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Lynn Whitfield on the joys of playing “layered” character Lady Mae on ‘Greenleaf’

Ever since Greenleaf premiered on OWN in 2016, Lynn Whitfield has been masterfully playing the role of Lady Mae Greenleaf and the actress insists there are tons of surprises in store in the show’s fourth season.

theGrio caught up with the lovely lady to find out how she feels about the character she calls “resilient.”

On the series, Whitfield’s character is the matriarch of the Greenleaf family, which runs a prominent megachurch, Calvary Fellowship World Ministries.

“I love her spirit and I love that she really loves her family and absolutely has dedicated her life to them,” she says of Lady Mae. “She’s very witty in a very subtle kind of way. I love that. I like her style.” 

WATCH: OWN drops explosive trailer for ‘Greenleaf’ Season 4

Lynn Whitfield admits that there have been some challenging parts of the role as well. “Her need to control everything is a challenge. She’s not sensitive. She isn’t going to cry. She’s always strong,” she says. ” Also, I have such a great relationship with my own daughter, so to have such a complex relationship with Grace where we haven’t been getting along for years, is not something I can relate to.”

According to Whitfield, viewers will start to see some other sides of Lady Mae this season.

“She’s so layered. This season will be just like pulling back the layers of an onion,” she reveals. “You have an idea of the things she’s carrying inside of her. We know she has experienced trauma. Underneath the style and beautiful hair and beautiful table settings you know that there’s something more going on. So the strength isn’t always straight.”

Check out the season 4 synopsis:

Season four finds the Greenleafs attempting to maintain a united front in the face of losing Calvary to Bob Whitmore (Beau Bridges) and Harmony & Hope Ministries, but secrets past and present create what could be fatal fractures in the family’s fragile foundation. Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) and Grace (Merle Dandridge) form an uneasy alliance as they endeavor to reclaim their church from Harmony & Hope — Grace from within the church where she’s operating as interim head pastor and Lady Mae using her persuasive ways from the outside.

But Grace’s mission becomes complicated when a mysterious phone call sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to reveal her biggest secret yet. The Bishop (Keith David) continues working to mend his rift with his wife Lady Mae, while day by day Harmony & Hope’s grip on Calvary tightens.

Greenleaf airs Tuesday night at 10/9c on OWN.

The post Lynn Whitfield on the joys of playing “layered” character Lady Mae on ‘Greenleaf’ appeared first on theGrio.

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L.A. Urban League threatens Comcast with boycott over civil rights battle with Entertainment Studios

Comcast may have a publicity nightmare on their hands thanks to the backlash and threats of a possible boycott in response to an ongoing legal battle with Black media mogul, Byron Allen.

Allen, who is chief of Entertainment Studios, theGrio’s parent company, spent years trying to get cable giants Comcast and Charter Communications to carry his networks, but has been repeatedly denied. He is now immersed in a $20 billion racial discrimination lawsuit against Comcast that has made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Now, the Los Angeles Urban League is stepping up to galvanize the community to support the business man who believes Comcast and Charter Communications, both refused to carry his television channels on the basis of race.

READ MORE: Civil Rights showdown with Justice Department and Comcast outlines the true struggle for equality in America

“We are appalled by your decision to challenge and destroy the federal civil rights statute of 1866 in the U.S. Supreme Court and do so in partnership with the Trump Administration’s Department of Justice,” LAUL said on Wednesday in a scorching letter sent to Comcast chairman, Brian Roberts and Senior EVP David Cohen, according to Deadline.

“If you choose to continue your attempt to eviscerate this civil rights law, we will have no choice but to call for a boycott of everything Comcast, effective immediately,” signed LAUL CEO and President Michael Lawson.

READ MORE: WATCH | Opinion: It’s time to boycott Comcast and anyone blocking Black economic power

Lawson believes that Entertainment Studios has been denied access to a contract with Comcast because it is African American-owned company, a clear violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which prohibits racial discrimination in business dealings.

In an August 20 op-ed, Allen explained, “you have one of the biggest media companies in the world, which has been beating up Donald Trump for racism, and now they are saying, we will work together to maintain institutionalized racism in America.”

READ MORE: Los Angeles Urban League urges Supreme Court to protect the Civil Rights Act Of 1866

To Allen’s point, Roberts and Cohen have both presented themselves as agents of inclusion and Cohen is even on the Board of Trustees of the National Urban League, which is why having the LAUL stand in solidarity against them sends a strong message about the disparity between who they say they are in public vs. how they act behind closed doors.

‘What you do now will tell us whether you are truly a supporter of the cause or just an enemy working from the inside trying to control our behavior,” Lawson said in his correspondence. “If you are a supporter of the cause, you will immediately and without condition withdraw your appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.”

In their fight against Byron Allen, Comcast and now the DOJ have asked SCOTUS for a new interpretation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, specifically section 1981, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and ethnicity when making and enforcing contracts. pic.twitter.com/sKA8A5PlsN

— Los Angeles Urban League (@laurbanleague) August 29, 2019

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