NeoBlackCinema

Her strength is immeasurable.  Her light…un-extinguishable. Who is this that I speak of? Her name is Phyllis Yvonne Stickney or as she refers to herself, “the authentic article.”

Ms. Stickney is known for her numerous roles in some of the most highly acclaimed films including “New Jack City,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “Jungle Fever,” and “The Inkwell.”  And we can’t forget her as one of our favorite natural hair rocking, African garment wearing professors on “A Different World.”  But who is Phyllis Stickney?  We know her as the actress, but she is also a poet, activist, fashion designer, comedian and inspirational speaker.  Her talents and capabilities span far and wide, yet the journey that took her to these various opportunities in life is just as astounding as the array of gifts she shares with the world through various outlets.

She walked into the small café in Harlem with the grace of a queen, yet with the humility of a child.  Adorned in head to toe in a beautifully woven winter dress with colors of golds, oranges and browns and a deep reddish/orange blazer; she sat across from me and smiled.  I proceeded to compliment her on her wardrobe of choice and she responded by getting up and creating her own catwalk in the middle of the tiny café. People smiled, laughed and complimented her on her clothing. That is when she revealed that it was from her own clothing line “Fashions for the First Lady.”  It is under the umbrella of her Empress Collection. She joked and laughed as her long locs flowed back and forth.  This is when I met Phyllis the comedian.

Comedy was indeed her first love before acting.  She would do “skits” as she called them in night clubs and she simply adored Richard Pryor. “I loved him so much…if only he knew how much I loved him, I knew my love could have saved him because I saw the pain inside all of the laughter,” she said with a solemn smile.  Her journey began with a letter she had written and intended to give Richard Pryor. “It basically said, my name is Phyllis Stickney I think I have something, but I’d like to come where you are and let you see whether I have something or not.  If you think I have something, then I’ll invest in it and if you think I don’t, then I will go back to school and do what I gotta do,” she recalled.  Little did she know, that letter would be the beginning of a non-stop roller coaster ride through the film industry.

Phyllis heard of a place called Third World Cinema, the Mecca for Black filmmakers in the 1970s (now called The Institute of New Cinema Artists), while she was in LA, but came to New York with the intentions of pursing her love of theater and giving her letter to Richard Pryor.  She met someone who asked her how she could contribute to the world of art and before she knew it, the same letter she wrote for Richard Pryor ended up in the hands of the late, great Gordon Parks.  Parks was instrumental in the beginning of her career with his encouragement and words of wisdom.  Phyllis was still very interested in theater and her quest to perfect her art-form landed her in Harlem at the public theater at 425 South Lafayette Street.  “That’s why I am a Harlem lover, because this is where I was taught,” she said.  Upon her arrival at the public theater, she met Ed Bullins, and the same letter she wrote for Richard Pryor and gave to Gordon Parks, she was now giving to Ed Bullins.  Phyllis cultivated her acting skills at a time when theater was all the rage in Harlem.  Aside from acting, she also had a strong interest in production and strongly advised not to do both.  “I embark on this world, at this time and they said you can’t do both at one time…so I said ‘I can.’ ”  And indeed she did.

“My first company was called Endangered Species Productions because I said that it was rare for black people to be in business with (other) black people… and that wasn’t the norm.”  Phyllis could deeply relate to the feeling of being an endangered species because of the way Hollywood perceived and treated her.  Being “richly mellonated.” talented, articulate and intelligent were not always praised during her journey. “I didn’t purchase mirrors because I was told I was ugly all my life,” she said.

