‘LONGLEGS,’ ‘THREE WOMEN’ ACTOR BLAIR UNDERWOOD IS HITTING HIS STRIDE

The older Blair Underwood gets, the more he's seemingly getting to grips with Hollywood.

After establishing himself in the NBC legal drama "L.A. Law" in the mid-1980s, he has consistently appeared across television, film and theater for the past 40 years. He’s starred in "Deep Impact," "Agents of SHIELD," "Sex & the City" and "Dirty Sexy Money" and landed a Daytime Emmy, Grammy and five NAACP Image Awards, as well as Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice TV and Tony Award nominations.

The past few months have proved to be particularly busy for Underwood, though. He guest-starred in CBS’ "Elsbeth" (the surprise hit "Good Wife" spinoff), watched as "Longlegs" became the highest-grossing indie film of the year and is now preparing for the hard-hitting adult drama series "Three Women" to be released on Starz on Sept. 13.

“If everybody knew how to make a film successful, every film would be a hit,” Underwood says when quizzed about the horror thriller "Longlegs" grossing more than $103 million from just a $10 million budget. “I’m just grateful.”

Born in Tacoma to a U.S. Army colonel, Underwood left the state when he was just 3 months old. He lived in Army bases in Michigan, Georgia, Colorado and Germany, before his family eventually settled in Petersburg, Va.

This was where Underwood first fell in love with performing. “It was while I was in high school. I did a drama course and club that was run by one of the teachers. I ended up doing local dinner theater in Richmond, Va. Then I studied theater at Carnegie Mellon University.”

Initially drawn to acting because “it looked like fun to be on TV and in movies,” he quickly became hooked. “I started to pursue acting because of the craft and the artistry. I just loved exploring these characters, telling the story and keeping the audience entertained.”

Even before he arrived at college, Underwood had decided he wanted to become a professional actor. At Carnegie Mellon, he majored in musical theater, honing his singing, dancing and acting skills. “I wanted to understand the foundations of acting, which is theater. I wanted to act in front of a live audience night after night after night. Once I’d done that, I planned to eventually move to film and television.”

But guest roles on the hit shows "Knight Rider," "The Cosby Show" and "One Life to Live" and in the hit musical comedy "Krush Groove" propelled Underwood into the spotlight. While he was understandably excited that his dreams of becoming a professional actor were coming true, Underwood was also aware that he could quickly become typecast.

“I was acutely cognizant of the fact that, regardless of your talent and abilities, the industry can pigeonhole you into a box. When I did 'One Life to Live,' I decided to leave after three months because I knew that if I stayed I’d be pigeonholed as a daytime actor. I knew the industry would minimize and diminish the work and could change the trajectory of my career.”

Having recently gone from appearing in a prime-time broadcast TV show to starring in a horror film from one of Hollywood’s most trendy indie studios to now being part of the cast of a huge anticipated adaptation for a cable series, Underwood is thankful that actors are now able to move between mediums and genres so freely. “It's just great that people are given that opportunity more now than ever before.”

It also helps that Underwood is prepared to take risks with the roles he picks. That’s particularly true of "Three Women," an adaptation of Lisa Taddeo’s bestselling nonfiction book about the sexual lives of Maggie, Lina and Sloane. Underwood plays Richard, who likes to watch his younger wife, DeWanda Wise’s Sloane, have sex with other men and women

“I had reservations when I was approached about the project. Some of the scenes are very sexual and intimate. But I was given reassurances about what was expected of me. I knew the book was very popular and had a huge, avid fan base.”

In preparation for the show, Underwood talked to people who have polyamorous relationships in order to make his performance as authentic as possible. “I’m not in that lifestyle. But it was fascinating to explore it. It’s one of the reasons why I love acting so much. You get to play, explore and experience different realities. It was really interesting to get to know and understand the highs, lows, pitfalls and joys of that kind of relationship.”

Ultimately, Underwood hopes that "Three Women’s" depiction of this kind of relationship won’t just surprise viewers and show them something that might be foreign to them, but will connect with anyone who wants change, success or progress in their own lives.

“The show is about women at a crossroads in their lives. I really hope audiences get a better understanding of the strength and resilience and persistence of the characters. Anyone who wants fulfillment or gratification in their lives will be able to relate to it and, hopefully, they will be inspired.”

2024-09-14T13:33:23Z dg43tfdfdgfd