On Sept. 18, the first major event of this year’s Bryan Series brought together three veteran actors: Louis Gossett Jr., Jane Seymour, and Kathleen Turner. The heart of the matter was not Paris Hilton or Britney Spears, but social service, one of Guilford’s unofficial core values.
Seymour, a contestant on this season’s Dancing with the Stars, sat in an elegant posture stage left. Turner, voice of the seductive Jessica Rabbit, emitted a contagious energy as she laughed boisterously in her seat, stage right. Gossett, winner of an Emmy, Academy Award and Golden globe, sat casually between the two ladies.
The moderator began by asking how the actors’ professions contributed to their social change efforts.
“I really believe everyone should do what they can do,” said Seymour. “When you have a voice that can reach many people, you should use it to bring their attention to a positive cause.”
Seymour’s response led the moderator to ask, “should a celebrity take a political stand once they have a platform?”
Turner, chairperson for Planned Parenthood of America, warned that celebrities tend to unintentionally influence people.
“What I say and do in my own life is separate from my work . I feel when the two mix, it creates a sort of propaganda,” said Turner.
Seymour announced that she is careful to conceal her political stance, preferring to associate her name with issues, such as child abuse for which she is an activist, instead of candidates.
Gossett, who runs the Shomba Center, a mentorship program for youth, believed that concealing your vote was irresponsible.
“We have a duty to tell what we think,” said Gossett. “Whether you agree or not is different. We travel all over the country and the world. We see things that you guys can’t see.”
The moderator then asked if the actors’ passions for social change stemmed from their careers or were instilled earlier. The three actors agreed that service was instilled in them first and they began to discuss the need to impart the duties of service to following generations.
Turner remembers learning as a child that service was a step to enhancing communities.
Seymour shared that she prefers service because volunteers can see the benefits of their labor. Often it is hard to ensure that donations actually reach the intended benefactors, an indication as to why Seymour has discreetly removed her name from organizations she was once affiliated with.
Gossett advised that donor’s search foundations’ budgets since that information is available to the public.
“If more than $0.80 of $1 is spent on the organization itself, don’t do it,” said Gossett.
As the evening concluded and the crowd departed the auditorium, fans made their way to a private room reserved for book signings. Gossett, Seymour, and Turner, who have balanced their efforts for social change with their careers in performing arts, encouraged students at Guilford who strive to maintain service and academic commitments.
“Without sounding cliché, they are like role models, proof that it is possible to integrate personal endeavors and service work, providing opportunities for growth and social change,” said sophomore Bonner Scholar Darius Askew.