Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 6, 1992 TAG: 9203060295
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
He made an impressive feature debut last year in John Singleton's Oscar-nominated "Boyz N the Hood." Now he's got a strong supporting role in "Gladiator," opening today at the Salem Valley 8, Valley View Mall 6 in the Roanoke area. He's also been out on the road promoting the film.
Where "Boyz" was a serious, realistic look at some of the problems faced by black kids today, "Gladiator" is a simple-minded teen fantasy in the "Flashdance" mold. The ad copy could read "High school students by day; prize fighters by night." Even so, Gooding is effective. In describing the two characters in a recent interview, he simplifies them down to their heroic essentials:
"Both roles are kids in an environment where the odds are against them; both deal with street violence; both have gang element that could suck them in; but both felt that they could make things better and the people around them if they could use the tools that they have."
In "Boyz," Gooding's Tre Styles "uses his mind to better himself with an education." Lincoln, his character in "Gladiator," "feels that his tools are his hands, his fists, his strategies in the ring."
Gooding is a thoughtful, appealing young man. But, at 24, he's been in the business long enough to have paid some dues. His first job was as a breakdancer performing with Lionel Ritchie at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. After that, he earned roles on series TV, including an episode of "Mancuso, F.B.I." There his work with a small, one-scene role impressed star Robert Loggia and led to a much larger part in another episode. Loggia also appears in "Gladiator."
Much of the television material involved his playing black stereotypes, but the work showed people that he was serious about his craft, and won him the lead in the TV movie, "Murder Without Motive: The Edmund Perry Story." Like many of the young black filmmakers and actors who have been so successful recently, Gooding sees his work as a mixture of social responsibility and the realities of the entertainment business.
"I played the killers; I played the drug dealers that only had negative influences to show for the black community and then I finally got into a position to do a role like `Boyz N the Hood' or `The Edmund Perry Story,' which will educate people.
"Black cinema is here. It has affected a wide-ranging audience, it has caught the attention of a lot of people. As long as we continue to make good products that generate good revenues - as we have been - then people will continue to see the films. I think there will always be the support of the black community for black films, but as long as the quality of the work is there, we'll be around.
"We've been given an opportunity to have larger audiences exposed to the experiences of the next generation of black filmmakers. And experiences of the black community, period."
Gooding will probably play a large role in films aimed at all audiences. Like Denzel Washington, he's got the looks and the camera presence to be a strong leading man in virtually any form of popular entertainment. And, at the same time, if he's lucky, he can get rid of some stereotypes.
"It's my responsibility to create more opportunities like `Boyz N the Hood,' and maybe we can flush out some of the negative roles. The goal of the whole thing is to create as many positive jobs as you can."
by CNB