7/28/2019 Georg Stanford Brown interview

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BEHIND TI.IE SCENESBrown is proud todirect 'good shows'By Frank Lovece

Director Georg Sta ordBrown is no longer a rookie.He hasn't been for years. Afterhe gained prominence playingnovice cop Terry Webster in"The Rookies" (1972-76),,Brown started channeling histalents elsewhere. He's sincedirected countless episodes of"Hill Street Blues," "MiamiVice," "Dynasty" and "LouGrant," winning two Emmynominations and becoming oneof TV's top directors.

"Parting Shots," this week'scliffhanging episode of "Cag-ney & Lacey," will markBrown's fifth time directingthat series. Even though hiswife, Tyne Daly, is one of thestars, and even though Brownhas long since proven himself,he admits he still is "nervousabout directing. As soon as yousay 'cut,' you have all sorts ofquestions: Should I have donethis or that? That kind of ener-gy is a nervous energy, but,"he adds, "it's also, I'm happy to

Georg Statrford Brolvn

say, a very exciting energy."Brown's voice is a rich, easybaritoDe. "I set out to be an ac-tor," he says, "and there is alonging. Until .ecently, it'sbeen very difficult for me tocall myself a director. But I'vefound it satisfying, and it feedsme emotionally and artistical-ly; I would hate to think Iwould lose all sense of self andpurpos-e if I were not permit-ted to act."Brown still gets the chanceto act occasionally, most re-cently ilt the miniseries"North and South." Yet the 42-year-old Brown, who studiedat the American Musical andDramatic Academv beforegraduating to Nep t'ork City'sShakespeare Festival andeventual success in episodicTV, says that, "In the massmedia, the representation ofpeople of color has not beengreat."It's frustrating," he contin-ues, "to be any kind of minor-ity in this country, because ev-ery day you're constantlyreminded that you do not fitthe picture. It's easier for methan others; celebrity givesyou a little edge. But watchingtelevision gets really repulsiveat times. It's hard to acceptthat you can make a picturethat takes place in Los Angelesthat does not include, even inthe backgmund, a sample ofthe 51 percent Latino popula-tion there! When you excludethem," he adds, "you're givinga lie."With the good shows, youcan always question this, andthere is a concerted effort onthe part of some producer tochange this attitude. One of theblessings of directing," hesays, "is that I've gotten to dosome of those good shows."

Release the weekof May 25-May 31, 1986