5 months ago
28
Award-winning actor, producer, host, and puppeteer Richard Bird is the associate producer on the film Love After Holidays, which premières at the Carib cinema on February 7. He also plays the role of the police officer in the movie, which was written by and stars his Jamaican friend, Jacinth Headlam. Currently on the island to promote the film, Bird, who was born in America to Jamaican parents, shared that he feels more at home on the island than anywhere else. The "class clown," who somehow ended up in the corporate world after college more than a decade and a half ago, Bird ditched that life and started living his dream of being a professional actor. A member of the Screen Actors Guild, he studied at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts, the Shakespeare Forum, and also honed his skills in sketch comedy and group improv at Upright Citizens Brigade.
According to his bio, his acting credits include appearances on major networks including CBS, BET, PBS, the ID Channel, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Starz Network, and Peacock. As the star and producer of Thurman Comes Home and East River Story, Bird won Best Actor and Best Short Film awards for his portrayal of a homeless man who reconnects with an old mentor. He also produced the documentary The House She Left Behind, which has been recognised for its moving depiction of a man who becomes his mother’s sole caregiver.
1.What made you pursue acting as a career?
Honestly, acting is something that I sleep and dream about … and when I wake up early, I’m thinking about it. Like music, acting is a great way to tell a story and you find a lot of times that our stories are so similar. Anything that touches you like that is your passion. Money is not the object … you do it because you want to create. Acting is powerful because people see themselves inside of you. I wasn’t an actor as a child. I did the schooling and went to college and worked as a businessperson, but when I was working at those Fortune 500 companies, I wasn’t happy.
2.What advice do you have for young people who are interested in acting?
You have to find a mentor. Take advice from somebody who has done it before. You have to get out of bed … you have to be there early, not on time.
3.Is Hollywood still the dream for all actors?
I can’t say if Hollywood called I wouldn’t go ... but I am not going to move to Hollywood. I would rather move to Jamaica where my family is and where I have the support system. I have to invest in myself as a business … my appearance, how I dress. It is a struggle because you have to take money from something else to drive a dream. You have to protect your business.
4.What was it like being a policeman in this film?
I often play a policeman in other shows on television, but to be able to play this role with a friend who said 'I want you to be a police officer … I don’t want you to be a dead body'... To tell this important story of what happens to this young lady when the police comes ... I wondered how I am going to do that … this story moves fast. But I think I was able to do that. Those who saw the film said the entire film was good. I feel like I was blessed to be in a film with Paul Campbell, Malik Yoba, Trina and Jeremy Meeks and my friend Jacinth, who wrote the film. Everybody was just dreaming together.
5.You have Jamaican parents. Were you born in Jamaica?
I was not born in Jamaica … my Mom, Mary Bird, left the country before I was born. At that time, she did it to help the family. She was a skilled labourer. She worked as a seamstress. Eventually, she worked for people who helped her get her own business, and she also created wedding gowns and graduation suits, and she also created the Kente Crown, which was made famous by Salt ‘N’ Peppa and The Last Poets. Queen Latifah wore her stuff … it was in magazines during the '90s, and one of the artistes put her hat in the Smithsonian. I’m just her prayers … she always wanted the best for her kids, and I was her baby. My oldest brother is very successful within the arts and music. He has played with some amazing people, including Miles Davis, and he worked on Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation album. I’m very proud of him. I see myself when I see him. Reggae music has impacted my life. I had a picture of Bob Marley in my bathroom growing up. I was a student of music first. My mom made sure I played the piano and the guitar.
BRAWTA
What’s your favourite Jamaican dish?
I have a few. [One day] I found out that I like to relax by sitting down and looking up at the ackee tree and my sister said … ‘Go pick yuh breakfast.’ And I also like to pick the mint and make my tea.
English (US) ·