written by Harry Lennix exclusively for Haute-Zine

Titus is distributed by Fox Searchlight, and was produced by Clear Blue Sky in association with Overseas Film Group. The film stars Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Angus McFadyen, Alan Cumming, and Laura Frazier.

It is the first major feature film of a Shakespeare work directed by an American since Orson Welles; and the very first to be directed by a woman. Julie Taymor is the Tony Award winning director of THE LION KING, which also won London's Theatrical Event of The Year. An achievement specifically created to honor her. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Oberlin. She is a recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant. Her Oedipus Rex with Jessye Norman won for her the International Opera of the Year.

It took 5 months to complete principal photography.

Questions:

Sometime in June or July of 1998, I received a phone call from my agent at the time. It was concerning, as he put it, 'some piece filming in Rome Timon or Titus 'and whether or not I was interested.' I knew the play quite well. Intimately, in fact. From the very start of Julie Taymor's production, I had been involved. Through workshops, etc., we mounted an off-Broadway production in 1994, which was a critical year in my life personally, professionally. '94 really put me through the paces. It was the end of a 10 year relationship, it was the same year that I opted not to screen test for ER so that I could complete the run of TITUS. There were many other things, too. The deaths of a few close friends. All this was happening in '94. I was a bit sick of New York. I figured that it would be cool to do a little high paying, high profile TV. The old art for the sake of art thing was wearing a bit thin not unlike my socks that I couldn't afford to replace. I called the theater and told them that I had to be on a plane that night. Couldn't they let my good buddy (and a great actor) Steve Harris fill in for a day or two? He was willing to do it as a favor to me.

Julie rang up and told me:

'Harry you can't do that TV show. You have to stay. There is no understudy for you. We would have to shut down. You would really hurt this theater.'

'Yeah,' I said. 'But I could buy them a brand new theater if this project goes. It's supposed to be big.'
'No, I'm sorry you can't go. I'll get down on my knees and beg you. They're asking you to fly out tonight? That's insane. There's a show on. Don't they have any respect for the theater?' 'In fucking LA? Of course notÉ' I didn't go. Instead of stepping on to a plane, I stepped back into my costume. Instead of a fat paycheck and a household name, I kept on depositing the $225 a week I had been getting. But a commitment is a commitment. And, in the end, I was happy that I made it. I met some wonderful people doing TITUS on stage. And I got to do some episodes on ER some years later. They have a good crew there. And, at the end of the day, I think that Eriq LaSalle, who is great on the show, would have gotten the part anyway. He was destined for it he deserves it. Julie went on to do several other plays that I saw. I went on to do my projects as well. But I knew she had been working on a script for a film of Andronicus. I just didn't know that it was going to be so good. It was quite bold. Leapt off the page. The part was promised away, though. To Sam Jackson. Hey, I understood. Sam is tremendous. And he's a seat filler, which is what a movie like TITUS needs. But she wanted me to come in and audition in any case, just in case. So, in fact, I had nothing to lose. That's always an advantage. You can relax a bit. Besides, I already knew the material. And I loved the play. The part is revolutionary. A black man who completely controls the plays course of events. A black man with power, wit, agency, and fierce pride. A man who wreaks havoc on those who would presume to be superior. Aaron the Moor is the very opposite of Othello. The latter is basically a patsy. Aaron is a priest of evil. A sort of reverse Galahad. It was one of those parts that you can hear. It sings to you.

I remember seeing Julie at the audition. I had to sneak over in between takes on DIAGNOSIS: MURDER. I had told Victoria Rowell that I was going in on it. Dick Van Dyke, too. He's a great guy. A lot of the legends that I have met in the business are.

Anyway, it was always good to see my beloved Julie. We love each other, I think. I certainly love and admire her. And I always do what I'm told by people that I respect. So I read. Got called back. Read again. Took chances had nothing to lose.

Then nothing I figured Sam was off shooting it. I had had my fun, though. I certainly didn't expect to be in it, but the call came down:

'Hey, you're going to Rome for 3 1/2 months!'My agent said.

'Come again, Mark?'
'You got the part!'
I jumped. I think over the moon.
'Whoa, who else is in it?'
'Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Alan Cumming from Cabaret, and Angus McFadyen from Braveheart.'

I jumped again. I think over the stars. Good Lord! I thought. I gotta get ready. And so I did. Stupid me, though, like a typical vain American I thought that meant going to the gym. Then I got to Rome and went to the first rehearsal. We were to have 3 weeks of rehearsals and voice work with the renowned Cecily Berry, the genius of the Royal Shakespeare Company who literally wrote the books on Shakespearean delivery.

At the reading through it became clear that while I was doing crunches, they were working on the text and on their characters. Alan Cumming was genius on day one. Hopkins was incredible. Jessica and I were feeling a bit out of our depth, I think. So Cecily had her hands full with us. But we loved it. How immediately charming and down to earth Jessica was. How approachable and fearless with her work. How lovely and gifted. He depth and range are incredible. Clearly she is in the elite cadre of actors, male and female. She was, after all nominated for 2 Oscars in one year: FRANCES (genius) and TOOTSIE. She's a fierce student and professional. Partly because she keeps going back to the theater. That's the thing that most Brits and Celts have over we Americans. Their love for the text, for the living space of the stage.

