LeVar on LeVar:
His Fascinating Story and His Rise to Fame


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Current Time: Sun Mar 16 23:49:52 EST 1997

From: OMNI_Staff
At: 152.163.233.135

Welcome LeVar and thanks for joining us, I was hoping we could start off with you telling us all a little about how you got started in show business?
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:16:26 EST 1997
From: LeVar_Burton
At: 152.171.2.89

I actually got into show business through a side door in as much as I left the Catholic seminary in 1974 and moved to Southern California to USC with a full scholarship to study theatre. My goal was to graduate with a BSA in drama, a bachelor of fine arts degree, and move to New York. Then to hustle my way onto the Broadway stage. However, there was another plan in effect, as a sophomore, I got my first professional job out of my first audition, which turned out to be the role of Kunta Kinte in the miniseries "Roots." /ga
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:18:12 EST 1997
From: Barbara
At: 204.165.214.122

How did you get to Reading Rainbow?
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:18:48 EST 1997
From: OMNI_Staff
At: 152.163.233.135

That was a tremendous role to land early on in your career--was it at all daunting?
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:21:58 EST 1997
From: LeVar_Burton
At: 152.171.2.89

"Roots" was many things -- it was inspirational, it was educational, it was uplifting, it was, for a nineteen-year-old kid, sometimes overwhelming. I mean, you have to understand that I was working with people that I had watched on television all of my life: Cecily Tyson, Maya Angelou, Moses Gunn, Lou Gosset, Jr., but I was also being paid to do what I had dedicated my life to doing. If the experience was daunting at all, I probably didn't allow that information to be a part of my consciousness. It was just too exciting. /ga
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:24:29 EST 1997
From: OMNI_Staff
At: 152.163.233.135

I know most OMNI readers are avid Star Trek fans, but I'd like to kow a little about how you came to write AFTERMATH--which I really enjoyed reading.
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:27:48 EST 1997
From: LeVar_Burton
At: 152.171.2.89

AFTERMATH is a story that is the result of an intense convergence of desire and opportunity in my life. Let me explain. There are many elements of the story, particularly the point of view of the story, that have been growing, gestating if you will, inside of me for the last 35 years. The events that occurred that conspired to bring my attention to the question "Are you ready to write this novel?" or even more to the point, "Do you really think you can write a novel?" were the end of seven seasons on "Star Trek" and the completion of principal photography of our first movie, "Generations," coupled with the birth of my daughter Michaela and so the time seemed appropriate. (continued)
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:30:18 EST 1997
From: LeVar_Burton
At: 152.171.2.89

CBS had just asked me to join the cast of a show called "Christy" which shot on location in Townsend, Tennessee, an amazingly beautiful part of the country, where the Smokey Mountains live. And so, there I was, with this invitation from Warner books, plenty of time on my hands, in this most beautiful of settings, a new-born life for inspiration, the courage to speak my point of view and the hubris to dare to dream that I not only had a novel in me, but that I might even be able to get it out of me. /ga
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:31:57 EST 1997
From: OMNI_Staff
At: 152.163.233.135

What about the possibility of the feature film AFTERMATH--would you star or direct or both possibly?
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:35:45 EST 1997
From: LeVar_Burton
At: 152.171.2.89

We are looking to turn AFTERMATH into a miniseries for television. And it is definitely a project that my company Eagle Nation Films will produce. And I also have plans to direct "Aftermath." Even though I wrote the character of Leon Cane with myself in mind, I'm not attached to playing it. /ga
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:37:43 EST 1997
From:
At: 152.163.233.135

To you, what is the biggest difference between acting and writing and even directing?
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:43:17 EST 1997
From: LeVar_Burton
At: 152.171.2.89

Wow, that's a good question! They all use different parts of the creative self. The biggest difference, I would have to say, is that as an actor, I'm used to expressing the creative vision from one creative aspect -- that of the character that I'm playing. As a director, I'm more responsible for holding a more full aspect of the creative vision. And as a writer, I get to create the works! This is something that writers have known for centuries and it's a joy that I'm just coming into an awareness of. I used to say that directing was the best job on the planet for a control freak such as myself, but actually, writing truly is. /ga
MsgId: example(25)
Date: Thu Mar 6 21:44:47 EST 1997
From: OMNI_Staff
At: 152.163.233.135

