Local actress adds Black or White to résumé

2nd February 2015   ·   0 Comments

By Kelly Parker
Contributing Writer

With countless productions of movies and television shows taking place on our streets, the emergence of Hollywood South has made dreams of becoming a film star within reach for many local aspiring actors. Native Lindsey G. Smith has already worked alongside acclaimed actors such as Academy Award winners Denzel Washington and Forrest Whitaker. Now, she shares the screen with another duo of Oscar winners: Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer in the racially tinged drama Black or White, which was filmed here in the Crescent City.

“Black or White is set in California which is really cool and is a testament to the versatility of New Orleans as a filming location,” Smith tells The Louisiana Weekly. “It is always fascinating to film here in New Orleans and anywhere else in Louisiana. I love seeing the filmmakers from other places fall in love with New Orleans.”

“I love this film,” Smith adds. “It was written and directed by Mike Binder about a custody battle between the grandparents of their biracial granddaughter, played by Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer respectively. I play Andrea, Spen­cer’s character’s niece who also serves as a role model for the grand daughter Eloise, played by the amazing Jillian Estell. It’s a great movie that touches on family ties, race and the conversations that we are and should be having today

Smith, a former LSU theater student, realizes her good fortune. Not many young actors get the opportunity to work with such established stars.

“I feel so blessed to have worked with the likes of such great actors whom I’ve admired for so long,” she said. “It’s amazing and intimidating at times so I have to remind myself to do my job, no matter how large or small my role may be. I’ve learned a lot as an actor because of these experiences. I’ve learned from these great actors that hard work is the key, to continue growing in my craft and to remain humble.”

She also names Bill Burr and fellow New Orleans native Anthony Mackie as actors she’s learned a great deal from. Angela Bassett, Meryl Streep, Jeffrey Wright as well as newer faces like Michael B. Jordan, Jurnee Smollett and Mindy Kaling are just some of the names on Smith’s long list of actors she hopes to work with in the future.

“My brother, Frankie Smith is also an actor and I’d be very excited to work with him,” she adds.

The young actress says she’s not only had the pleasure of working with established, accomplished and giving actors, but generous creative talents behind the camera as well.

“In both Black or White and Hurricane Season, I started out in much smaller roles but because of great directors, like Tim Story and Mike Binder, along with great producers and casting directors I was able to develop a more established character in each,” Smith states.

In 2008, Smith was cast in Hurricane Season, the film based on the John Ehret High School basketball team’s improbable championship post-Katrina season in 2006.

“Hurricane Season definitely hit home for me,” Smith says. “There’s a scene in which my character, Courtney, is forced to say goodbye to her boyfriend, played by Eric Hill, and New Orleans because her family is relocating to Houston after the storm. We filmed the pre-Katrina scenes at the school prior to that one so I got to see the set after the devastation that Hurricane Katrina left behind. It was very eerie and took me back to that time of so much uncertainty and fear. There were so many stories of hardships and survival during that time that I’d like to explore in the future.”

That opportunity may come sooner rather than later for Smith and other local actors. It was recently announced that Selma director Ava DuVernay plans to bring a drama set during Hurricane Katrina to the big screen.

In the meantime, Smith is currently auditioning and also developing scripts. “I have always sought to have a long career making quality work in front of as well as behind the camera,” she told The Louisiana Weekly. “I have yet to work in TV, so I look forward to that opportunity as well as working in action films and period pieces.”

Smith, who took part in theater and drama programs as a child, credits the Big Easy as a source of her creative inspiration.

“Our city is always alive. I want to share my love for the city and its stories with the world. Everyone loves New Orleans, there’s no place like it.”

Black or White is now showing in theaters.

This article originally published in the February 2, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.