Alfre Woodard says The Porter's Black talent has 'opened up the windows so that Canada can know itself'
In a Q interview, the actor praised the work of the show’s largely Black cast and crew
Click the play button below to listen to Tom Power's full conversation with Alfre Woodard on the latest episode of The Q Interview podcast.
When Alfre Woodard heard a new series was being developed about Canada's Pullman porters, she jumped at the opportunity to join the project.
"We've all been waiting for a project about the porters," Woodard told Q's Tom Power in an interview. "I remember first coming to L.A., and Sidney Poitier, [he was] trying to get a porters story made. So it is so much a part of Black — just not even history; it's like Black family — stories passed on through the generations. And it's something that's never come to the screen."
The new CBC and BET drama series The Porter focuses on the plight of Black railway porters and the eventual creation of North America's first Black labour union. In addition to starring on the show, Woodard also serves as an executive producer.
WATCH | Alfre Woodard's full interview with Tom Power:
The groundbreaking series aims to rectify a blind spot in Canadian history, providing audiences with a rare dramatization of the injustices and triumphs of this country's Black diaspora. According to Woodard, the biggest challenge in getting the story on screen is that "no entity wanted to bankroll it."
"To bring a story that shows the humanity, the ingenuity, the work ethic of Black people was just never something that the power structure thought deserved to be not only in the centre of the frame, but even on the screen at all," the veteran actor said. "I give all respect to CBC and BET+ for recognizing the value of it."
Black railway porters, who attended to passengers who were mostly white, were notoriously underpaid and overworked despite the importance of their contributions. Woodard emphasized their contributions to Black communities in particular, citing that as the reason she was drawn to the project in the first place.
"They basically established the middle class of Black North Americans," she told Power. "They took the news, whatever the news was; they linked us the way the internet links us all now. The porters knew what was going on in every community."
'We've done our job as the children of the diaspora'
Beyond featuring an all-Black lead cast, The Porter also boasts a largely Black Canadian creative team, including writers Marsha Greene and Annmarie Morais, directors Charles Officer and R.T. Thorne, and co-creator Arnold Pinnock.
Woodard praised the show's cast and crew for honouring the work and sacrifices of their ancestors, who strived for a better life. "I know we've done our job as the children of the diaspora," she said.
"I can just go down that crew list from The Porter — there are the children of Black folk from everywhere. They came to Canada at some point just like white folks came to Canada from somewhere.… When I say you've done your job, we opened up the windows so that Canada can know itself and know who came before."
For Woodard, film and television is more than entertainment, it's "a bridge to action" that can create real-world change. She said she loves that the internet and streaming services have democratized storytelling, allowing more people to understand their interconnectedness.
"[Storytelling is] always meant for the healing and operates as a healing force for the tribe — now we recognize we're a global tribe," she said.
"We got lights and cranes and all that kind of stuff and are spending stupid amounts of money to get it made, but it still is for the healing of the nations.… Now yes, you're bringing the sacred storytelling in the secular, the most secular place you can imagine — the meat market, the money table — but if we all stayed away, it would belong to all of them."
When asked what she hopes audiences see when they watch The Porter, Woodard responded that she simply wants people to sit down somewhere comfortable with a snack or drink and take it all in.
"Talk about not knowing what you're missing until you get it! To see all of these hues of Black people in the centre of the frame moving and talking is just like finding out there's more than four flowers," she said. "I just want folks to watch. And if you watch, well, you know, you got to tell other people because you can't keep this good news to yourself."
Written by Vivian Rashotte. Produced by Ben Edwards.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