From the time Phyllis was in high school and got bit by the theater bug, she wondered why her dreams were considered so outlandish for no other reason than because she was black.  “I was just trying to find something that I could do that was ok… when everything wasn’t ok simply because I was black (I wanted) to find out what this whole black thing is about and why everyone is so freaked out because I am black.”  Through her journey, Phyllis has had to overcome many road blocks due to her deep complexion and distinct features.  She even recalls being passed over for the leading lady role in the film “A Rage in Harlem,” not because of a lack of talent, but due to her appearance.  She remembers the casting director, a fellow African American “sister” saying, “…the role calls for an attractive African American female and I mean come on, can Phyllis Stickney be sexy?”  She recalls the day she went to her callback and proved everyone wrong, strutting across the street with her tight, bright, green dress, curly up-do and hot Ray Ban glasses. A cop told her he was going to write her a ticket for stopping traffic, proving beauty is all in the eyes of the beholder. She didn’t get the role, but she accredits Gregory Hinds for fighting for her, because he believed she deserved it.

This was one of the many obstacles she had to face along the way, but instead of allowing the negativity that was thrown at her to deter her from her path she grew stronger spiritually, mentally and physically.  “That (mirror) was not my determination of if I was beautiful or not… it was about how I felt.  (Instead of getting mad) I used that energy to keep me humble.”  Because she was judged so much by her appearance, she makes it her business to look past exteriors and discover who people are on the inside.

Out of all her pain and challenges came poetry, a clothing line and mentoring/inspirational workshops for teens and young adults ages 14-20.  Phyllis writes and performs her poetry because she says she must express. “It’s not ok that we just sit and be in pain.” she said.  Her clothing line came to be because she refused to allow designers at the time make her feel as though she was deformed because she had a butt.  “Butterbaby was for the sistas with butt because I had to sew for her.” (Points to her butt and laughs.)

Phyllis takes the wisdom that she has acquired over the years and shares it with young people through her workshops and motivational speaking.  “I go to transitional high schools where kids have truancy, are coming out of incarceration or heading to (incarceration)…this is their last chance.”  The workshops fall under the umbrella of her program Alternative Careers in the Arts, which strays away from acting focuses on technical and administrative disciplines.  Phyllis teaches her “babies” the importance of knowing who came before them and made sacrifices in order for them to have the opportunities they have today.  “When they come up to me and say (they) are all that (but) don’t know who came before (them), then it is only all about (them, and) that means you ain’t standing on the right shoulders.  When you come and tell me whose shoulders you stand on, then we can talk.”

Right now Phyllis is working on numerous projects.  She is returning to the stage in March in a play called Pecong.  Pecong is a Trinidadian tradition that deals with the methodology of Madea told in a Caribbean setting.  It is a story of music, magic, sex, power and revenge.  Phyllis plays the role of Great Granny Root.  She feels a special connection to this character. “[Granny Root] says in the play that once a woman is in love, she loses her power. (She says) ‘You just an ordinary woman now.’  When I read this, I was like ‘Oh my God, this is for me.’”  Granny Root embodies the strength, wisdom and humor Phyllis exudes every day.

She is working on a live revue called, “Laugher and Lyrics,” featuring conscious-comedy and spoken word with a splash of song, and was recently offered a role in a new sci-fi feature film.  Phyllis has also written three books that she intends on having published.  The first book is a romantic novel with a sci-fi twist, the second is Arrested…It Could Happen to You, a detailed account about her time spent in prison last June, and the third, is Hollywood’s Best Kept Secret, which is in essence her. Phyllis considers herself Hollywood’s best kept secret.

She has a passion for young people, yet she has a heavy heart for the direction the youth of today are heading.  “If I see another girl drop it like it’s hot I’m going to hurt myself,” she said with a sigh.  Out of this sentiment she created a segment in her comedy show called, “The Hoochification of America.”  She intends on making this into either a thesis, tour or project in order to bring attention to the demise of young women in our society.  “It’s frightening to hear how our young girls talk. It’s a devastation to me.”

So who is Phyllis Stickney? “People assume that they know who I am based on what they see on the screen which (is) some of me, but you have to know that 6-year-old girl; that’s who I am.  She allows me to be all that I am because she forgives no matter how much people do. That’s who I fight to keep alive.”

Pecong will run from March 12^th thru March 28^th at the National Black Theater in Harlem.  You can go to Smarttix.com for tickets or call 212-868-4444.

For more information on what Phyllis Stickney is up to call 212-388-7086

-Risa Dixon