Sorry, I had some technical difficulties-I was asking whether you felt there was big difference between writing and acting as a creative process?
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:46:03 EST 1997
From: OMNI_Staff
At: 152.163.233.135

So will there be another novel any time soon?
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:46:11 EST 1997
From: OMNI_Staff
At: 152.163.233.135

So will there be another novel any time soon?
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:47:15 EST 1997
From: Paulette
At: 204.30.67.146

Hi, Omni Staff. I'm finally online after an inordinate amount of trouble...
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:49:10 EST 1997
From: OMNI_Staff
At: 152.163.233.135

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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:49:10 EST 1997
From: LeVar_Burton
At: 152.171.2.89

Hello Paulette! As to the other novel, I feel like I have left myself an opening to come back and at some point revisit these characters. Right now I have several producing and directing projects that are on the front burner for me, and my next writing project, I have decided, will be a children's book. /ga
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:50:34 EST 1997
From: Paulette
At: 204.30.67.146

What are some things about writing your first novel that remind you of when you first studied acting?
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:51:24 EST 1997
From: OMNI_Staff
At: 152.163.233.135

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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:52:42 EST 1997
From: OMNI_Staff
At: 152.163.233.135

Which brings us to a question someone asked earlier--can you tell us a little about reading rainbow?
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:52:58 EST 1997
From: LeVar_Burton
At: 152.171.2.89

Great question! I guess some of the similarities would be that excitement of exploration and discovery. The newness of it all. There is a thing we used to talk about in drama school called "courage of expression" and I believe that you need that as a writer, as well. The courage to say what's in your heart and in your mind. It's those things that have impact with an audience. If you are writing from your truth, or acting from your truth, your chances of connecting with an audience are increased ten-fold. /ga
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:56:00 EST 1997
From: Paulette
At: 204.30.67.146

Sorry about that, Omni. Yes, if you could explain your work with Reading Rainbow....
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:58:30 EST 1997
From: Maureen_McHugh
At: 207.78.12.135

So there is much you can bring to the craft of writing from
acting--but you studied acting, took acting classes. What
did you do to learn about writing? Did you feel or wish you
could study it the way you had acting, or did you find that
the experience of being a thoughtful reader and of talking
about books prepared you?
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Date: Thu Mar 6 21:58:32 EST 1997
From: LeVar_Burton
At: 152.171.2.89

"Reading Rainbow" was an opportunity to combine two of my greatest passions -- the power of the written word and the awesome power of television. Let me say that I believe wholeheartedly that television is probably the most powerful tool we possess in this civilization for creating change in our societies. And that for me, "Reading Rainbow" is what I classify as a best-use of the medium. That is to say, television that is not just entertaining, but is enlightening as well. /ga
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Date: Thu Mar 6 22:01:53 EST 1997
From: Paulette
At: 204.30.67.146

Thank you, Mr. Burton, for being with us tonight. And thanks to the audience, too! Again, I apologize for the technical difficulties on my behalf, but I look forward to your talk tomorrow night, LeVar!
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Date: Thu Mar 6 22:02:45 EST 1997
From: LeVar_Burton
At: 152.171.2.89

I'll see you all tomorrow night -- same bat time, same bat channel! /ga
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Date: Thu Mar 6 22:03:56 EST 1997
From: OMNI_Staff
At: 152.163.233.135

To all our loyal OMNI viewers, remember to join us tomorrow when Mr. Burton will be discussing his exciting role as Geordi LaForge on STAR TREK! Same Time!
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Date: Thu Mar 6 22:04:40 EST 1997
From: Paulette
At: 204.30.67.146

The Virtual Booktour continues with LeVar Burton, who discusses his debut novel, AFTERMATH; life after "Star Trek: The Next Generation", life as Lt. Geordi LaForge, and "Reading Rainbow", as well as other projects. From 9-10pm EST.

Return to the OMNI/Warner Book Tour


Copyright (C) 1997 by Omni Publications International, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.