Hopkins is, by any objective standard, a master. He studied under the direct tutelage of Lord Olivier himself. He grew up a stone's throw from the great Richard Burton in Wales. His first movie role was given to him by Peter O'Toole in THE LION IN WINTER with Katherine Hepburn. His pedigree is impeccable. He's been a genius for years. His best work is overlooked because he has set his own bar so high that he can only be judged against himself. Who else can do what he does? I submit that there is no one. His command over the technique, and his wellspring of emotional experience are a lethal combination. He's a killer. People can disappear from the screen if they aren't careful. But he is a generous, gracious man.

And the young guns are fierce, too. Angus, Alan, James Frain, Matthew Rhys...

This is tough material. Generally considered Shakespeare's earliest tragedy, some have dismissed it as worthless gore. That's nonsense, however. It is an especially relevant play for our time, and Shakespeare's unique genius is evident throughout. Still, it's harsh material: Rape, revenge, murder, cannibalism, every conceivable kind of violence. It is relentless. The demands are all encompassing. Physically, psychologically, emotionally. It was a cold Roman winter, too. The toll of working outside at night were fairly severe.

The great advantage of the Roman weather, though, was Rome itself. What a beautiful city. I fell in love with it. The food, the culture, the wine, the language. I had the time of my life. Much of Europe is an oasis for an African American. The burden of race is not as pronounced. Not that it doesn't exist, it most assuredly does but race is more descriptive than determinative. It is, for example, among the list of terms that most Romans would use to describe another person. The funny thing is how Romans stare at people. At first I was quite offended, but I soon realized that they were simply curious. Trying to figure out where a foreigner is from, or simply interested in how someone looks. The quickest cure is to stare back in the same way.

We shot all of the Coliseum scenes in Pula, Croatia. They have a very intact Coliseum there. Much more intact that the Roman one, which is the oldest and largest of the 4 that survive. I had to do a scene where I get buried alive at night in the snow! It was bitterly cold and I was damn near naked. Ah Europe! The life!

I learned a lot about life there in Europe. Europeans in general, and Romans in particular, live life. They take their time during meals and talk. They go on vacations, go for walks, go for coffees. They close down on Sundays, they love their children and spend time with them. They love love. They talk about art and current events with genuine interests. They are less insulated that we Americans from the vagaries of international affairs. They engage other human beings with true concern and they were ever so patient with my lousy command of their language.

I learned most of my broken Italian from Eleonora. She's my little sister in spirit. Also, I learned much from Angela. She's from Croatia but living in Rome and in charge of the local bar that Angus and I frequented. Didn't speak a word of English.

My friend Norma Mascia, who expatriated from here, tells me that Rome changes a person on a molecular level. She's right about that. I love it. It is my dream to live there one day. But it would be impossible to recapture that magic time in Ô98-'99. Who could have hoped that they would be working with the greatest actor in the Western Hemisphere with his favorite director on a piece written by the greatest dramatist who ever lived in the most beautiful city in the world? Its hard to do just any old thing after that. In fact, I've done very little. Mostly for a check. That really gets me down a bit sometimes, but the tide will turn. It always does. Tony told me that, and I believe him. And I listen to Jessica. She has a hard time, too. All the male actors her age are starring opposite woman half their age. It's appalling in a way. So a luminous talent like Jessica has a hard time getting quality roles. But she'll do great with her role in TITUS. She dived right into the part. The trick is to stay in the game. Perseverance is everything, at the end of the day. Just be ready when the time comes round. It WILL come round. I believe that. That's why it's important to challenge yourself. To study. To do the great pieces of dramatic and comedic literature. It gives you a basis. A way of working. So that the point of departure for an intelligent and intuitive actor is farther along. The important thing is to do the work. Stay sharp. Stay working, or in class, or watching, or studying actors that you like. Know what it is that you like. Copy it. Understand it. It's like Cannonball Adderly said about Jazz: Imitate, integrate, innovate. My process is initiation, integration, inhabitation. The first part is learning the lines, the play as a whole, the vision of the overall piece, the blocking, etcÉmechanics. The second part is committing it to memory, getting comfortable, knowing the arcs, knowing the rhythms where the play breathes, where it takes shape, color, flight learning the movement of it. And finally, there is the living of the experience on stage. Being in the skin of the character.

Then there is the ultimately mystery. The place where God takes over. With faith and preparation, God generally does the rest. This has mostly worked for me. I've failed, too, and hopefully learned from that. I think I have. As much as from the success. I just hope to keep learning, to keep improving. To stay dissatisfied, and hungry. I consider myself a true student of the craft. Even while I was in the seminary I studied that which I knew was great. And I copied it. One day, when I really come into my own, maybe I can change a few molecules myself.