Tony Winner, Sitcom Star Ralph Now Sets Her Sights on Movies

Sheryl Lee Ralph has already conquered Broadway--winning a Tony nomination for her performance in the 1981 landmark musical “Dreamgirls”--and headlined two sitcoms, “It’s a Living” and “New Attitude.”

Now she is making her bid for movie stardom.

The actress is starring opposite Danny Glover in Charles Burnett’s critically acclaimed first feature, “To Sleep With Anger,” as a materialistic wife and mother whose life changes when an old family friend (Glover) meddles with the relationships among a family.

“I got a review from somebody,” says Ralph, “and they said I was ‘intelligently sexy.’ And I said, ‘ Yeah, that’s it.’ It’s a wonderful thing to be able to combine those two things not only in life, but in film.”

The actress also has won the coveted starring role in “Romuald and Juliette,” the American remake of the French farce, “Mama, There’s a Man in Your Bed,” about a married white executive who falls in love with his company’s black cleaning woman.

Difficulties in casting the male lead have pushed production into 1991. “I would be hard pressed to say why they haven’t found an actor,” says Ralph.

But she says someone told her it was a race issue: “It just made me see that women are further down on the totem pole than we thought. I said (to the person), ‘You mean to tell me that people are entertaining the idea that the reason why a white leading male actor would not take this role is because I am an upcoming black female actress?’ If that is not one of the most sexist, racist things ever said to me, I don’t know what else to say about the industry or the nation I live in--both of which I love so deeply.”