Born Kentucky, but raised in Georgia, Keith Robinson is a
dynamic and multi-talented actor/singer/songwriter who can be seen on
the new FOX drama premiering in April called ’Canterbury's Law.’ The
show is a courtroom drama starring Julianna Margulies as an iconoclastic
defense attorney who's willing to bend the law in order to protect the
wrongfully accused. Keith plays Chester Grant, a congressman's son who's
embarrassed by his privileged upbringing and has turned his back on
politics. The show premieres on FOX in April 2008.
Keith is probably best known for the role of C.C. White in the screen
adaptation of
Dreamgirls. Keith also performed ’Patience,’ an Oscar-nominated song
from the film with
Jennifer
Hudson, Beyonc’
and Anika Noni Rose Patience at last year's Academy Awards. Earlier, he
played
Bill Cosby in the 2004 hit film Fat Albert.
On television, he met with success in recurring roles on the NBC drama
’American Dreams' and FX's critically-acclaimed Iraq war series, ’Over
There.’ He won a 2006 Camie (Character and Morality in Entertainment)
Award for his stellar work in ’The Reading Room,’ an original Hallmark
movie starring James Earl Jones.
Youngsters might recognize him as the Green Ranger of the Mighty Morphin
Power Rangers. And most recently, Keith enjoyed a supporting role in the
new holiday classic film This Christmas for Sony Screen Gems.
When not on the set, Keith can be fund in the recording studio working
on his first solo album, Utopia, which will be released sometime this
Summer. The passionate crooner is very excited to be bringing his unique
brand of R&B to his fans.
Keith Robinson - The Canterbury's Law Interview
with Kam Williams
KW: Hi Keith, thanks for the time.
KR: Thank you, thanks for having me.
KW: What interested you in Canterbury's Law?
KR: It was an edgy law drama that had a unique spin on how they
solved the cases.
KW: You play the son of a congressman on the series. Tell me a little
about your character.
KR: His name is Chester Grant. He's a young, focused hotshot
lawyer who's eager to make his mark, somewhat like a young Johnny
Cochran. His father is a well-off, crooked politician and they bump
heads a lot.
KW: How did you prepare for the role?
KR: I did some reading and watched a lot of episodes of ’Matlock’
and law shows.
KW: How is working on a TV series different from working on a movie?
KR: A movie is a more creative process. You are not as pressed
for time. On a TV series you have more time deadlines and it can be
routine, a good routine, but routine.
KW: Your breakout role, I suppose, was as the Green Power Ranger. Do
little kids come up to you on the street because of the Mighty Morphin
Power Rangers?
KR: Little kids do come up to me, but I do not consider that to
be my breakout role. I would consider my breakout role to be Dreamgirls.
KW: So are you recognized more as C.C. White from Dreamgirls or as the
Green Ranger?
KR: Definitely CC. White.
KW: Were you at all intimidated being surrounded by such a star-studded
cast in
Dreamgirls, since it included
Jennifer,
Beyonc’,
Eddie Murphy,
Jamie Foxx,
Danny Glover,
Loretta
Devine,
Jaleel ’Urkel’ White and others?
KR: No. I felt like I was just as qualified. I was honored, but
not intimidated.
KW: I know that your debut CD is going to drop this summer. How would
you describe the music?
KR: Classic soul with a fuze of hip-hop.
KW: Where can fans go to hear a sample of your singing?
KR: To iTunes, where they can download the single ’Red Eye.’ Or
they can visit my MySpace page at
www.myspace.com/Keithrobinsonofficial
KW: Which do you enjoy more, singing or acting?
KR: I love them both equally.
KW: The
Columbus Short question: Are you happy?
KR: Yes, overall.
KW: The ’Realtor to the Stars' Jimmy Bayan question: Where in L.A. do
you live?
KR: I live in The Valley, Chino.
KW: The bookworm
Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
by Sidney Poitier Born in Miami 1927 and raised in the Bahamas, Poitier began acting after the war, and soon made his debut in Hollywood with No Way Out. He became the first black actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor. In 1968 he was knighted by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II and is the recipient of four honorary doctorate degrees, the last from New York University. He has starred in over forty films, directed nine, and written four. He has received three Golden Globe Awards; an American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award; the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award; and the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, among many other awards and honors. In April 1997 Poitier was named the Ambassador to Japan from the Bahamas. Sir Poitier is currently president and CEO of Verdon Cedric Productions. He is married, has six daughters, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. |
KR: I just finished Sidney Poitier's autobiography, The
Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography.
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you ever afraid?
KR: Yeah.
KW: Is there a question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone
would?
KR: What do you want to be remembered for?
KW: Okay, what do you want to be remembered for?
KR: I want to be remembered as someone who tried to make good on
their God given talent and wasn't afraid to chase their dreams.
KW: When did you know you know you wanted to be in showbiz?
KR: I think when I was 8 years old. I did a play where I played a
rhino and I really dug it. It was on from there.
KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your
footsteps?
KR: Never stop believing in yourself, and don't let anyone
discourage you.
KW: Do you answer your fan mail?
KR: Yes, as much as I can.
KW: Thanks again for the interview, Keith, and best of luck with all
your endeavors.
KR: Thank you.
Related Links
Keith Robinson The “Get on Up” Interview (July 2014)