On screen or on stage, actor E. Roger Mitchell loves the craft
Episode 49Play
With more than 25 years in the game, actor E. Roger Mitchell still gets the same excitement on the set of Tyler Perry’s, A Jazzman’s Blues as he did when showing up to his first acting job. The seasoned actor shares many laughs and stories with Dr. Christina Greer about his childhood in Miami and his passion for creating Black content with BET. The pair also discuss his love for HBCUs, stage acting, and the power of a good conch salad.
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Panama Jackson [00:00:00] You are now listening to theGrio’s Black Podcast Network. Black Culture Amplified.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:00:06] Hi and welcome to the Blackest Questions. A trivia game show meant to teach us more about Black history. I’m your host, Doctor Christina Greer, politics editor for theGrio and associate professor of political science at Fordham University. In this podcast, we ask our guests five of the Blackest questions so we can learn a little bit more about them and have some fun while we’re doing it. We’re also going to learn a lot about Black history; past and present. So here’s how it works. We’ve got five rounds of questions about us, Black history, the entire diaspora, current events, you name it. And with each round, the questions get a little tougher and the guest has 10 seconds to answer. If they answer correctly, they’ll receive one symbolic Black fist and hear this. And if they get it wrong, they’ll hear this. But we still love them anyway. And after the five trivia questions, there will be a Black bonus round just for fun. And I like to call it Black Lightning. Our guest for this episode is TV and film actor and producer E. Roger Mitchell. He’s acted in more than 100 projects, including The Hunger Games, The Walking Dead, the Oval, And you may have also seen him in Tyler Perry’s Jazz Man Blues and a great film coming out called Insidious Five and is currently starring in the Netflix hit Outer Banks. If you haven’t seen it, you must. Hello E, and thank you so much for joining us here on the Blackest Questions.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:01:25] Good morning. Good morning. Thank you for having me.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:01:28] Okay. Are we ready to rock and roll?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:01:30] Yeah, let’s give it a shot.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:01:33] Let’s go. Let’s jump right in. Question number one, this private university was the first historically Black college in the state of South Carolina and was founded by two missionaries following the Civil War. What is the name of this institution?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:01:48] I’m going to guess– why not say Claflin University? But I could be wrong.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:01:54] You are correct. It is actually Claflin University. Claflin was created to establish a college for freed, enslaved people and or formerly enslaved people. And just months after it opened, it merged with the Baker Bible Institute, which was a training school for Black ministers. Claflin University prides itself on being one of the first colleges in the South to welcome students of all races and genders. And in 2020, the university received a $20 million donation from billionaire Mackenzie Scott, a philanthropist and former wife, you all may know, of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. So E. I know that you graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and drama from Claflin. What do you tell someone who’s trying to decide between, say, an HBCU and, as I call it, I went to HWCUs, historically white colleges and institutions up north. But what made Claflin so special for you when you attended?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:02:48] Ironically enough what made it special for me when I was attending Claflin, it was Claflin College at that time, Dr. Professor, and I didn’t realize at the time coming out of high school and going into college, I knew I wanted to have a secondary education, but I really did not have an idea of what the HBCU experience was, was supposed to be. It was kind of like some comfortable jeans, you know, that you worn.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:03:22] Mm hmm.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:03:23] You know, and they just feel right, you know what I’m saying? So wasn’t even thinking about an HBCU. I was just around my folks, you know? And then later on, it started to sink in, you know, I knew where I was, but as I continued, you graduated. And wow, look, the impact of you know, the HBCU in general in the United States. It’s just like, wow. Then now as I’m older, so many, many moons later, it’s so, so powerful and impactful. I wish I had grasped it earlier, but I knew it. But now, I guess because I’m older, means so much more.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:04:02] I find myself saying this on a daily basis that youth is wasted on the young. Right. We only know a half or a quarter of what we experience. Now you’re on a hit show on Netflix, the Outer Banks, and you all are filming in South Carolina. What’s it like being back in the state? You know, you had this formative these formative years in such a great experience at Claflin.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:04:24] Oh, my gosh. Thank you for asking that question. It’s the first job, professional job I’ve ever had and still has that ever happened for me in my career, to this date, is Outer Banks, the first time I’ve ever worked in the state of South Carolina as a professional actor. So to be able to go back to when shoot over outside of Charleston, Hilton Head, John’s Island and all the you know in Charleston, it’s all become just a wonderful, wonderful foodie location. It’s become I mean, it’s amazing. And being there from college and finishing high school and going into college there and then coming back, now, obviously, it’s it’s grown so much. But to be able to work. Almost. It’s my second home. It’s home because of my mom and dad, you know? So to be able to work home is such a gratifying experience. It means it’s almost it’s almost surreal. It really is. I’m thankful, so thankful to what I deal with a lot of you know, you call it what you want. God, it’s just so wonderful. And how that that that full circle happens.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:05:35] It feels like a full circle moment.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:05:36] I can’t even now explain it. It is amazing. It really is.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:05:39] We’ll circle back to South Carolina. Are you ready for question number two? Your one for one, E. Question Number two, this man was America’s first African-American billionaire and the first Black man to be the majority owner of a professional sports team. He also founded BET. Who is he?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:05:56] Oh, I could say the last name, would that work?
