Inspiring Women : November 2020

the play as we performed and so I was grateful that they left and we still got our nightly standing
ovation. It actually brought the cast even closer together. They were the most loving, supportive
group of people who thought what had happened was disgusting. They had never experienced
anything like that before. And I was like how cool is that, we all experienced it together because I had
never experienced anything like that before either. Interesting. That was in 1998. It’s now 2020 and
unbelievably I still have to deal with Germans who use the N-word, saying it is part of their culture!
How are the stereotypes to change if they pass it on to their children? It’s a never ending cycle.
In December 2002 I was offered a role in South Africa for a made for TV film for the German network
ARD. My husband was on tour, so I had to decide whether to do this with my son who was less than
a year old at the time. The idea of going to South Africa to work on a film was pretty exciting and the
production company offered to get a nanny for my son, so I took the job.
South Africa is such a beautiful country, with an extremely diverse people and culture. I found myself
with a great role that was fascinating to develop, but at the same time it was challenging. Some of the
locations were in the townships. After working there during the day, and seeing all of the images of
poverty, depravation and people in need, I could return to my five star, luxury hotel where the cook
was preparing food just for my baby son. When I lost my voice a doctor was immediately sent to my
hotel to treat me, while people in the township had little to eat and no medical services. That was
really hard for this girl from Jamaica. My heart was breaking, while trying not to taint the image of the
role that I was playing.
A Few Final Thoughts
As well as my acting I’ve always volunteered at my children’s school, helping the children reading,
sometimes preparing for a play. The Meisner acting technique teaches you just that . . to listen to
your partner getting out of your head. It’s important to have the capability to listen to what the
children are saying, feeling and needing.
For the last four years I’ve also been a Girl Scout volunteer, for two of those a co-leader. Sometimes
the girls are tired and weary but we the leaders have something we want to do with them. I think
because of my acting training, I am better able to judge what the girls need in the moment, and then
adjust accordingly.
My family is very
important to me:
my husband
Dietmar, my son
Joshua and my
daughter Nisha.
Each one of them is
a rock in my life, but
when you put them
together, they are
an unstoppable
boulder. Whatever I
decide to do in life
they support me
unconditionally.
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Christmas with my family: daughter Nisha, son Joshua and husband Dietmar