DeAara Lewis
"I will not wait on Hollywood to tell me when I am good enough," is a phrase people often hear DeAara say when she speaks about her films and her career. Early on she decided she wasn't going to wait on anybody to give her a break, she was going to create it for herself.
DeAara Lewis began acting at the tender age of five at the Memphis Children's Theatre. At age seven, she wrote her first short story entitled, "Kim and the Magic Wand." Her grandmother was so impressed with the story, she took it to a publisher who read it and encouraged DeAara to continue writing.
Throughout elementary and junior high, DeAara would write many plays and short stories. Her classmates were DeAara's first audience, since often times her teachers allowed her to read the stories to her class. During these years, she also honed her acting skills and became a professional actress at age fifteen by winning the coveted role of Beneatha in a regional production of "A Raisin in the Sun." She won raves reviews from the audience and local critics.
She went on to compete in acting competitions in high school developing a reputation as a powerhouse performer and won state championships her sophomore, junior and senior year. Her niche was Dramatic Interpretation where she was required to portray a minimum of two characters simultaneously.
It was during this time that her passion and love for writing and acting began to reveal their true calling. During her senior year, DeAara read an article in People Magazine entitled, "Hollywood Black Out" which exposed the dismal reality of lack of work and representation for African-American actors in Hollywood.
She instantly made the decision that in order to play the type of powerhouse and diverse roles she had grown to love, she was going to have to write and produce them herself. She enrolled at the film program at the University of Memphis and three years later, graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Film and Video Production.
Shortly after graduation, DeAara wrote, directed, produced and starred in her first independent short film entitled, "The Forgotten Ones." The story centered around a narrow-minded religious fundamentalist who, on the eve of a trial that could make or break her career, is visited by two women who threaten to destroy her reputation with a dark secret.
Her controversial and bold style of story telling was just starting bud with "The Forgotten Ones." And it paid off. It sold out on it's opening night, has played in numerous festivals and won an honorable mention in Women of Color Film Festival in New York City. It has also been acquired by the University of Denver's Psychology Department as a training tool.
Following her success with "The Forgotten Ones", DeAara wrote, produced, directed and co-starred in her debut independent feature film, "Tricks."
Tricks, an urban drama/comedy, tells the story of five Memphis prostitutes, their enterprising madam and the struggles of each to not only survive, but thrive in an industry that's deemed immoral and taboo.
Like "The Forgotten Ones", "Tricks" consistently showcases DeAara's rebellious, unapologetic craft of story-telling laced with powerhouse performances that has become her trademark.
The film created such a strong buzz in the Memphis community, that when it opened at the Indie Memphis Film Festival, there was standing room only. The film sold out two nights in a row and was selected as one of the Editor's Picks at the Memphis Flyer Newspaper. The film also received acclaim from Commercial Appeal Film Critic, John Beifuss, the Tri-State Defender and Neosoulville.com.
"Tricks" went on to play at the Hollywood Black Film Festival to a packed house and received warm praise from acclaimed director and cinematographer Jeff Byrd, "The B.A.M.N. Squad" and "King's Ransom."
It was during this time and after talking to prominent film consultant Peter Broderick, she decided to self-distribute "Tricks." Much like how she chose to produce her own films is how she chose to market her own films...at least initially.
"I have been turned so many different ways by people who don't understand the story or my market." DeAara stated, "Tricks is a unique story because the women who are courtesans are not size 2's or 0's. And in Hollywood, unless you look like a Bobble-head, you are pretty much getting the door slammed in your face or advised to go on extreme diets to look like something that isn't real, natural or healthy."
She states that she is proud of her size and wants to celebrate women who are fuller figured. "Courtesans back in the day were not skinny. Look at any of their pictures and very few them were skinny. Furthermore, I am an actress and I know a lot of women who look like me. I want to represent that sector. We fall in love, we laugh, we cry. More than that, men fall in love with us!
We have just as much sex appeal as the skinny ones. We come from all walks of life and do all types of things - we are models, judges, accountants, teachers, FBI and CIA Agents, doctors, wives, sisters and mothers...and we are not size 2's like the way it is constantly portrayed in movies and television." DeAara is thankful for actresses like Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, and Monique who are breaking the barrier but believes the industry still has a long way to go. "My dream and mission are for women of color who are fuller figured to constantly see images of themselves in leading roles that don't have anything to do with their weight or color."
The up and coming director and actress also acknowledges that her film has been met with resistance by companies who don't feel comfortable promoting a film that humanizes prostitution. " 'Tricks' isn't a preachy film showing women trying to get out of the lifestyle. It is showing the hearts, souls, pains and joys of women who just happen to be prostitutes. And as result, is a bolder, much richer story."
;
..