Dr. Christina Greer [00:06:03] Okay, let’s see.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:06:04] Is that Mr. Johnson? Right?
Dr. Christina Greer [00:06:06] It is Mr. Robert Louis Johnson.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:06:09] Yes, that’s the guy, Bob.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:06:11] Mr. Johnson’s from Mississippi and graduated from Princeton. In 1980, he took out a $15,000 loan to start Black Entertainment Television, the country’s first cable network aimed for Black America. And when it first started, it only aired for 2 hours each Friday night. And by 1991, it was one of the biggest companies in America and was the first Black controlled company to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange. And in 2001, Johnson sold it to Viacom for $3 billion. So I know you’ve worked on several BET movies and TV shows. Is there a difference working for a production company run by and meant for Black people? I mean, you’ve shouted out Tyler Perry, and I know you’ve done great working with him specifically, most recently, his Jazz Man Blues. Do you feel a difference when you’re working for, say, a Black control company or no?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:07:05] I mean, I think I think I’m going to liken it to, again, like, say HBCU, the atmosphere experience kind of thing. It’s just something that’s innately– I would say more comfortable, but it’s just an innat– it’s kind of like a herd effect of sorts. It’s just the difference is the fact that it’s you’re just around your own. It’s just there’s a there’s a. There is an exhaled that comes along with that. You go like, wow, you know?
Dr. Christina Greer [00:07:39] Yeah. Well, I mean, I think it’s so fascinating and interesting that both Byron Allen and Tyler Perry are, you know.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:07:48] I love those guys.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:07:50] Purchase BET and, you know, keep this legacy going. Tell us a little bit more, though, about working on the set of Jazz Man’s Blues. I mean, do you have a music background at all? You know, I just find that so many actors have so many other talents, you know, your acting, but, you know, I find that people play instruments or they just have a real ear for music. Is that you or do you just enjoy it as just a hobby?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:08:13] At one point, I wanted to be a music engineer, and I want to go to Atlanta to go to the Art Institute of Atlanta to be a music engineer. I had my mom buy me this really expensive keyboard back in like 88. God bless your soul, Mama. I still have it because I was ex– I played the violin, you know, as in grade school. Believe it or not, I’ve been doing plays since, like the first to second grade. So they’ve been hand-in-hand. The music was obviously the higher-up. But then I really, really got bit again by– I got really infected with the bug of music. Yeah, I’m a percussionist. I marched in the band. I played snare drum, tenor, you know, drum section and violin. I was just looking at some recording software just the everyday. Well, my roommate and I– I’ll give you a shout out, John. John House Hubbard. Second generation. Claflin Grad. God bless, Pops. You know, we were talking about– he my roommate, from Claflin, one of my best friends, we talk all the time. Music and so he’s a musician, also an artist. So, yes, Jazz Man and I didn’t get a chance to really play much in that. I tried to play the harmonica. I had the guitar at one time. You tell Tyler, boy. When I first started on the page. Some side note, I saw this, this, this. He wrote this script. Obviously, he’s spoke to the public about it. That’s been since, I think, 95, 96 or something like that. 97. It’s been 25 years easy. And when I first read it, I thought it was great. And when he talked about doing it a couple of years ago, I was like, “you gonna do it?” So he finally did it. I didn’t play the harmonica. I didn’t play the guitar at the same time. I could have played something, the didn’t give me some time. It was it was fast. You know, we had we had to get it done. And I’m just glad to be a part of that. So happy that he finally did it. It means so, so much. And then I didn’t expect to be a part of it. Then he called, and things work out the way they do. I really did not. I was like, “Dude, just do it. I don’t care. Just do it,” because I’m an actor. I understand you can’t be everywhere, and then I kind of got roped in. But the fact that he did it. That’s deep.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:10:32] Listen, we’re going to take a quick commercial break. I’m here with E. Roger Mitchell. You’re listening to The Blackest Questions.
