Michael Cherrie in the spotlight

On any given day it is not uncommon to run into Cacique Award winning actor Michael Cherrie nonchalantly wandering through Trincity Mall or casually strolling along Frederick Street, Port of Spain. But these days Cherrie has taken a path that is anything but laid-back. He is in the US working alongside Academy award winning actress Regina King (The Harder They Fall) in her upcoming movie, Shirley.

Cherrie has been cast as Conrad O Chisholm, the husband of political icon and trailblazer Shirley Chisholm (King) – the first African American woman to be elected to Congress and to run for the US presidency. He, understandably, is ecstatic.

“It is every actor's dream to nab a lead role in any production. I'm loving every minute,” he told Newsday in a phone interview.

Set in New York, the film was written and is being directed by Academy Award winner John Ridley and produced by Participant and King’s Royal Ties Productions.

Cherrie describes the experience as the most professional one he has had in his over three decades of working in the theatre and film industry.

“The Shirley script is amazing, the story itself is amazing. The production is incredibly professional at a different level to anything I’ve done before…The commitment, enthusiasm and responsible manner of everyone on set, despite the bitter cold. Everyone is always prepared in their own particular department. And the level of communication as well is excellent. Everyone is bringing their ‘A’ game…I can see it being an Oscar contender.”

He said Shirley’s influence in US politics paved the way for other women in politics. “Without what she did there would probably not have been a Hilary Clinton or a Kamala Harris in US politics.”

Cherrie’s local and international theatre and film portfolio is quite impressive, and includes his roles in productions such as The Final Passage; A Streetcar named Desire; Lobby Hero; A Raisin in the Sun; Table 17; his portrayal of Marcus Garvey at the Centre for Caribbean Studies at Trinity College’s Marcus and Amy Garvey State Visit to Hartford, Connecticut; Home Again; The Mystic Masseur (Man in the Yellow Suit); and the recent Tribeca Film Festival-selected She Paradise, directed by Maya Cozier.

He has also done TV commercials, among them a retirement fund ad for a local bank, in which he was cast as continually borrowing money from his retired parents, whom he promised to repay when he got his pension cheque.

“I had so much fun shooting that. Now I can pay back my parents, buy a house and move out,” he said with his signature hearty laugh.

But with all his talent and training, he said he never expected to get the part in Shirley when he auditioned, and it was not because he didn’t believe he could.

“You never know what the person who is casting will decide, so I never really expect to get the part whenever I audition for anything. The only expectation I have for myself is to give my best audition. I was pleasantly surprised when I got the call back.”

He told Newsday Hollywood casting director, Kim Hardin, contacted his managers about a potential opportunity. He sent out the initial audition videos and once he received the call back, he and his team poured all their energies and resources into preparing for the live call-in audition via Zoom with King and Ridley. Less than 24 hours later they were notified that he got the role.

“The whole process has been swift. From the first audition to the first day of shooting it was less than two months.” This included getting work authorisation from US immigration and getting the required vaccination.

“In order to be allowed on set I had to get one of the approved vaccines. Sinopharm, with which I was vaccinated in Trinidad, was not on the approved list, so I had to take the one shot Johnson and Johnson.”

But, he said, as talented as an artiste may be, it is always important to have good artiste mangers. Cherrie is managed by Simon Baptiste and Carolyn Pasea-Pogson of Question Mark Entertainment.

“Good management is important as it helps your career in terms of the projects you choose and the choices you make as an artiste. They have your back in terms of your contractual dealings. If you want to have your career get to a certain level, employing artiste management is going to be crucial.”

On the Shirley set Cherrie is working alongside a cast that also includes Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Christina Jackson, Dorian Missick, Amirah Vann, W Earl Brown, André Holland and Terrence Howard.

“I hope to use this opportunity to prove, as a talent born and raised on an island, that we have the capacity to deliver on any stage, but also to learn and share these experiences with others so that they too can succeed at this level."

After filming for two weeks, the cast is on a Christmas break and will resume in early January. Cherrie is spending Christmas with friends in California. “It’s as close to a Trini Christmas as I can get,” he said with a sigh.

If all goes well, he estimates filming will be finished by early February. “With any production things can happen, but that’s the estimated time for now.”

He said, as with everywhere else, covid19 has changed the way things are handled on a set. Everyone has to be tested every day or every other day, and covid compliant officers are there to make sure all safety protocols are observed.

“No one wants to get sick because just one sick person can shut down the whole production.”

Cherrie started theatre professionally in 1991. Before that, he said, he was involved in school productions and drama club at St Mary’s College from around 1986.

“Funny enough, my first professional gig was a made-for-TV film written by Horace Wilson called The Mechanics of Independence. “It was set in a classroom as a school drama. There was a scene with then prime minister ANR Robinson discussing independence.”

He said although they have different demands, theatre and film were always on the cards for him.

“Acting for stage is a good grounding, because it’s easier to move from stage to film. With theatre, once the curtain goes up you have to keep telling the story to the end. Even if you mess up you have to find a way to get back on the rails and keep the story moving. Film is a recorded medium, so you can always cut and re-take.”

But in both film and theatre, he said, you must put in the work as it relates to lines, characterisation, personal connection to the character and research.

“For me so far, the important person – the director – seems happy with what I’m bringing to the table.”

Cherrie said he appreciates the love and support he has been getting from TT since the announcement about his role in Shirley.

“TT has formed me into who and how I am as an actor. I got formal training is the US and TT, but most of my development as an actor came from working with amazing TT actors and companies in different productions. I hope it (TT) continues to form several generations of actors.”

He said the island has so much talent that could be developed, and calls on the government and corporate TT to step up to the plate.

“Support is needed not just on stage, but back stage and behind the scenes too. We have stories to tell and we have to develop productions of a certain standard. Look at how productions from Korea, Bollywood and Nollywood are being developed. There are universal standards we have to meet and it has to be onward and upward. We can’t regress because we are not going to be competitive.”

He said because of the pandemic, live theatre and the performing arts is under threat and the industry will have to learn to adapt and do what is necessary to survive.

“The pivot for live theatre is going to have to be streaming. Members of the industry have to become audio, video, IT, and social media literate to attract paying audiences. We’ve seen from the start of the pandemic how much online content we’ve had to consume, especially on Netflix.”

Shirley will air on Netflix at a date to be announced