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Tag: directing

  • Mariska Hargitay: From On-Camera to Behind-the-Scenes on ‘Law & Order: SVU’

    Mariska Hargitay: From On-Camera to Behind-the-Scenes on ‘Law & Order: SVU’

    One on-camera detective is now pursuing other fulfilling roles.

    Mariska Hargitay, 50, recently took a shot at directing one of the upcoming episodes for NBC’s TV drama, Law & Order: SVU.

    Hargitay revealed to E! News how passionate she is about directing.

    “It’s a long time coming; I’ve wanted to do it for a while. There are a lot of things that I’ve learned and collected. I know how to get performances, I know what buttons to push in people and I’ve been doing it for a long time,” she said.

    Several Tweets went out Thursday showing Hargitay in action.

    Well, it looks like Executive Producer Warren Leight finally gave her the chance to sit in the director chair and take control.

    Hargitay reportedly explained how she tends to connect more with guiding her co-stars in such a way that would help bring the script to life.

    “Since I’ve been on SVU, I get more joy, sometimes, from helping somebody else with their performance than my own,” the actress-turned-director said. “That’s when I got the idea…It’s just this idea of helping to tell the story or even help people get in touch, like how people help me to get to my soul. I’m up for the challenge…It feels like a natural progression.”

    The show has been running successfully since 1999, but according to Hargitay, this is the first time SVU feels at its best. Earlier in the year, she told TODAY  how the show’s writing has improved remarkably.

    “I think the writing changes now that we have new show runners,” she said. “It feels to me like a different show now, which I think is a great thing. After 15 years the show feels so unbelievably fresh, and that’s a gift.”

    The episode is set to air sometime in March. It will feature guest actor Alec Baldwin of NBC’s comedy sitcom, 30 Rock.

    Image via Twitter

  • Phylicia Rashad Moves into the Director Role

    While famous for her notable TV role as the “Cosby Show” matriarch, Phylicia Rashad, has embarked onto another facet of performing arts. According to the Star Tribune, Rashad has taken on the role of director in the national staged reading for the New York-based play, “Four Little Girls: Birmingham 1963.”

    Today commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that took place in Birmingham, AL on September 15, 1963. The bombing, which claimed the lives of four African-American little girls, denoted a strong progression in the turn of events that pushed the envelop for the 1960s Civil Rights movement. The historic bombing served as a strong influential factor in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

    The reading for “Four Little Girls,” written by playwright Christina Ham, took place at the Kennedy Center Family Theater in Washington DC. The talented stage readers consisted of high school students from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and college students from Howard University.

    As a Howard University alumni, Rashad accepted the directorial role as an esteemed honor, stating that while the leadership is challenging, the gratuitous effort are quite rewarding. Rashad said her desire for the reading was to elaborate on the “sanctity of joy, human existence, and the value of life.” She went on to explain that as director her main focal point is maintaining the creative energy, keeping it in sync with the Ham’s’ vision, “while leaving room for people to add to the vision.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons