David: A Shakespearean ‘At Work’

Keith David doesn’t seem like the kind of actor who gets nervous before a big debut. In fact, when he discusses his most recent film roles--in “Men at Work,” which premiered Friday, and in the upcoming “Screwface”--he exudes the steady confidence one might expect from a Julliard-trained actor who stands six-foot-two. He looks like a guy who has never had the butterflies in his life.

Well, not unless you count this thing he has coming up in September. Talk about his impending marriage, and David’s got a case of the flutters.

“This is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me,” he says, with just a touch of nerves. “Being in a good relationship does wonders for your life. My fiancee and I began to date in the summer of ‘89, and I swear, since that time, life has been much better.”

Not that David’s life sounds like it’s ever been bad. An award-winning Shakespearean actor, he’s enjoyed a string of enviable roles both on and off Broadway, including Macbeth, Othello, Oberon and Aaron the Moor. His film work includes co-starring roles in “Platoon,” “Bird” and “Always.”

David believes he--like all black actors--has a responsibility to choose his roles carefully. “Those roles that get offered to us only perpetuate the ‘white majority’ understanding of who we are,” he says--meaning he shies away from pimp and drug-dealer parts. “If we had the opportunity to be more diverse in the roles we choose, then those stereotypical roles would become less stereotypical,” he says.

“There are all kinds of mixtures in the world. I look forward to the time when we can acknowledge our differences--but celebrate our similarities.”