Wendell Pierce is working as hard as ever in TV, film and theater : NPR

urlhttp3A2F2Fnpr brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com2Fa72F922F2a241e03445f93506e62eef6831c2F034 oth

Wendell Pierce stars in Othello at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

Teresa Castracane

hide caption

toggle caption

Teresa Castracane

Wendell Pierce says there’s a joke actors have about the five stages of their careers:

“There’s ‘Who is Wendell Pierce?’ ‘Get me Wendell Pierce.’ ‘Get me someone like Wendell Pierce.’ ‘Get me a younger Wendell Pierce.’ And then the last and final and fifth stage is: ‘Who is Wendell Pierce?'” he says.

After starring roles on The Wire and Treme, and a 2023 Tony Award nomination as the first Black actor to play Willy Loman in the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman, Pierce is working as hard as ever. He says he’s motivated by the “ticking clock of mortality” — but also by the desire to challenge himself as an actor.

Though many entertainers shy away from the label “journeyman actor,” Pierce proudly embraces the term: “It’s not just to go from job to job, but [to] be intentional about the jobs I take,” he says. “I try to do the trifecta, as I call it — television and film and theater — every year.”

Wendell Pierce On Parenting, The Pandemic And Reckoning With The Past

Pierce currently plays a captain on CBS’ Elsbeth and a CIA officer in the film Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War. He’s also starring in the Shakespeare Theatre Company production of Othello in Washington, D.C.

Pierce likens tackling Shakespeare to detective work. First, he says, there’s the “mining the text for all of its understanding and everything that Shakespeare is telling you not only about the characters, but how to portray them and what’s happening.”

More than that, though, there’s also the emotional aspect of connecting with the character — and the physical and vocal strength required of a three-hour production. “The challenge is physical, it’s intellectual, and it’s emotional, and that’s the great thing about doing Shakespeare, and even specifically doing Othello,” Pierce says. “I always think of these … iconic roles and large roles like the beginning of a hike up Mount Everest.”

Interview highlights

On how many years ago, jazz helped him crack the code on Shakespeare

Wendell Pierce: Everyone's Favorite Fake Trombone Player

I went to the club to hear Arthur Blythe, a great alto saxophonist. And he’s pretty avant-garde, but he had this really hip, swinging tune. I was humming along with it. And then he went into his solo, which was free and wild and all over the place. And I was just looking around the club, still humming the song in my head. And when he finished his solo, we were right exactly on the same note in the melody of the song.

And that’s when I had this epiphany that while he was free and wild and doing his solo, he was aware of the structure of the song, and knew exactly where he was at all times, and came back to it. So he was free within the form, and then I understood that’s what Shakespeare is like: To have freedom within the form, don’t allow the verse to constrict you, but let it be the guard rails of where you’re supposed to be. But you have the opportunity to take it wherever you would like to take it. That’s really what all great art is about, a merger of technical proficiency and expression, and unlimited expression, but being able to be technically proficient and exact. And that opened up Shakespeare to me, that night, in September, 1981, in New York, listening to jazz at the Village Vanguard.

On why he almost quit The Wire

During the course of The Wire, people would challenge us all the time — “You are only demonstrating the thuggery and the crime and you’re perpetuating this idea that, the stereotype that Black folks are criminally inclined and violent and all.”

I remember a woman on the train challenging me, African American woman who worked on Wall Street. And I said, “I accept your criticism. … I welcome the challenge and the criticism so I can make sure that we don’t fall victim to that criticism. … But we have judges, the mayor, the president of the city council, the city council members, police officers, lawyers, doctors, teachers, who are all African American. But you’re only seeing the criminals. Imagine how tough it is for a little kid in those neighborhoods. They don’t see the lawyers or the doctors. If you don’t see them as an educated woman, a professional, and you can only see the thuggery, imagine how susceptible those young kids are to it. And that’s what we’re trying to tell and the story we’re trying to tell.”

Now, in the fourth season, I almost quit because at our wrap party a young lady comes up to me. She says, “Mr. Pierce, I was on the show this year. I really wanted to work with you. We didn’t have anything together. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your work and all.” And I said, “Who did you play?” And she says, “I look younger than I am, so I was one of the kids in the middle school.” … She played this out of control young woman who slashes another girl’s face. … She was like, “I’m going to Brown University on full scholarship.”