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Dr. Christina Greer [00:11:40] Okay, we’re back. I’m here with E Roger Mitchell. Star of the Netflix hit show The Outer Banks. We are playing the Blackest Questions. E, are you ready for question number three?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:11:51] I think so. That you got me on the other one. You got me all choked up
Dr. Christina Greer [00:11:57] This is what we do in the Blackest Questions. Our listeners love learning about Black history that they haven’t been taught. And, you know, Black history is American history. And we should all know about Claflin. We should all, you know, have a better understanding of what South Carolina means to people or the brilliance of Robert Johnson and how he passed on that legacy to Byron Allen and Tyler Perry and how they continue to give opportunities to African-Americans specifically. You know, in so many different endeavors. I mean, it’s just it’s great for us to also connect with, you know, actors like yourself who just you show up in our homes consistently, you know, in all these different facets. And we need to know a little bit more about you. Right. There we are. Okay. Question number three. Let’s cracking. This fraternity was the first Greek letter fraternity established for African-American men in the United States. It was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. What is the name of this fraternity?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:12:57] Well, you know, I’m a civilian. I am a civilian. Alpha Phi Alpha.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:13:04] That is right. So the group started as a literary and social studies club in 1905 but quickly moved into a fraternity just a year later. All right. Shout out to 1906. Its seven founding members are known as the Jules, and several of them went on to make history in their careers. One was the first African-American engineer in the state of New York. Another was the first registered Black architect in New York. Some of its famous brothers include Martin Luther King Jr., Keenen Ivory Wayans, Donny Hathaway, and Maryland’s new governor, Wes Moore. Now, listen, I’m going to tell you, I’m the daughter of an Omega. Everybody who listens to the podcast knows that I love Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.. I have all my Que uncles. I got my Que cousins. But let’s shout out Alpha Phi Phi and tell us about your connection to the Alpha Brotherhood.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:13:50] Ironically enough, I never– Obviously, I did not pledge, but I thought about it. I thought, what would I what would I do or what I actually what I actually can do? It would be Alpha. And I never really, you know, talk about it because my brothers, you know, like my buddy John, all of us, we do a bunch of the guys. We do. We do. None of us were Greek, but I it’d be like taboo to speak of Greeks, so we’re just really cool guys, you know what I am saying?. But it would be Alpha and shout out to my brother, my brother Philando and the wonderful, wonderful brothers and sisters who brought me down to to Carolina back in February. A phenomenal time. That’s my connect. I’m thinking about sending a text to my brother right there.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:14:34] It’s so funny you say that because so many people who come on the podcast there’s certain questions and shout out to my brilliant producers who put these questions together. The whole point is that we also we want to be connected, right? And so there’s so many times that you know, guests come on the show, and then afterwards they’re like, you know, you asked this question and it made me call so-and-so or it made me think about this person from my past, you know, because and also people just want to learn more. So they want to call someone and follow up on a question that sort of triggered a memory. So I absolutely love that, you know, this idea of fraternity and also sisterhood specifically is just so fascinating to me because going back to your memories of South Carolina, it’s the way that Black people create community. No matter where we go. Sometimes, it’s formal and in the, you know, divine nine and sometimes it’s this informal space where we’re just we’re snapping peas together before we go out to the club. Oh, that’s what my dad said. That was that is it was a story before he was allowed out on Friday night.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:15:43] I love it.