US actor Phylicia Rashad gets taste of T&T during visit
(Trinidad Express) Hollywood actress Phylicia Rashad says Tri¬nidad is a magical place.
She was speaking during the Queen’s Royal College (QRC) and St Francois Girls’ College Calypso Showcase at QRC, Port of Spain, yesterday.
Rashad, 75, is best known for her role as Bill Cosby’s wife Clair Huxtable on the sitcom The Cosby Show, which ran from 1984 to 1992, and her appearance in NBC’s This is Us, in the Fox TV series Empire, and most recently for her role in The CAolor Purple.
Houston, Texas-¬born Rashad also appeared in Broadway projects that showcased her musical talent, such as Jelly’s Last Jam, Into the Woods, Dreamgirls and The Wiz.
She has also appeared in the Creed movies in 2015, 2018 and 2021.
In May 2021, Rashad was appointed as dean of Howard University’s Chadwick A Boseman College of Fine Arts.
Rashad told the audience at QRC yesterday that the closest she ever came to experiencing the “magic” of Trinidad was through interaction with her castmate Geoffrey Holder in the Broadway production of The Wiz.
“Years ago, in the early part of my career, I had the privilege to meet Geoffrey Holder, I think you must know who he is, an iconic artist, chore¬ographer, dancer from Trinidad who brought the magic of Trinidad to everything he did,” she said.
She described her time working with Hol¬der as the most magical experience she has had in the theatre.
“And I didn’t under¬stand until this visit why that was. This is a magi¬cal country and you must know that you are
magical people,” Rashad said.
She arrived in the country earlier this week and is being hosted by Tourism Trinidad.
On Tuesday, Rash¬ad was featured on
its Facebook page samp¬ling corn soup while enjoying pan music by Hadco Phase II Pan Groove, along with composer and arranger Len “Boogsie” Sharpe.
She also visited Cha¬guaramas on
Wed¬nes¬day where she stopped to enjoy the Bam¬boo Cathedral and met young golfers on the course.
She sampled local breakfast dishes at U-Pick Farm and interacted with fans.