Lange as Raymond, Phil's old friend

We meet at the Rose Cafe in Venice to talk about Ted’s career as an actor both before and after his turn as Raymond in the upcoming indie film, Phil Cobb’s Dinner for Four. Candid, hilarious and loving his veteran status, he gives me some insight into how a performer who came of age in the ‘70s continues to eat, chew, breathe and love Hollywood after all these years. After making his Broadway debut in the musical hit Hair, after garnering various awards, including accolades from the NAACP, and after giving Love Boat audiences a reason to love bartenders and cruises, Ted went on to pen 22 plays and to perform his one-man show, Behind the Mask, based on the life and poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar, to sold-out houses across the country. Always prepping for his next audition, pitch or performance, the actor-writer-director is more than ready to share a few choice insights about his life behind the curtain. And, most importantly, he's finally ready to open up about his very first love scene.

Where were you born and how did you get into acting?

I was born in Oakland, California, and during the summers my brother and I would spend time with my father in Los Angeles. My father was a plasterer by trade but he loved to act. This was during the 50’s. He was fair skinned and in those days it was difficult for a fair skinned black man to get a job on television or in the movies. No roles for the high yellow brothers. In those days there were mostly parts for butlers or natives in jungle movies. My father was shit out of luck in that department, plus he was bald. Consequently he did a lot of theatre.

The only black theatre available was called ‘The Ebony Showcase Theatre’. It was run by an actor named Nick Stewart. He got his money performing on the old Amos 'n' Andy show on TV. They would do white plays with a black cast. My brother and I saw all kinds of shows and sometimes the actor would drop by the house and share show business stories. My brother and I would sit at their feet and soak it all in. I think that was when the idea came to me to try to become an actor.

Part of what pushed me into the theatre was my junior high school teacher, Allen Flores. He decided to put me in a play. If I promised to stop joking in his class, he would let me play the lead, Ebenezer Scrooge. Having good sense, I took the deal. In our school there was a beautiful girl named Janice Fortson; I really liked her but she would not give me the time of day. After the play was performed for the school, she consented to go on a date with me. Needless to say, I was hooked on theatre from that moment on.

You've been in the business for a long time. Tell us about a typical audition and how it feels now — any different from when you were first starting out?

The audition process has changed for me. In the beginning when you are an unknown, you will take any job available, go to any audition you can find, and take whatever they will give you as pay. The difference now is they know me when I walk through the door. Everything else is the same.

Sitting on the bench waiting to go into the audition room, you of course know the other actors. When you were young, the actors on the bench would try to psych you. Not so much anymore. We have matured and understand any one of us can do the job. It is now a question of taste and the perception of the producer or director. Every once in a while the acting Gods bless you and you don’t have to audition because the production team knows they want you... that is a treat and it validates the reason you first got into the business.

I have an added hurdle because I am known for doing comedy. It is sometimes really hard to get an audition for a dramatic role... but that is why I do theatre. You rise or fall on the work of the performance.

What are some of the changes you've noticed in Hollywood over the years in terms of politics, parts and pay?

The changes that I have seen in Hollywood have evolved from wanting black, NY stage actors to wanting stand-up comedians to wanting rap stars. I came to Hollywood from Oakland without any New York credits. I could not get an audition when I first came here. I left for New York, did some Broadway and returned to Los Angeles before the great exodus of black stage actors in 1973. It took a year to get a foothold here in Hollywood and by that time I was establishing myself on a sitcom called That’s My Mama.

It was both a good thing and a bad thing. It started to establish me as a comedic actor but killed my chances as a dramatic actor. At that point in your career, you need a powerhouse agency or a big-time manager behind you to make sure you diversify and open up other doors.

There is a double standard that is not talked about between being a black actor and being a white actor. On the whole, most white actors are going to be paid better than black actors unless you can get a contract that is called ‘Favorite Nations’. That means that everyone is paid the same. A good deal, if you can work it.

You take a guy like Tiger Woods, who's obviously not an actor, and we see how he became a major form of daily entertainment. People love drama. But scripted dramas have been a challenge. What do you make of it? Is reality TV the way to fill up our daily drama quotient?

The rise of reality TV is due to the fact that it is cheaper to produce. The networks are able to stretch their dollar. That was one of the reasons for the Jay Leno, 10pm show. Jay knocked out five hours of dramatic programming. Five one-hour shows that employed writers, directors, actors, crews, post production crews, all of these people NBC did not have to employ. The same is true of reality shows. There are no guilds in place to dictate pay. There are no stars to make demands; if any demands are made by the on-camera people it helps the drama of the reality show.

The trick with all reality shows is to find the drama in the situation. Some shows have the inherent drama: twenty beautiful women sitting in a room vying for one single handsome guy. Now, that is drama.

If you were vying for a reality TV show, what would it be about?

Right now, I am working on a pilot for a reality TV show for a friend of mine. His name is Sam Hill and he has a stage show he wants to take to New York for Broadway. I directed the original show ten years ago and he wants a reality show that will follow the journey of the play from Los Angeles to New York. So my job as the director is to be seen under the public eye of cameras.

You've worked with a lot of people over the years. Name some of the fun ones.

The first love scene that I ever shot on film was with Diahann Carroll. I messed up the kissing scene fifteen times before she caught on that I was doing it on purpose. Or maybe she really liked kissing me.

Ben Vereen and I used to run together when we were starving actors in NYC. When I got the series The Love Boat, I asked him when he was going to guess star. He said, “I’ll be there on the first show you direct.” When I got my script to direct, they said if I could get Ben, they would make it a black story – but I had to get Ben. I called, he said okay.

You ended up directing a few episodes?

I directed Lynn Redgrave on the show. During a lull in the filming we talked about Shakespeare. I quoted Macbeth. There is a theatre superstition that... if you quote the Scottish play you must leave the stage (in this case the sound stage), turn around three times, spit and ask to come back in. I thought she was kidding, but the play is known as a bad luck play and that is the only way to break the bad luck spell. I did as she asked. She later wrote me a letter of reference so that I could attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. I’m glad I spit, turned around and asked to come back in.