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:15:46] Indeed. So, you know, I just think that, you know, for actors who travel around, you know, you insert yourself in different communities on these different projects. I just think that your worldview of building community on sets and in neighborhoods where you actually film is just a fantastic way of thinking about Black identity.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:16:09] I like that very much. Yes. And there’s a lot of that happening when we land, there’s that community building happening, You know what I’m saying? I heard that very tale. It was just very profound.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:16:22] Well, you know, and shout out to another Blackest Questions guest. We had Chef Jernard Wells on the show and he worked for Tyler Perry when Tyler Perry came to town, and he sort of put himself out there. But, you know, basically from the culinary side, he’s essentially saying the same things that you’re saying about building community. Okay. Well, we could talk all day about all these great Black people, but let’s get up to question number four. You do doing well. This playwright created a ten play series that explored the African-American experience throughout the 20th century. His body of work has been described as one of the finest literary achievements in contemporary drama. Who am I describing?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:17:04] And everything you said about August Wilson was right. Phenomenal.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:17:08] Right. August Wilson, who wrote The American Century Cycle, also known as The Pittsburgh Cycle, all but one of the ten plays was set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where August Wilson grew up. He dropped out of high school and educated himself at a nearby library, something that his mother never knew. His artistic life began with poetry, actually. And in the 1980s, August began writing his ten plays cycle that combined historical fact, comedy, gritty realism, and spiritual and supernatural elements. And I am a huge August Wilson fan, and I know that you’ve actually acted in one of his plays, the ninth play of the Cycle, King Hedley II. Tell us a little bit more about that. And is that your favorite August Wilson play?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:17:55] Oddly enough King Hedley came like a meteor. And that’s that was number six of the ten. I’ve done six of them. So, I’ve done six of the ten plays, I’ve done a couple twice. But King Henry, I did not see that coming. Obviously, I love all of the literature is phenomenal. A dynamite piece of the role, I played Elmore in that play. It was just a as always, it’s a tour de force. It’s a marathon. It’s a phenomenal experience. But it’s exhausting. It is not my favorite, though. My favorite play is Gem of the Ocean.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:18:37] Hmm.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:18:39] Gem of the Ocean is technically in the 10th play. It is the first of the ten. It’s one. Number one in the line. But it was written. I think you wrote, Jim. I think that was by the sixth, fifth or sixth play actually rope. But Jim is technically number one on the cycle. So he’s the oldest of the plays technically. So it’s the beginning for me. It’s just a beautiful piece. So, get your hands on Gem of the Ocean. That’s my favorite. But August. I can’t say enough. You know, there should be Piano Lesson right now in Atlanta, as a matter of fact.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:19:12] Oh, are they? You know, were you able to catch Piano Lesson on Broadway when it was here?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:19:17] I sure did. I snuck in there. Oh, my God. They did their thing. I had to go see it. I had to for several reasons. I knew people on the stage, but I had to go, and I’m glad I didn’t miss it. And they’re filming it right now, and I hear it’s going to be phenomenal. So yeah.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:19:33] Yeah. I mean, I was able to catch it, and it was it was truly a blessing to see it on stage. Many, many years ago, when I was a broke graduate student, there was a smaller theater that put on all of the August Wilson plays, and I was able to catch some of them then. And that was, you know, just kind of an off Broadway, maybe it’s technically off off. But Oh. I think that he might be one of my all-time favorite playwrights, to be quite honest.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:20:03] Yea, August is a– he’s a gem. How about that?
