Film Festival<\/strong> (ABFF), Blackfilm.com<\/strong><\/a> caught up with the New York native as she spoke about her film, \u2018The Undershepherd,\u2019 which was screened there, and her other upcoming projects.
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\nWhat’s ‘The Undershepherd’ about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>I shot Russ Parr\u2019s The Undershepherd last year with this amazing, dynamic cast (Isaiah Washington, Malinda Williams, Lamman Rucker, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Keith David, Clifton Powell, Bill Cobb, Louis Gossett Jr.<\/strong>, and Elise Neal<\/strong>). I play the wife of Lamman Rucker. Isaiah and Lamman are two guys who came up like brothers in the church together. They\u2019re both under pastors in the church and they go their separate ways. Lamman and I go and start our own church, and Isaiah stays the main church and usurps the position of the main pastor. It\u2019s what happens to them on their separate journeys. Our little humble church doesn\u2019t pan out so well but Isaiah has become this huge televangelist and what the power does to him and how he becomes corrupt. It\u2019s an interesting take on the church itself and on the black church; but really, it\u2019s more about power and the effect it has on man. It\u2019s a story you haven\u2019t seen before and it\u2019s controversial. You are going to have certain feelings about it. Either you\u2019re going to love it, be shocked by it and talk about it more. There\u2019s no way you will walk out of the theater and say it was okay. There are issues about the church that people don\u2019t talk about and people will be surprised and blown away by some of the performances. Malinda\u2019s performance is extraordinary and Isaiah is Oscar worthy. He\u2019s a beast in this and just amazing.<\/p>\n

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What was the attraction to doing the film?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RL:<\/strong> It was an opportunity to work with these incredible actors who I have long admired. Russ Parr is just the sweetest, nicest guy and genuine earnest about the script he\u2019d written. Everything came together wonderfully.<\/p>\n

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You also did another film called \u2018Miss Dial\u2019 that\u2019s yet to be released. <\/strong><\/p>\n

RL:<\/strong> It\u2019s another independent film. It\u2019s a romantic comedy written and directed by a guy named David H. Steinberg<\/strong>. It\u2019s his directorial debut. He\u2019s written a lot like \u2018Puss in Boots\u2019 and \u2018Slackers.\u2019 He also wrote \u2018American Pie 2.\u2019 This is his first film that\u2019s he directed and I came on board as a producer as well. It\u2019s me and Sam Jaeger<\/strong> from \u2018Parenthood.\u2019 It\u2019s got this vivacious cast we put together. We just called all of our friends in the business to come and do little cameos. Gabrielle Union is in as well along with Dul\u00e9 Hill, Hill Harper<\/strong>, and Beth Grant<\/strong>. Jon Huertas<\/strong> from \u2018Castle\u2019 plays my boyfriend and he\u2019s great gut. It\u2019s just an amazing group of people getting together and we were really lucky that everyone said yes.<\/p>\n

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I guess when you\u2019re working on a project with friends, it\u2019s should be easier on the set to shoot the film or TV show with trying to work on chemistry.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>RL:<\/strong> It does. When you do these independent films, there\u2019s nothing involved. You\u2019re basically asking friends for favors and because they are doing you a favor, you really want the shoot to be as efficient as possible and get them in and get them out. We were able to do that. Every actor came in for about 3-4 hours top. It\u2019s rare that you can do that and we shot this all in 10 days.
\nHave you taken the film to festivals?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RL:<\/strong> We haven\u2019t. We are about to close a deal with a distribution company but I can\u2019t talk about it until it\u2019s completely done.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Besides being seen on the big screen, you will also be on the small screen in a new TV series, right. <\/strong><\/p>\n

RL:<\/strong> Yes. It\u2019s called \u2018Being Mary Jane<\/strong>.\u2019 It\u2019s at BET and it\u2019s Mara Brock Akil<\/strong> and Salim Akil<\/strong>\u2019s new project. It stars Gabrielle Union, who\u2019s a very dear friend of mine. It\u2019s this amazing take on a single black woman\u2019s life in Atlanta and she\u2019s 30-something and juggling a career and relationships and family. It\u2019s an hour long drama and we so infrequently see images of ourselves portrayed that way. It\u2019s multidimensional and complex and everything else that\u2019s going on in her life, and although she\u2019s doing well in her work, it\u2019s the struggles that she has and the failures of her relationship and dynamic with her family and what\u2019s expected of her because she\u2019s so successful. It\u2019s complex. It\u2019s rare that we get to see those images of us as women; and as women of color is almost never in television these days.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your character on the show? Are the two of you close on the show as you are in real life?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RL:<\/strong> I\u2019m much of a better friend in real life. I\u2019m not her friend on the show. I\u2019m more of a nemesis. I don\u2019t want to give anything away, but there\u2019s a mutual guy involved.<\/p>\n

Is doing a TV series new for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>RL:<\/strong> It is. I was recurring for a while on Tyler Perry\u2019s House of Payne. It\u2019s a multi-camera half hour show, so that\u2019s a completely different experience than this. I\u2019ve also done a bunch of guest starring appearances on other shows like \u2018Buffy the Vampire Slayer\u2019 and \u2018Numb3rs,\u2019 but this is the first time that I\u2019m a series regular on a one hour show, so that\u2019s nice.
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\nBetween the TV show and doing films, what keeps you grounded?<\/strong><\/p>\n

RL: <\/strong>I write. I just finished writing my first novel. I think when I\u2019m alone with my computer that keeps me grounded. I have two young kids, which doesn\u2019t keep me grounded, but busy enough that I\u2019m not caught up with other things that are going on. I have to separate myself at times and just be a mom, or just be an actress, or just a writer. It\u2019s a lot of hats to wear but when you have all of that going on, it keeps you on your toes. You have to be focus and give 100% of your attention to whatever it is you are doing at that point in time.<\/p>\n

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