And I thought to myself, why are we not telling your story? … And I thought about the criticism and I said, that woman was right. And I said, I should leave the show because we’re perpetuating a stereotype. And then the episode came on for the fourth season and it was so impactful. And we see exactly where we lose our kids. And we see that inflection point where we can save them and put them on the right track. And where we make them the young woman who goes to Brown on a full scholarship, and where we lose them and send them into that pipeline, into the penal system, and calling our dysfunction out in our society that creates the criminality, that doesn’t celebrate the education of this young woman going to school and all. So it wasn’t arbitrary, and then that’s the only thing that made me come back.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, left, and Wendell Pierce participate in a panel discussion during a Federal Interagency Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Task Force event at the Justice Department May 31, 2011 in Washington, D.C. The event was organized to announce a public awareness campaign, addressing the challenges faced by children and families affected by drug abuse.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

On taking care of his late father in his last 10 years

He was two months away from his 99th birthday. He passed in my hands, we were holding hands. I was there with him. I had my father for a long time. I got closer to my father in the last 10 years of his life than I ever had before. My mother passed, and one of her dying wishes was, “Wendell, take care of your father.” She knew. While I was working in Budapest, if I got four days off, I would go home to New Orleans, and spend time with him. It was a blessing. I was traveling the world and being an actor and at the same time my home base is New Orleans, and here I would have my father with me for all those years and he was fuel to my fire. He was reminding me of everything that he taught me and as I attack these challenges of these great roles and the different roles that I play, he is very much in my process.

This is a man who fought in [the Battle of] Saipan in World War II, fought for the country that he loved when this country wasn’t loving him back and came back and his voting rights weren’t even protected and here he was risking his life in The Double V campaign in the Black community — victory abroad and victory at home. So he very much believed in that.

On the erasure of Black history

The idea of trying to eliminate any sort of contributions that the African-American community has made to this country in the year that we try to celebrate 250 — it is so insulting. … It feels like a visceral attack.

My brother was purged out of his job here in Washington, D.C. I know so many people and so many Black women in particular, this attack on minorities and women in a world where people are trying to erase them, we realize that that is our call to duty of our generation. We know now that we have to mark our passing on the tree and declare who we are, who we were, what our accomplishments are and have been and what we have created. And exercise our right of self-determination and declaration of accomplishment. We owe that to our ancestors, we owe that to the generations yet to come because there are those who do not have our best interest at heart.

Ann Marie Baldonado and Nico Gonzalez Wisler produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.

Source link

Multi-Vehicle Crash in Ocala Temporarily Closes Roads, Police Say | Miami Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

Ocala police responded to a multi-vehicle crash Sunday night that temporarily blocked traffic at a busy intersection.

The August 23, 2026 collision occurred at South Pine Avenue and Southeast 17th Street. Authorities said no one involved suffered life-threatening injuries.

What Happened in the Ocala Multi-Vehicle Crash?

According to the Ocala Police Department, officers responded to the intersection of South Pine Avenue and Southeast 17th Street at approximately 10 p.m. Sunday.

Multiple vehicles were involved in the collision.

The crash blocked the roadways while police and emergency personnel responded to the scene. Authorities later confirmed that the roads had reopened.

Police said there were no life-threatening injuries among the people involved.

Officials have not released additional information regarding the number of vehicles or people involved.

Cause of the Crash Has Not Been Released

Authorities have not provided details about what caused the collision or the sequence of events leading up to it.

Multi-vehicle crashes can be particularly complicated because investigators may need to determine how the initial collision occurred and whether it triggered additional impacts.

Depending on the circumstances, investigators may examine vehicle positions and damage, roadway evidence, witness statements, traffic or surveillance camera footage and electronic data from the vehicles.

No citations or determinations regarding responsibility have been publicly announced.

Determining Fault in a Multi-Vehicle Accident

Liability can become complicated when several vehicles are involved in the same crash.

For example, one driver’s actions could cause an initial collision that pushes another vehicle into a third. In other circumstances, multiple drivers may have independently contributed to the accident.

Investigators may consider whether drivers were speeding, following too closely, distracted, impaired, failing to yield or otherwise violating traffic laws.

The available information does not indicate that any of these factors contributed to Sunday’s Ocala crash.

Although police reported no life-threatening injuries, people involved in motor vehicle accidents can sometimes experience symptoms that become more noticeable in the hours or days following a collision.

Depending on the force and circumstances of a crash, injuries may involve the neck, back, head, shoulders or other areas of the body.

Medical documentation can also become important if an injured person later needs to establish that treatment and expenses resulted from the collision.

Potential Compensation After a Florida Multi-Vehicle Crash

When another driver’s negligence causes an accident, an injured person may potentially have the right to seek compensation for accident-related losses.