Dr. Christina Greer [00:20:07] That’s right. And there’s something about Pittsburgh. You know I, I teach urban politics. And so the fact that Pittsburgh is another character in all of these plays is just phenomenal.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:20:18] You understand, yes. It’s the location. It’s a character.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:20:22] Hey, I was a little thespian for a second in college. I dabbled.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:20:28] Location with character. I was like, okay, Doctor Professor. Professor Doctor.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:20:33] I dabble just to touch in the theater. But I do go. I go to the theater about twice a week because for me, it makes me feel alive. And I think that is one of the biggest things
E. Roger Mitchell [00:20:42] Thank you for supporting the theater.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:20:44] Yes, indeed.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:20:46] What did you go to graduate school by chance?
Dr. Christina Greer [00:20:48] So I went to Tufts undergrad. I went to an HWCU in Medford, Massachusetts, and then I got my PhD in Political– and It was a politics and classics. Those are two majors. And then, I went to graduate school at Columbia University and got my PhD. But I really, you know, when I was in college, I really wanted to explore theater. But at the time, and I’ll just be really honest with you, the head of the theater program pretty much made it clear that he didn’t believe in colorblind casting.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:21:17] Oh, my goodness.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:21:17] So I was going to play a maid or a prostitute for four. years. And so I pivoted.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:21:24] Didn’t even go there. But I get it. And times and the times. Wow. Yeah.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:21:31] So and it all works out. You know, teaching is theater. You know, you get to you get your script, different energy, you know, different cast every semester.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:21:42] Well, you know what I mean, I’m easy to find. You le me know. You obviously you pretty established. We can figure something out.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:21:48] We’ll figure something– look at me dabbling.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:21:50] You already got it. You already got it. Come on, now.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:21:54] All right, then. Let’s get to question number five. You’re in a role. I don’t want to– I don’t want to cool you down. It’s like at the casino. We’re hot. Okay, question number five. At the turn of the 20th century, this northwest section of Miami was a refuge for Black residents and was known as the Black Wall Street and Harlem of the South. Its original name was Color Town. What is the area now called?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:22:19] Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Now that has to be Overtown.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:22:24] You are correct. The Overtown neighborhood, Overtown was the epicenter of Black wealth in Miami. It was home to all kinds of Black owned businesses, including hotels, doctors and arts and cultural venues. Legends like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald often stayed in Overtown when they performed in South Florida. In the 1960s, two major highways were built, splitting Overtown in half and displacing more than 40,000 people. My great grandmother included. The highway, had no exits to Overtown, instead passed right over it, hence why it’s now known as Overtown. So I know you grew up in Miami, and I know you’re familiar with Overtown. My great grandmother came from the Bahamas and had a garden, a secret garden, because, you know, back then having a garden meant, you know, you were sort of a peasant type of person. She wasn’t, but she liked all of her fresh vegetables. But my uncle said that basically when eminent domain came in, they cut through her community and destroyed all the houses and all the Black people had to disperse. He said she essentially died of a broken heart. So, you know, when you go back to Miami, what are your feelings when you go back? We’ve talked about South Carolina, but Miami’s a very different place from, say, the 1960s to today. So what do you think when you go back to Miami? What are some of your good memories, old and new?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:23:44] I mean, Miami I was just talking about just yesterday, talking to a gentleman, a friend of mine, about growing up in Miami and how obviously, you know, you were growing up in an orchard. I had two mango trees, two coconut trees, grapefruit tree, banana tree, we didn’t eat though, we had. That’s in my yard. Okay.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:24:05] Yes. Yes.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:24:07] You count each yard.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:24:09] Lemons and limes and mangoes, yes.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:24:11] Tamarinds. I mean, you got Spanish limes, you got guava. Oh. Next door was the the biggest avocado. I hated avocado as a kid. Mama say, “Go next door and get me some avocados.” Cause The Colebrook, they didn’t care. The tree was, it was an oak tree. But my point, being said, you can leave the house and hang out and play and eat.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:24:34] All day and just eat from the land.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:24:36] You know, catch a water hose somewhere, get some water, keep it moving.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:24:40] My father integrated Miami Central High School in 1961.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:24:46] Well. Ok. All of my family, if I finish high school in Miami, it would have been Northwestern. Everybody went to Northwest. Central was straight up 17. I know, I know. Edison, Jackson, you know, Northwestern.