Show 10— The Herald JournalCache Sunday July 30 1986 MknilyN Beck's Hollywood Gregory Hines learns balance - HOLLYWOOD Gregory Hinei wanted a drink of water “There were two fountains side by wasn’t consciously aware of racial side One said ’Colored’ and one said prejudice until he was 11 years old ’White’ Naturally I didn’t want the a gently and casuThe actor-danccolored water I wanted the dear ally elegant man who sports an inconand in one ear regular water I left the line and got gruous dangling earring a startlingly narrow waistline beneath about three feet and I think half the line g shoulders says with a ran over and stopped me and said 'No smile that he is not sure how his parents no no That's not ours’ At that moment I figured everything out succeeded in hiding bigotry from him “I remember I didn’t fed hurt and I “I grew up in New York where prejudicie is less obvious and my didn’t feel angry I just thought it was parents didn’t have any kind of bitter ridiculous’’ Still and all prejudice has remained anger They just continued to infuse my experience for brother and me with positive things mostly a second-han-d Hines — which made his role last year about ourselves’’ as the American dancerdefector in But in 1857 the veil lifted Y "White Nights’’ with Mikhail Hines had already been in show hi ness for eight years and he and his Baryshnikov a considerable challenge brother were appearing in a “Cotton “It was very difficult to say a lot of Club" revue with the legendary Cab those bad things about America because Callaway in Miami Beach where black I didn’t feel that way I feel positive I performers were required to live in a fed good I feel encouraged” Hines who’s been drawing strong segregated section of town and carry critical approval in his police permits when on hotel property With the rest of the Cotton Club teaming with Billy Crystal in MGM’s troupe he was standing in line at the “Running Scared” maintains an oppolice station (“I don’t know how my timistic albdt practical attitude about mother explained to me why we needed the place of the black performer “I feel there’s a real energy in films those police cards”) when he decided he er strong-lookin- big-scre- en now where people are sympathetic to ides being interchangeable just get- ting the best actor” His part as the maverick cop in ’’Running Scared” was “written white” as were the roles Hines played in “Deal of the Century" and “Wolfen” — although neither of those is among his favorite films Imbued with the wort ethic Hines passion just “to be employed’’ and is not passive about his pursuit of roles “I think it’s incumbent upon me as an artist to be aggressive” has a neat His campaign to star in “Cotton Club” is becoming part of industry folklore “I just instituted a reign of terror on (producer) Robert Evans I called him up every day I went to Us house I had my agent hounding him I knew the part had been offered to Richard Pryor but I knew he was committed elsewhere so I fdt it was a good idea to be persistent” He's happy he won the role despite “Cotton Club’s” commercial and critical failure He’s also happy that now with “Running Scared” in release he’s returning to Broadway this fall to star in “Jelly Lord” a musical based on the life of Jelly Roll Morton For Hines it is a time of contentment and the challenge of juggling career and family “I’m happiest when I can lead a idea existence” he says lting Us second wife pro ducer Pamela Koslow as “the one who has been instrumental in keeping my feet on the ground All I have to do is go home after giving a lot of interviews like this talking about myself and die says “I’ll talk about anything but you and I’ll appreciate it if you take the cred-itric- al garbage out”' It is a balance Hines treasures “I didn’t even know about vacations until I met Pamela She came from a regular life The first U years I was in show business my brother and I weren't very successful we were grinding it out If I wasn’t working I was looking for a job She’s turned me on to real life” Real life with Pamela includes his daughter Daria 16 Pamela’s daughter Jessica 14 and their son Zachary He reveals “I had a period when I split up with my first wife and I went through a drug thing I moved out here to California and I was a Uppie I was never strung out but I was experimenting There were people with me who didn’t get out It turned out to be a positive thing becaue I learned some control and I met Pamela We were hippies together “Before I moved out here I had been taken care of by my mother and my first wife and my manager and my agent and my publicist I didn't know how to take care of myself So I’ve had a lot of help And timing — there’s no way to explain timing” Hines a Tony nominee for “Eubie” “Cornin’ Uptown” and “Sophisticated Ladies” started dancing at the age of 2 — and that art still remains an integral part of his life Although dancing for Hines is like the proverbial bike riding one never forgets the actor admits to feeling new pressure when he turned 40 last year “I said to myself 'Gee this is middle age There’s no question about it I’m a middle-age- d tap dancer”’ Ironically Billy Crystal became a healthful influence “When we got into ‘Running Scared’ together Billy started to work out because he wanted to look bigger I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could so I started to work out too even though I was trying to gain weight” Crystal became for him a friend as well Hines wants to work with him again and speaks of his “Running Scared” with respect “It was one of those instances where I really understood chemistry I’ve had it with women with Lonette McKee in ‘Cotton Club’ but it’s the first time I’ve felt that immediate thing with an actor Once we started shooting I fell in love with the co-st- ar guy” He believes that chemistry translates to the screen “You see the good time we had making the movie and the good feelings we had toward each other are the screen” It is an assessment with which the on Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal in "Running Scared" critics agree e iw Tribune Media services inc A |