LA PLAYWRIGHT
Director, Playwright Jorge Sanchez Jr. By Ti e r r a Jone s
MISUNDERSTOOD IS YOUR THIRD MAJOR PRODUCTION. YOU ALSO HAVE THE SEVENTH DAY AND DREAM CATCHER . CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT THOSE PLAYS WERE ABOUT? The Seventh Day is a romantic comedy. Actor Cliff Curtis came to it, loved the play, and financed the next play, which was Dreamcatcher . Dreamcatcher was inspired by actors and comedians trying to make it in LA because they are some of the greatest people in the world. You see actors portray other people but never see their journey. I wanted to portray that. CAN YOU SHARE WITH US WHO HAS INFLUENCED YOU AS AN ARTIST AND WHY? As an artist, Denzel Washington, since he stays true to his craft and true to his story. As a writer, Aaron Sorkin, who wrote A Few Good Men , has had a profound impact on me because I think his stories are very real and authentic and that is extremely important to me. Shonda Rhimes is inspiring by what she has accomplished. Tyler Perry is an inspiration because of what he has accomplished. I think he has accomplished the trifecta (TV, film, and playwright) which is what I seek to do. But as far as creatively, I set my own tone. I have my own way of doing things, I have my own way of seeing things. I think I see differently than other people. I’m go- ing to stay true to me. DO YOU FEEL COVID WILL HAVE A LONG-LASTING EFFECT ON THE FILM/TV INDUSTRY? It’s going to have long lasting effect on everything. I think it has had a profound effect on the film/TV industry. I think it’s going to have a bigger impact that people aren’t paying attention to. Now things can be streamed and you don’t necessarily have to go to the theater. It’s changed the whole stage. Hopefully, we will get through this and get back to mass production of film and TV. WHAT IS THE VERY FIRST FILM YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH? When I was young, I loved the Perry Mason story. It’s an old lawyer story. As far as film, there are a lot of them. I was always intrigued by Star Wars , but there a film called About Last Night , which starred Demi Moore and Rob Lowe. Also, the film Love Jones . Those are two of my favorite pieces because they are great stories and great storytelling
GHR: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING TIME TO SPEAK WITH ME TODAY. YOU HAVE AN AMAZING CAREER. YOU ARE AN INCREDIBLY TALENTED DIRECTOR/PLAYWRIGHT, AND ALSO AN ATTORNEY. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR JOURNEY? JS : I went to law school and never had any intention of getting into writing or directing or any of that. It just wasn’t something I was looking to getting into. To make a long story short, I was duped into going to a modeling audition, which turned into getting an agent, which turned into doing a commercial that led into getting a role in a film ( The Rookie with Dennis Quaid). I met the director (John Lee Hancock) who was a lawyer at the time. He asked if I write, and I responded that I dabbled a little and I was also intrigued by writing. I wrote a script and it ended up winning the HBO script writing competition. I ended up doing a couple of short films with friends that won a bunch of film festivals, which led me to coming down here (Los Angeles). CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR HIT PLAY MISUNDERSTOOD , WHICH YOU DIRECTED AND WROTE. IT SOLD OUT ALL SHOWINGS AT THE MATRIX THEATRE IN LA AND IS EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY MORRIS CHESTNUT. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THE PLAY? DID YOU HAVE ANY CHALLENGES AND ARE THERE ANY CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY THAT YOU SEE YOURSELF AS? There is nothing descriptive about black men and our experiences that are on TV right now. That was the origin of why I wanted to write it. I wrote it as a pilot and turned it into a play. As far as any characters in the play, all the characters in the play are the sum of me: my experiences, friends, guys I know, and the journey. There is a little of Malcolm the attorney in me, there is a little of Morris the Jokester in me, and I would say there is a little of Fierce the Activist in me. Those three probably have the most of me. Everything else is guys I know or experiences.
Jorge Sanchez Jr.
Photo courtesy of Jorge Sanchez Jr.
“ I have my own way of doing things, I have my own way of seeing things. I think I see differently than other people. I’m going to stay true to me. ”
@attorneyjorge
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