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:25:01] We still have a faction of the Miami Greers that are there.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:25:05] We would have been in the west. Everybody because– Liberty City, you know, Liberty City. So, you know, we went to the west so we could we I respect, you know, that we respect central.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:25:19] I will say this.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:25:20] Any football out of Liberty City. I don’t care, I love.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:25:23] Oh, yes. My dad.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:25:26] South Florida.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:25:27] High school and college football. But I will say this. I read Luther Campbell’s memoir and I think is one of the greatest memoirs ever. And as someone from Miami, you haven’t read it yet.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:25:39] I got to get it.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:25:42] It is beautiful. Because he talks so much, not just about the rap game and Supreme Court cases and free speech, but Miami is in his marrow, as you would say. And so much of who he is is because of the city of Miami and Overtown and Liberty City and, you know, just so many different communities. I wrote a book called Black Ethnics. He talks about the Caribbean and Black American influences and neighborhoods. It is positively brilliant. And I know that, you know, when you when you got a little downtime on set because you’re a hard working man in Hollywood to tell you that. But when you have a little downtime. Check that out. You know what I got to say, E, every year I when I teach urban politics, I always vacillate, but I really I’m going to put it on the syllabus one year. It’s just that good because so much of, you know, the Supreme Court cases or the lower court cases that make their way to the Supreme Court, the First Amendment rights that we enjoy today are largely because of the fights that he went through to put the music out there. But the way he talks about Miami, especially the Miami that you and I know a lot of you know, a lot of folks go to Miami and South Beach and.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:26:59] Yes.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:27:00] They’re 21st century. They don’t they don’t know that other Miami.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:27:07] I’m gonna get me some Conch Salad. Okay. And that’s all I want the.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:27:12] Second my father touches down, it is Conch Salad time.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:27:16] That’s that.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:27:17] Now we need to invite some of the chefs. I’ve had quite a few chefs on the show. Now we need to just bring them back so we can have, you know, cooking with E in various locals.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:27:28] I’m with you.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:27:32] Byron Allen is going be like “Chrissy, you’ve got more offshoots to this podcast. What is going on?”.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:27:36] Let’s do it.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:27:37] We’re going to take a quick commercial break. I’m here. Having a fantastic time with E. Roger Mitchell. You’re listening to the Blackest Questions. We’ll be right back. Okay, We are back. You’re listening to the Blackest Questions. I’m here with E. Roger Mitchell. E, are you ready for Black Lightning Round?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:27:56] I’m ready. I’m ready.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:27:59] I mean, listen, you’ve done a fantastic job. Now, here’s how this goes. There are no right or wrong answers. I just need you to give me the first thing that comes to your head, and we’ll go from there. How about that?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:28:09] First thing comes to my head. All right.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:28:10] That’s right. Okay, First question. Spades are dominoes?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:28:15] Dominoes.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:28:16] Checkers or chess?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:28:18] Chess.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:28:19] If you had to pick, would you rather act in a movie or a TV show?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:28:23] Oh, gosh. Contract laid out. I’ll take a great network television show right now. Four seasons. Five seasons..
Dr. Christina Greer [00:28:36] Five seasons and some syndication. Who is a Black actor you’d like to work with?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:28:42] Oh, my gosh. Oh, gosh. A Black actor. I will go with one of my guys. I really want to work Don Cheadle.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:28:49] Oh, my gosh. I’ve liked Don Cheadle since the Golden Palace, which is the spinoff Golden Girls. That’s how far back I’ve had love and respect for him. Okay, great. You’ve already alluded to this, but do you have any hidden talents?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:29:03] Oh, Oh, Nothing else.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:29:10] You going to keep it PG for the podcast? Okay, now, now, here’s one. Are you sending a text message or picking up the phone to call someone?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:29:18] Oh, wow. You know, I’ll pick up the phone.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:29:23] Someone recently asked me this and I was like, I write a long letter. I’m one of those people keeping the U.S. Postal Service in business.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:29:28] I love it. God bless you. God bless you.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:29:32] Okay. And the last one. Best body of water to deep sea fish?
