From "Starving Artist" to Hit Film

Photo credit: A&T Register Sharon Warren attended A&T from 1996 to 1997.

Sharon Warren, a former North Carolina A&T student, has found her place. She is one of the stars of the hit movie "Ray."

The 27-year-old Tuskegee, Ala., native attended A&T from 1996 to 1997 as an accounting major and transferred to Alabama's Auburn University to major in business administration.

At Auburn, Warren was persuaded by one of her professors to audition for the play "Raisin in the Sun." She landed the role of Beneatha, the aspiring doctor, which garnered her a nomination for the Irene Ryan Award for outstanding student performers.

Later, she was cast in the Atlanta Alliance Theatre production "The Music Lesson," by Tammy Ryan. After a wardrobe fitting, Warren heard about the auditions for "Ray." With no head shot, agent or previous film experience, Warren took a chance and landed the role of Ray Charles' mother, Aretha Robinson.

Q. What inspired you to become an actress?

Warren: I always loved literature and the arts. I studied Latin, literary analysis and film in high school, but I found my true [inspiration] for acting in fiction pieces. I had always dreamed of becoming an actress, but I never really talked about it to anyone.

Q. How did you hear about the auditions in Atlanta?

Warren: It was just one of those things that I stumbled upon. In August 2002, my parents were coming down to visit me (in Atlanta), so I went to get a hotel room for them. It just so happened that auditions were being held on the second floor of the same hotel for the movie "Ray." Seeing it as an opportunity, I decided to take a chance and audition. I had no head shot with me or anything, but they had me to read 12 scenes and told me that they would announce the assigned roles in two weeks. The casting director called me back and notified me that I had landed the role for Ray's mother, Aretha Robinson. The odd thing is that at the time, the film was not financed, so no one knew if the film would even get off the ground. But they took a chance.

Q. Did your parents support your decision to become an actress?

Warren: Initially, they did not clearly understand why I was choosing to pursue acting as a career because I had not been verbal about it. All they had known was that I had a great appreciation for the literature and the arts. When I told them of my decision to pursue acting full time, they became concerned with the basic issues of how I was going to pay the bills and how I was going to take care of myself. I knew that I had to prove to them that I was serious about acting and that this was not just a phase. Once they saw me turning down jobs from 9 to 5 p.m. and becoming what people call a "starving artist," they gradually came to understand that I was serious and passionate about becoming an actress. Now they are extremely supportive of what I do.

Q. How did you prepare for your role as Aretha Robinson?

Warren: Between the time that I was cast for the movie (August 2002) and the time they began filming (March 2003), I focused on giving my character life. I spoke with my grandmother, who was born in 1915, and she told me about the struggles, challenges and obstacles black women faced in 1935. She really brought it home for me, because she gave me information that you can't find in print.

Q. Describe your first day on the set.

Warren: My first day on the set lasted 19 hours on location at a sugar cane plantation in Louisiana: We did three to four scenes that day and there was no room for error. The movie ran on a tight schedule. But it wasn't until the second day that reality hit. That was the day that we did the drowning scene with the youngest son, George. We did 36 takes of that one scene and on each one I had to pour out more emotion and more tears.

Q. Your scenes were filmed on location in Louisiana. How was that?

Warren: It was challenging to work on location. For hours, you are constantly surrounded by children, animals and extras and still have to stay focused through it all.

Q. How has your life changed since the release of the film?

Warren: Not that much on the physical aspect. I now live in L.A. and am working with agents. However on the spiritual aspect, I have now recognized why God made me. I know that it was not just by chance that I was cast for the film, but that God ordained for me to be in the film. I now live to act and act to live.

Q. Are you working on any other projects?

Warren: I have a small role in the upcoming film "Glory Road" by Disney, which focuses on the NCAA championship . . . [In 1966, Don Haskins, coach of the Texas Western college basketball team, broke the color barrier by taking his all-black starting lineup to the NCAA championship.]

Q. What advice would you give to potential actors/actresses?

Warren: Sometimes actors and actresses get so focused on that one big break that they forget about who they are. Never forget about who you are or where you come from. If God meant for you to go into this business you will get there, but don't force your break to happen. When God wants it to happen, it will happen.

Karina Hardy is a student at North Carolina A&T State University who writes for The A&T Register.

Posted Dec. 20, 2004