Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 29, 1994 TAG: 9411010019
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL KEVENEY THE HARTFORD COURANT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
One reason: It called for a black actor in a business that has often neglected blacks.
However, it also was important because of what it didn't call for: a ``type.''
``You usually see the upper-middle class black, who's not in touch, or the project black,'' LaSalle said. ``But 20 years ago, when Michael Crichton wrote this, there was no [detailed] description of this character. Where does he fit?''
Where LaSalle fits is as a piece of a hospital emergency room ensemble that has made ``ER'' (Thursdays at 10 p.m. on WSLS-Channel 10) the hottest new series of the fall TV season. Benton, like the other overworked doctors, is not a black or a white character, but a human one, LaSalle said.
And LaSalle and the show's producers work to keep the capable Benton from becoming another type - the standard-issue cocky, young surgeon - by adding some self-doubt, embarrassing moments and even the occasional failure.
``For me, the most interesting characters are the multidimensional ones,'' LaSalle said during a telephone interview from Los Angeles.
LaSalle, 32, said he's taking ``ER's'' early success - it's already knocked CBS' competing Thursday hospital drama ``Chicago Hope'' to an earlier slot - in stride.
``I knew this was a good project, but I've been involved with good projects that failed. I celebrate [the ratings], but I'm still a little apprehensive about getting too far out there,'' he said.
What most impresses LaSalle is the quality of the show in a business that he says too often caters to the lowest common denominator.
`` `ER' is intelligent and has enough grit and savvy for people who know nothing about medicine. It goes back to the human condition. Everyone knows about life and death and pain,'' he said.
Before ``ER,'' LaSalle appeared in a number of productions, most notably Eddie Murphy's movie ``Coming to America'' in 1988.
LaSalle's roles stretch from the stage (Joseph Papp's Shakespeare in the Park) to the soaps (``One Life to Live''). His other movie credits include ``Jacob's Ladder'' and ``Five Corners,'' and he has had guest-starring roles on TV's ``L.A. Law,'' ``Quantum Leap,'' ``A Different World'' and ``HBO Vietnam War Stories.''
LaSalle, a native of Hartford, Conn., credits a number of early acting and educational opportunities, including programs at the Hartford Stage Company and the Artists Collective, with giving him a start that led to the prestigious Juilliard School, New York University and, ultimately, an acting career.
The actor praises his mother, Ada Haynes, as ``the absolute source of my inspiration and my foundation,'' and credits her with helping him surmount the obstacles that conspire to separate an urban black youth from his dream.
Although LaSalle has worked hard, it still helps to get a break, especially in the fickle world of acting. His most recent opportunity came when a friend mentioned a possible role in the much-publicized ``ER.''
However, LaSalle almost didn't get a chance to play Benton because he was already working.
He had a role on another new television series, CBS' ``Under Suspicion.'' LaSalle played a detective in the premiere. Although he wasn't legally obligated to that series, Warner Bros., which produces both shows, at first refused to let him try out for the Benton role.
``They said, `You're not the right type.' Now, there are some roles that I'm wrong for, but a young doctor is not one of them,'' he said.
With the help of a tenacious agent, LaSalle got into ``ER'' in March - just under the gun.
``They started shooting on Monday. I auditioned on Wednesday, got the part on Thursday and reported to work on Friday,'' he said.
That's a tough adjustment, before even considering dialogue stuffed with enough medical jargon to choke an otolaryngologist.
``At one point, I have to say, `We have a pneumotension here.' What is the word, first of all? When you start understanding what it means, it's easier to get it to roll off your tongue,'' LaSalle said.
LaSalle also is pursuing other opportunities, including a starring role in ``D.R.O.P. Squad,'' a Gramercy Pictures film scheduled for release this month.
``I play an advertising executive who sells out his own community,'' he said. ``It's a very interesting film. It asks what are the possibilities for successful blacks.''
LaSalle wants to use leverage from any acting success to move to the other side of the camera, where the real power is.
``Ultimately, I want to be directing and writing projects,'' he said.
Although LaSalle praises his character's depiction in ``ER,'' he said the film and TV industry is racist and sexist. That will change only as women and people of color gain more power, he said.
``They are representing us. But we have to stop being victims. We can't keep letting people depict us,'' he said. ``There's a point where we have to take our own control.''
by CNB