Depending on the circumstances and severity of the injuries, recoverable damages may include medical expenses, lost income, future treatment costs, pain and suffering, and other losses available under Florida law.

Florida’s modified comparative negligence system can become particularly relevant in multi-vehicle accidents because responsibility may potentially be divided among more than one person.

The existence and value of any claim depend on the specific facts of the collision and the injuries involved.

Insurance Issues Can Be More Complicated With Multiple Vehicles

Crashes involving several vehicles can also involve multiple insurance policies.

Determining available coverage may require identifying each vehicle’s owner and driver, applicable liability policies and the role each vehicle played in the collision.

Florida’s no-fault insurance system can also affect how certain medical expenses and lost wages are initially handled following an accident.

For people who suffer more serious injuries, identifying every potentially responsible party and available source of insurance coverage can become especially important.

Preserving Evidence After a Multi-Vehicle Accident

Evidence from the scene can help determine how a chain-reaction or multi-vehicle collision occurred.

Potentially relevant evidence may include:

Photographs and videos from the crash scene
Vehicle damage and final resting positions
Witness statements
Traffic and surveillance camera footage
Dash-camera recordings
Tire marks and roadway debris
Electronic vehicle data
Police reports
Medical and emergency response records

Surveillance footage from nearby businesses can sometimes be overwritten relatively quickly, making timely preservation particularly important when the circumstances of a collision are disputed.

Roadways Reopen Following Ocala Crash

The intersection of South Pine Avenue and Southeast 17th Street has reopened following Sunday night’s multi-vehicle collision.

Ocala police said the crash occurred at approximately 10 p.m. and temporarily blocked the roadways while authorities responded.

No life-threatening injuries were reported. Officials have not released further information about what caused the crash or how many vehicles were involved.

Source link

MLB Players’ Weekend 2026 Bats, Gear From Julio Rodriguez, Elly De La Cruz, More Revealed in Photos

Spider-Man, Star Wars, Skittles and Ninja Turtles, oh my!

This weekend is MLB Players’ Weekend, which allows players across the league to express their interests through their bats, gloves and cleats on the field.

It gives fans a unique glance at what the players like and is all for a charitable cause.

Here’s a look at some of the most notable looks from Julio Rodríguez, Cam Schlittler and more:

While the bats and gloves are interesting on their own, it is also for a good cause. Fans will have the chance to win the gear through MLB Auctions with the proceeds going to the charitable benefit of the players’ choice.

Source link

Simi Valley football coach fired after kicking ball into student player’s groin during practice

19716780 082126 kabc football coach controversy thumbnail

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) — A high school football coach in Simi Valley was fired after a video surfaced showing him kicking a ball into a student athlete’s groin during a recent practice session.

After reviewing the incident, the Simi Valley Unified School District decided to fire Adam Brubaker as the football coach of Royal High School. The firing happened just hours before the school’s season-opening game Friday.

A school campus camera recorded the incident and Eyewitness News obtained the video. It appears to show a visibly upset Brubaker advancing toward a player and suddenly kicking a nearby football, striking the player in the groin and causing him to fall to the ground in pain.

“I kicked the ball and it hit him in the groin area and instantly I felt like I was going to pass out,” Brubaker told Eyewitness News. “I feel obviously a great deal of remorse for what happened. It’s a one in a million shot.”

Brubaker said the incident captured on video was an accident. He added that he became upset after one of the players violently pulled a running back to the ground, something he says is not allowed during drills because of risk of injury.

The video also shows other adults confronting the coach as they tend to the player.

Brubaker says he was not aiming at the player.

“When we finished practice, I went back over to him. I apologized,” Brubaker said.

A statement provided to Royal High School football families by the school’s principal on Friday says:

“I want to provide you with an update regarding our football program. The District has completed its review of the incident from earlier this week. As a result, the leadership of Royal High School’s football program will immediately change. Cody MacArthur will serve as Head Coach for the Royal High School football team tonight. An interim head coach will be named shortly. Our focus now is to support our student-athletes, provide stability for the program, and help the team move forward together. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding throughout this process and look forward to supporting our players and coaches for the remainder of the season. Go Highlanders!”

Brubaker says he understands the Simi Valley Unified School District’s decision to fire him.

“Nothing has been harder in my life than the last three days. It has been an absolute trying time for me, my wife, my kids,” said Brubaker.

A look of the school’s football coaching roster shows that the photo previously associated with Brubaker is no longer displayed on the team’s staff page. In its place, an empty image frame appears alongside the position typically listed for the varsity head coach, bearing the word “Vacant.”

Source link