Eugene Lee
By Isabela Fratus
Eugene Lee is a remarkably talented Broadway veteran, playwright, and director who currently serves as Artist in Residence here at Texas State University. Isabela had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Lee and discussing his most recent performance in Our Town, his valuable perspective on his craft, and advice for students in the Texas State Theatre program. Eugene Lee’s career is extensive and fascinating, his wisdom speaks volumes, and this interview was an absolute honor.
ISABELA: Who is someone that you have worked with that gave you significant advice when it comes to the acting industry, and what was it?
LEE: There have been so many it’s hard to pick one. There was an old lady, and she didn’t tell me anything about theatre, art, acting, or writing. She sold me a car in Los Angeles. Her son was an actor, and she said “Keep some money coming in.” That’s the lesson that she taught me. Don’t nobody want to work with you if you’re desperate or whatever. That’s a lesson that served me well, I always found a way to keep some money coming in. I was a substitute teacher in Los Angeles at schools there for sometime, I also drove a beer truck. I delivered beer for a beer distributor in Los Angeles. I worked at a telephone answering service, I would take messages. I’ve done a few different things to keep some money coming in. So you feel good about yourself, so when you go on an audition, you’re not desperate.
ISABELA: Is there a show that you have performed in that has fundamentally changed the way you take on roles?
LEE: No, I mean they all do in a way. They all have different demands. That’s what I like about what I do. I never know what my next job is going to ask me to know. I might be a garbage man, I might be a neuroscientist, or something like that. There were several that sort of changed the way I approach acting when I was working with the Negro Ensemble Company. But that just happened from doing more plays.
ISABELA: Is there a role you wish to reprise? Would you take on/perform that role differently?
EUGENE: I’ve done that a couple times. I’ve done different roles in the same play. I did a play called “A Soldier’s Play” back in 1980. We played young soldiers, myself, Denzel Washington, a guy named Samuel L. Jackson. A couple years ago there was a Broadway revival of the play that also went on a tour, and I went back and played the older sergeant this time which was kind of fun.
ISABELA: Did they ask you to come back or did you have to audition again?
LEE: Oh, no I didn’t have to audition. It was a part of the promotion, you know, someone from the original cast 40 whatever years ago is now coming to do this other role.
ISABELA: When did you realize that this was your passion?
LEE: Probably in high school. And definitely in college here. The first play I did here was called “The Lovliest Afternoon of the Y ear” up in Old Main, that’s where the Drama department was at the time. That’s when I switched my major to Theatre from Political Science. I actually ended up getting a double major was what it was.
ISABELA: What made you want to choose Political Science?
LEE: I was going to be a lawyer; I was going to be the President of the United States at one point.
ISABELA: What has been your proudest moment at Texas State?
LEE: Oh, hell, I don’t know. I’ve had a lot of proud moments at Texas State. When I was a student here, performing for Lyndon Johnson, that was a moment of a lot of pride. Being selected for Distinguished Alumnus, you know, that’s a lot of pride. I have the best job on campus I have a lot of pride in that too. There’s no one thing, there’s a lot, I’m a Bobcat so to speak. Since I came here in 1970, graduated ‘74. I moved back in ‘05.
ISABELA: You founded Texas State’s Black and Latino Playwrights Association and continue to oversee it, how do you feel the representation of black actors in film and theatre has evolved during your career?
LEE: Well you see more of us, and there’s a lot of reasons for that. More people have come out of college and studied the craft and are telling the stories; there’s an audience for our stories. It’s opened up a lot of storytelling opportunities for people of color, which is kind of exciting. And everybody’s telling the truth, that’s the other thing. That’s the most important thing.
ISABELA: You just completed your role in Texas State Theatre’s production of “Our Town”. What is it about Our Town that made the production so special?
LEE: The unique staging of it, the ensemble aspect of it; there was something going on all the time. You meet some really interesting characters. Philosophically and dramatically, it talks about facing death, and embracing death. Even the people who have died have to embrace something else. You kind of leave this play with something you didn’t come to this play with.
ISABELA: What influence do you hope to have on Texas State Theatre students? What is something you wish for them to take away from your expertise?
LEE: No one thing, just a mindset, professional standards and approach to this craft. I think most people leave this department called “armed for bear”, you know, they’re ready for whatever’s out there, whatever the challenges are. To be prepared for whatever, that’s what’s required. If you’re going to go to New York or L.A., it’s to learn the craft and know what you’re doing. Because you’re going to be in competition with people who do. The more you know, the more you know.
ISABELA: Are there aspects of your personal life that influence your playwriting?
LEE: We write best with what we know. I think you can only write what you know. There is bits and pieces of people in my life, moments in my life, milestones in my life became a milestone is some character’s life. They may have a different name but it’s still the same time of change.
ISABELA: Do you think it’s easier to play roles like you or completely different from you?
LEE: None of them are easy, all of them require some work. There’s not one that’s exactly me, there’s probably more of me in one or two than any other. There’s also so much more about a character, because they contradict themselves, the good ones. It’s always fun for me to find those lies that character’s live under, as well. Figure out one character’s lie, because they all do at some point. They either don’t say something or say something differently. As a playwright, I honestly believe that every lie in a play is written to make something happen. Even if it’s just “hi”, it’s meant to make something happen. And an actor’s approach to make active choices, that everything I say to you is meant to make something happen.
ISABELA: Who is your favorite person you’ve worked with? What about them was significant to your experience?
LEE: That’s a long list of people! There are actors, directors, writers who I’ve had the privilege of working with. Like that play, “A Soldier’s Play” back in 1980, I jokingly say we snatched that office typewriter and stood it up, a bunch of actors and a director. I’ve done that with people like August Wilson, Douglas Turner Ward, Gus Edwards, these are all playwrights that I’ve worked with. And actors I’ve worked with, Denzel, Samuel L. Jackson and I, were all just some young pups in New York. We’ve done I don’t know how many things together. We have learned from each other, I could drop a whole bunch of names of people who have impacted my work and my craft. Yeah, a lot of people.
ISABELA: Have you ever found yourself in a particularly weird or funny situation while working on a project throughout your career?
LEE: Yeah, but I can’t tell you about those. I’d have to change the names to protect the innocent. There’s always something weird I guess, nothing stands out. Weird people, weird plays, weird lines in plays. There’s stories, that’s the thing about this business. Every job ends. Every play closes, every movie finally gets made. And then you go on to meet some new people and establish relationships, and some of them you’ll never see again. I don’t know how many plays I’ve done or how many television shows I’ve worked in. Each one of them was different, and that was what was kind of fun about the ride. You know, what’s the next, where’s the next one?
ISABELA: Do you think it’s important to stay present in what you’re doing or just continuing to move on to the next thing?
LEE: Both of those things. Staying present, staying relevant, staying healthy, staying on your craft. All of those things. Staying alert to what’s going on around you, especially if you’re creating work.
ISABELA: What is one lesson you have learned throughout your career that you would share with students?
LEE: Learn how to learn, and learn how you learn. You never know what you’re going to need to know for your next job. Whether it’s a writing gig or whether it’s an acting gig. Learning how to learn and be quick about it. That’s the craft.
ISABELA: What is up next for Eugene Lee?
LEE: I’m writing a new play. I’m thinking about taking a commission, there’s some people who want to commission me to write a play about Frederick Douglas and about his affinity to William Shakespeare. It’d be a language play, you know, I’m a words man, so I think that I may do that.
Isabela Fratus is a Bobcat Promotions member majoring in Public Relations.
Leave a Reply