Like fine wine that matures over time, actress Michael Hyatt has had an impressive career on stage and screen.
Preferring quality over quantity, the veteran actress, who comes across as relatable, vulnerable and sincere — all the qualities that are her strengths on screen, doesn’t have to choose perfect movies to be popular.
“It’s a matter of what is truthful and what feels right, what’s written well, who you are working with, and also what is telling the kind of story that you want to tell,” adds Michael, who selects her roles with precision.
The daughter of Jamaican actor/comedian Charles Hyatt, Michael is best known for her role as Brianna Barksdale, the sister of the notorious criminal Avon, on the television show “The Wire,” although equally notable is her Broadway performance in the stage play “Ragtime.”
Following the box-office success of the HBO drama, Michael has enjoyed more high-profile projects of varying artistic quality on shows such as “The West Wing,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “ER.”
“It [acting] was my calling in this existence. My father was an actor and my mother is an art historian, and it was who I was supposed to be in this life,” says the actress on her decision to follow in her father’s footsteps. “Acting requires a great deal of sacrifice and selfishness. The reward can be tremendous and the fall can be tremendous also, but if it is your calling, then you do it effortlessly.”
Early Beginnings
[“I was raised in a Jamaican culture, my town speaks patios and my people are Jamaican. It’s just who I am.”]
Born in England, UK, Michael spent the first ten years of her childhood in the United Kingdom, but largely identifies herself as Jamaican.
“I was raised in a Jamaican culture, my town speaks patios and my people are Jamaican. It’s just who I am, so Jamaica is very much a part of my life, and I go back quite frequently.”
Michael, who studied acting at Howard University, has worked on all entertainment mediums playing an eclectic range of characters on television and movies, but has a preference for stage plays.
“I love and miss the classics, the European classics. I spent my post graduate career doing television and film and some plays. I am not a fan of modernizing Shakespeare’s work and turning them into contemporary work. I prefer them being in the same time they existed, and I look forward to working with producers and directors, who can see men and women of African descent living in those roles and doing so convincingly.”
In her latest movie titled “Mississippi Dammed,” Michael plays one of three sisters living in rural Mississippi trying to navigate life through extreme cycles of poverty, abuse, addiction and violence. It’s a role she found particularly disturbing to play.
“The subject matter is incredibly disgusting, but it’s a real and truthful story. It’s told in a manner that cuts out a lot of bullshit and gets straight to the point. I am a fan of getting to the underbelly of things. I like to get to the story of whatever it is and get rid of the fluff. That’s exactly what this movie does,” says Michael.
Based on a true story written and directed by Tina Mabry, “Mississippi Dammed” takes place between 1986 and 1998 and centers around three children played by Malcolm David Kelly, Kylee Russell and Chastity Hammitte, who independently struggle to escape their generational circumstances.
Despite a memorable performance as Delores Peterson, mother to two of the main characters, Michael says she did little research to familiarize herself with her character.
“With writing like this, there was no research that was necessary,” she says. “It was all on the page. I trusted what was on the page and I allowed myself to go where the words were taking me. Tina writes so well that we really didn’t leave anything to chance. I had a position to play and I told Delores’ story.”
A disturbing, but unforgettable drama, which tackles taboo subjects such as incest, rape, alcoholism and homosexuality, Mabry handles the volatile material with unblinking ferocity and feeling.
Filled with flawed characters, this award-winning drama is bleak, haunting, and yet still somehow hopeful.
“Nobody comes out of this experience clean,” Michael continues. “Delores was abrasive and I certainly caused a great deal of emotional abuse to my daughter by refusing to accept her homosexuality. This movie is one person’s personal experience of the world. All I can say is that it is what it is.”
Michael, who can be seen in an upcoming episode of Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne,” is also working on a documentary titled “Fatherless,” which is still in the development stage.
“I grew up without my father and it made a difference in my life. I truly believe that when one grows up without your father, or a positive male role model in your life, it can structure your existence for better or worse,” continues Michael. “It is an issue that is barely addressed in this world, and I am not just talking about the African community as it spans every community. The documentary is still in the development stage and I am trying to raise the funds to finish it. I have shot all the footage that I need and I just need to edit and finish it.”
Michael joins the slew of British actors vying for movie roles in Hollywood, and if she’s worried about longevity in this male-dominated industry she’s certainly not letting on.
“I have heard the resentment of Brits coming over here and taking the roles of American actors. It’s the same augment that American actors have about reality television. My only answer to that is a Jamaica phrase my aunt told me: ‘what’s yours is yours and it doesn’t matter who comes in and comes out’. Everybody deserves an opportunity and there is an unlimited supply of opportunity for mankind.”
“Mississippi Dammed” is currently available on DVD.
For more information visit: www.mississippidamned.com
