That Celebrity Interview: The Haves And The Have Nots

By Valder Beebe

It was a delight to interview the stars Angela Robinson and Renee Lawless of Tyler Perry’s long-running hit series, THE HAVES AND THE HAVE NOTS as the series comes to a dramatic conclusion after eight seasons. Among African American women it is cable TV’s highest-rated series.

Tyler Perry’s hit drama The Haves and the Have Nots chronicles the scandalous lives of the Cryer, Harrington and Young families living in Savannah, Georgia and will conclude after eight seasons and 196 episodes. Final episodes of the series (which has been 2021’s most-watched cable series among African American women) began airing June 1 on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. In the final season, Judge Jim Cryer (John Schneider) and his wealthy friends find out what happens when personal flaws go unchecked. Just like a true- to-life Greek tragedy, karma has not been kind to the elite one-percenters.

In the Valder Beebe Show studios Angela Robinson, dubbed the Ice Queen of primetime television, she has been praised by critics and fans for her portrayal of the cruel and cold-hearted Veronica Harrington. Known for her precise, controlled performances and award-winning performances in television and theatre, the Florida A&M University alum is the recipient of various accolades, including the Gracie Awards for Outstanding Female Actor. She made a name for herself on and off Broadway and on stages throughout the US and abroad including starring roles in The Color Purple, Wonderful Town and Bells Are Ringing.

Also my guest, Renée Lawless plays Kathryn Cryer, the bitter and distant matriarch of the Cryer family and the wife of John Schneider’s character, Jim Cryer. A seasoned theater actress, Lawless recently performed with the Broadway national tour of Wicked and also appeared on Broadway in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Robinson & Lawless publicists provided text in conjunction with the Valder Beebe Show

VBS: Renee, what’s been your best experience with the Tyler Perry long running series?

RL: Working with the best actors in the industry, the best writers and cast. We don’t have all day for me to tell you about the best experience of my career.

VBS: Renee your character Kathryn Cryer when I first started watching was soft and pliable. Now the audience is calling you distant and bitter. What do you think?

RL: Kathryn has been to jail and just wants to get out and get on with her life. Other than that I don’t understand the title.

VEB: Angela, Let’s focus on your character, she is being compared to Dominque Deveraux (Dynasty) what are your thoughts about the characters evaluation?

AR: I’ll take being compared to Dominque. I’ve always thought of the character in that realm. As the show ends the viewers will have a chance to…….

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