AMARI CHEATOM
Amari Cheatom starred as 'Buddy' in the Public's Off-Broadway production of Suzan-Lori Parks The Book of Grace which played at the Public's Anspacher Theater from 2 Mar 2010 to 4 Apr 2010.
Birthday?
January 19, 1986.
Place of birth?
New Orleans.
You now live in?
Limbo. Wherever I’m working. Soon to change though!
Did you go to training school, if so which one?
The Juilliard School
As an actor, do you have a preference for stage, tv or film?
No preference for medium. I’ve done a lot of stage, though, and am very anxious to do some film... And some interesting TV (HBO-style).
Your first stage performance?
Freshman year in high school, The Wiz.
Career highlight to date?
The Book of Grace. Wow.
What roles would you most like to play?
Villains, dark lovers and little-known historical figures.
What’s the best advice you have ever received?
Work harder.
What has been your most embarrassing moment on stage?
In a high school production my character shot at his foe and the cap didn’t fire. We both stood there for a second before I decided to pistol-whip him.
What is the most annoying part about your job?
Memorization. There should be a computer program that downloads scripts onto your brain.
Briefly tell us how you become involved with The Book of Grace?
LOL. I auditioned.
Briefly tell us about the character you play in The Book of Grace?
He's a young man with some dangerously unresolved familial issues that parallel with his politics.
If you had not become a performer, what might you have done instead?
Marine biologist. I wanna swim with some whales.
Who are your favorite actors?
Ummm... Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Thandie Newton, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Charles S. Dutton, Meryl Streep.
If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive who would it be and what would you say to them?
I’d trace my creative gene to its source and write that ancestor a poem of thanks and I’d ask for guidance.
What was the last book you read, and name some of your favorite authors?
Catcher in the Rye. Recently a big fan of Howard Zinn. Toni Morrison, J.K. Rowling, W.E.B DuBois
What was the last film you saw, and name some of your favorite movies?
Recently saw 'An Education'. Godfathers I and II, The Graduate, Basquiat, Pulp Fiction, Mo’ Betta Blues, Malcolm X.
Favorite TV programs?
BBC's Outnumbered, The Boondocks, Family Guy... Not watchin’ much TV these days.
Favorite holiday destinations?
Elerbe, NC.
Do you have any hobbies?
Writing, music.
Do you have any superstitions?
Step on a crack, break ya momma’s back.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you take with you?
Three magic genie lamps.
What are your future plans?
Work, see my family, make some music and work some more.
Questions by Alan Bird
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Amari Cheatom recently appeared Off-Broadway at the Signature Theater Company in the title role of Charles Fuller’s 'Zooman and the Sign.'
