The star of 'The Harder They Fall' pays tribute to the late screen legend, whose searing film performances continue to inspire and embolden: 'What you have done for me as a Black actor, and for other marginalized artists, is monumental.'
As time is short, I’d like to bring a few more events to the stage. In 2008, in my dormitory at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, I hung a photo of you. Well, to be honest, on the wall was a taped photocopied black-and-white headshot of you.
I can’t tell you how many times I cried in those early years of school looking up at that taped-up printout of you, wondering how to be me and still do this acting thing, to stay on the mission, to remain brave. I thought of you and yet another one of your performances, in, when you said with such righteousness, self-possession and freedom: “You don’t know who I am. You don’t know how I feel, what I think. And if I tried to explain it, the rest of your life you will never understand.
, “You just can’t force people to change their heart, son.” Well, you did do that. You forced an entire industry and world to change their hearts, to see past the fear, past the bigotry and box office, and in doing so lifted the stories and the lives of Black America, of the marginalized, and of the unsung, and you did it all with grace, passion, fire, charm and style. For that, we love you. And for all you’ve built and taught us, we thank you. Bravo, Mr. Poitier. Bravo.