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Key takeaways
- Embrace authenticity and passion to sustain a fulfilling, long-lasting artistic career.
- Select bold, inspiring projects that challenge creative boundaries and spark genuine engagement.
- Redefine aging by pursuing adventurous roles that fuel growth and creative self-expression.
Summary
Alfre Woodard exemplifies the power of embracing one’s true identity and pursuing creative freedom at any age. With over 100 roles spanning diverse genres, she chooses projects that spark genuine engagement and adventure, prioritizing stories that challenge and inspire her. Woodard’s approach highlights the importance of authenticity and passion in sustaining a fulfilling artistic career, especially as she continues to expand her craft well into her 70s.
Her new series The Boroughs showcases how seasoned actors can redefine aging by taking on bold, unconventional roles alongside peers who share a vibrant curiosity and commitment to storytelling. Woodard’s journey encourages creatives to remain adventurous, demonstrating that growth and self-expression flourish through varied experiences rather than routine. This mindset not only enriches an artist’s legacy but also resonates with audiences craving fresh perspectives.
The key takeaways and summary were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
Full Transcript:
[00:00:00] Alfre Woodard: When you know who you are and you say, “This is who I am,” you don’t wait for other people to acknowledge that for that to be the truth.
[00:00:07] You’re an actor, you’re a painter, you’re a singer. You’re all of that when you say you are.
[00:00:19] I have never questioned my path, because when I discovered that
[00:00:25] I was a storyteller, I felt the most freedom I’d ever felt.
[00:00:30] I felt like I’d discovered my mother tongue. So it was just a matter of, how do I get to speak in it?
[00:00:38] I knew what was in my heart and what I wanted to do. And you know, when I put my mind to things, that’s just it.
[00:00:58] I don’t like staying in a particular genre. It’s, you go where there’s a good story. You know, sometimes you’re working 16-hour days or you
[00:01:06] might be working a 14-hour day. So I always do what entertains me, what engages me, what grasps me.
[00:01:14] So when you’re in that 13th hour and it’s like, “Oh my God, somebody shoot me now,
[00:01:21] there’s got to be that thing there that you just, you keep going because of that.
[00:01:27] And so I wouldn’t eat the same thing even on a buffet every day, and it’s just like,
[00:01:34] why would I wanna do that creatively? Boroughs soundup: Person 1: Welcome to The Boroughs. Person 2: What the hell are you gonna do with that? Person 3: I’m gonna shoot something, Alfre Woodard: I wanted adventure.
[00:01:58] When you step into worlds that they’re [ Matt and Ross Duffer] involved with, it’s gonna be totally left field.
[00:02:04] And I wanted to really just have fun. The fact that the first seven people on the call sheet are over 60, it was like,
[00:02:11] “We got this. This is gonna be so cool.” Boroughs soundup: Person 4: We’re all a part of this now. Alfre in character: Till the end, Sam. Person 5: Which given our ages could be any day.
[00:02:23] Alfre Woodard: You know how you get, you find out you gotta go to camp. It’s like, OK, yeah, camp. I’ll do camp. I know how to do camp.
[00:02:29] And then you find out, oh, and your friend’s gonna be there. And then, you know Denis is gonna be there. Clarke is there.
[00:02:35] Alfred is there. Geena, Bill. When you have all of that kind of energy together, discipline,
[00:02:44] but unafraid to be expressive and creative, you just, you know you’re
[00:02:50] gonna end up with something wonderful. Boroughs soundup: Person 6: It’s impossible. Person 7: Nothing’s impossible anymore. Alfre Woodard: It’s exciting now to watch people of a golden age so
[00:03:03] that people see what is possible. You still have that same curiosity and that sense of adventure.
[00:03:13] Aging is being even more of yourself. Certainly you grow, but you grow becoming more of who your true self is.
[00:03:22] I’m just who I am, and every year you just get to see more, do more stuff,
[00:03:30] build more memories, have more adventures. So every day I’m just like, “Oh yeah, I’m here. I’m here,
[00:03:37] and you here. This is great.”