E. Roger Mitchell [00:29:37] Oh, my gosh. As if I wouldn’t know. But I definitely would love to if I were to go deep sea fishing and I go fishing often. We go every year. But I haven’t been in a couple of years, I’m going this year. I would love to dive. Now I’ll take you to the Pacific. Like the Pacific. Like out in Hawaii. Like. Like that?
[00:30:00] Mm hmm. At the South Pacific. I love to see what that’s like. Or even even. Or even the Galapagos. Galapagos?
Dr. Christina Greer [00:30:09] Oh, the Galapagos Islands.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:30:10] I like to maybe dive out there, see what that look like out there. If I were to dive. That would be amazing.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:30:16] Well, might I recommend Belize.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:30:19] Oh, okay.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:30:22] That water is. It’s basically where they film the Corona commercials.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:30:26] I wonder where.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:30:28] That water is amazing.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:30:29] Belize.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:30:30] It is crystal blue. And I went deep sea fishing. And first of all, I caught a barracuda and a tuna. You know what? My grandfather, my maternal grandfather, fish. Not deep sea fishing, but, you know, he was he was from Yulee, Florida, northern Florida, right outside of Jacksonville.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:30:49] Wow.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:30:50] I have his fishing blood in me. Every time I go fishing, I catch something no matter what. I went fishing in Tanzania. I got some catfish. Like, it doesn’t matter. You put me in a pond, a river, a lake, an ocean, a stream or the seas, I am catching something. We are going to eat. You’re with Chrissy Greer, you’re eating.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:31:08] I love you. I love you. Oh, yes. We’re going fishing next month.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:31:14] Gone fishing. We’ll put on a little Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby. Play a little Gone Fishing.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:31:22] You rock Doctor Professor.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:31:24] Oh, well, listen, E, I want to thank you so much for joining us here on the Blackest Questions. You’ve gotten all five questions correct. And I need to talk to my producers because I don’t think that’s ever happened before. And before we go, tell us again where people can find some of your current projects and what you’ve got going on in the works.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:31:43] As I’ve said, as we said at the top right now, Outter Banks, we are on Netflix now, which has been great. We supposed to do season four. We’ll see how things go with the business. Incedious 5. That’s a summer film. It just popped up out of nowhere this month in a nice little, you know, pop in and pop out. Patrick Wilson, Lee Wan, those guys, that whole conjuring Blumhouse, meanwhile, was just phenomenal, phenomenal folks. So that’s going to be a summer movie, which would be great. And then let’s see what else is happening. I’m working on the Urban Movie Channel right now. We do a season three of Terra Lake Drive is our independent series. It’s pretty wild, and it’s an anthology in essence, but I keep coming back. Least I came back. So. So over season three, it’s very interesting. It’s a great little piece of having fun with Jerry Lamarque and all those wonderful folks over at UMC with that. That’s UMC, that’s the summer movie and Netflix and then you just kind of maybe just take a look around. I’ll pop up somewhere.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:32:43] That’s fantastic. Well, as my grandfather would say, you know, listen, we’re among the living and the working, we ain’t got no complaints. Well, I want to thank E. Roger Mitchell for joining us today. We had a blast. Please promise that you’ll come back and join us again on the Blackest Questions.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:32:59] I would love to come back. Any time.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:33:01] Oh, fantastic.
E. Roger Mitchell [00:33:04] Conch Salad.
Dr. Christina Greer [00:33:05] Yes, Conch Salad. Now, listen, we’ll get into my allergies later, but maybe, you know, I’ll catch the fish and then we’lll make some Conch Salad and some ceviche, too. But I want to thank everyone for listening to the Blackest Questions and having a blast with us and E. Roger Mitchell this week. This show is produced by Sasha Armstrong and Geoffrey Trudeau, and Regina Griffin is our director of podcasts. If you like what you heard, subscribe to this podcast. So you never miss an episode. And you can find more on theGrio Black Podcast Network, on theGrio app, the website or YouTube.
