'Homicide's' commanding presence page 2
Still, for a television show set in Baltimore -- a majority black city governed by high-profile, black mayor Kurt Schmoke -- choosing black actors to play homicide cops
seems less daring than realistic. Clashes between police and the
black community in Baltimore seldom make the network news, as
they do in Los Angeles and New York. Yet no one doubts that tensions exist.
"We haven't gotten down to that on the show," Kotto says. "We don't get into the sexism and racism that you find inside any police department or to show to the racist attitude of cops on the force. To dramatize anything that is close to reality today, we almost have to come close to the Mark Fuhrmans."
Homicide's inability -- or unwillingness -- to grapple with racism frustrates Kotto. "The show isn't as concerned with issues as I'd like to see it," he says. Likewise, he feels his character hasn't been fleshed out. "We have to know where Giardello hangs his hat," he says, "what church he goes to, how he looks upon homosexuals...We don't know what his heartaches are. We don't know what racism he has to put up with."
We do know some of it. Last season, when Giardello was set up for a blind date with a beautiful, light-skinned black woman, he ended up hurt and angry when she rejected him because of his dark, African features. This subplot was Kotto's idea, drawn directly from his life.
My entire experience in my 20s was with Caucasian women. I never knew what it was to be dated by a black woman. I don't think Caucasian women care what race you are or how light you are. Black women do and they let me know it.
"I was not able to attract a lighter-skinned black woman to my life, or even a black woman throughout the '70s," he says. "They perceived me to be too ethnic-looking and not Caucasian- looking enough. My entire experience in my 20s was with Caucasian women. I never knew what it was to be dated by a black woman. I don't think Caucasian women care what race you are or how light you are. Black women do and they let me know it. We used to have a saying, 'If you're light, you're all right; if you're brown, hang around; if you're black, stay back.' Obviously, I did a lot of staying back."
He's not having to stay back much these days, though. Kotto is co-starring with Sandra Bullock in the upcoming Warner Bros. romantic comedy Two If By Sea, due in February. And he's written a book on his West African roots, Royalty, based on 15 years of research into his family's history in Cameroon.
Kotto is also rethinking the way he plays Giardello, in part, because the spectacle of the O.J. Simpson trial personally touched his life. As a friend of Simpson's sister, Shirley Baker Simpson, for over 10 years, Kotto spoke with her often during the trial and read her diary of the experience. Out of their talks and her diary grew an idea for a pilot for a new TV drama which they have co-authored called Baltimore Courts.
"I'm a little more aware of the humanity of the people who wear these uniforms and are behind these badges," Kotto adds. "After seeing some of Shirley's observations, I have to say, there's racism on both sides. There are good black officers and bad black officers. It's not just the Mark Fuhrmans. I'd like to see more of that show up on Homicide."