Chad L. Coleman (Photo by Benjo Arwas)
Known for his roles as Dennis “Cutty” Wise on the HBO series “The Wire,” Tyreese Williams on AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” and more recently as an alien life form by the name of Klyden on Fox’s “The Orville” and Col. Frederick Lucius Johnson on Syfy’s “The Expanse,” Richmond-born actor Chad L. Coleman has been keeping busy.
However, he still makes time to give back, and when fellow Richmond native and longtime friend Tamika Lamison called to ask him to star in a film project for the Make a Film Foundation, a nonprofit that grants “film wishes” to seriously ill children (read more about the project in our recent Sunday Story), he didn't hesitate to take part. The foundation assisted 16-year-old Anthony Conti, who lost his battle with stage 4 adrenal cortical cancer in early 2017, to bring his screenplay, “The Black Ghiandola,” to life.
The film will be screened during the Richmond International Film & Music Festival on Saturday, April 28, at 1:50 p.m. at The Byrd Theatre. Both Lamison and Coleman will be present at the screening.
“I think [the film is] emblematic of the power of the Make a Film Foundation," Coleman says. "[Conti] had so many people coming behind him in this profound way to tell this story of victimization to empowerment. This kid galvanized Hollywood. He really did.”
Coleman believes Conti’s film will remain his legacy and is an empowering story. “What I’ve learned though was in the midst of all this pain, this young man was courageous enough to create art and use art as a means of expression," he says. "In spite of what this young man was going through, look at what he was able to do. Each of us need to negotiate that question on some level: What am I leaving behind, what did I do with my life?”
Following the screening of “The Black Ghiandola” on April 28 will be a screening of the drama “Last Life,” which Lamison produced and stars in and Coleman associate produced. The film follows two reincarnated African-American spirits who have been returning as different people since the inception of slavery and have now had enough with modern-day America, deciding to make their most recent reincarnation their “Last Life.”
“It’s latent with wonderful Buddhist principals, and that’s how I live my life today,” Coleman says, adding that the film’s plot corresponds with the social issues of today.
Giving back is something that’s engrained in Coleman. In addition to participating in the Make a Film Foundation, he also returns to Richmond annually for the Date With Dad event. He serves as the national celebrity spokesperson for the program, which fosters father-daughter relationships and is hosted by Camp Diva, a Richmond-based program of the nonprofit Girls for a Change, and he frequently volunteers his time with underprivileged children.
Coleman's first home was in Richmond’s Fairfield Court, and after a cooking fire started accidentally by his 7-year-old brother, he ended up in foster care along with his four siblings. Coleman says he’s forever grateful to his foster parents, George and Lottie Byrd. “My story began with an act of kindness by strangers, and it changed my life.”
Coleman says he finds inspiration from his brother, Donald Coleman, a pastor who resides in Richmond and was formerly a member of the Richmond School Board, holding the 7th District seat. “He’s always shaped that aspect of my life, and it was never just to be successful, it was always just to help other people, and I believe I get that from him as well.”
Coleman is looking forward to his Richmond visit. “Everyone should come on out to the [Richmond International Film & Music Festival] screening and meet me and shake hands, just come on out and let’s catch up.”
The Richmond International Film & Music Festival continues through Sunday, April 29. Tickets to “The Black Ghiandola” and “Last Life” screening are $10. For more information, visit rvafilmfestival.com.
