Lorraine Toussaint

“If I’m not paying a price to play the role, then it’s really not worth it.”

ONE THING IS CERTAIN ABOUT GREAT ACTORS, THEY CAN’T BE PIGEONHOLED. “I may indeed be perceived as a character actor, but I just think of myself as an actress premiering February 7 on CBS. A reboot of the ’80s series and film franchise starring Denzel Washington, this version reimagines the role of McCall as a Black female spy who uses her skills to help others. “I’ve been an actress for quite a long time, so it’s exciting to see these roles available to Black women.” Toussaint’s resume reads like that of an actress who refuses to be defined: from the evil prison boss on (“I went really far out there psychologically as an actor on that one”) to the groundbreaking series about race relations in the new South Toussaint is the definition of range no matter how difficult the material. But to her, that’s part of the job. “At this point in my career if I’m not paying a price to play the role, then it’s really not worth it.”