Filmmaker and actor Pascal Atuma had had a chat with me over the phone just as he arrived Los Angeles from Toronto, Canada, where he had co-hosted the 10th anniversary of the Miss Africa Canada with Ghana's BET Michael Blackson which was held on Saturday, November 8; and Ghanaian Helen Obeng, a student at Ryerson University was crowned the new Miss Africa Canada 2008. The electrified event was held at the Toronto Metro Convention Center.
On the phone Pascal sounded very optimistic as he insinuates some leads are about to unfold and that another breakthrough in his career would soon be making news. The press release on Taraji P. Henson playing the lead female role on the set of "No More Bloodshed" has gone up already and scheduled to commence shooting sometime in March 2009. The movie, a Los Angeles street thriller will be produced by Pascal Atuma Productions.
Pascal who said being an actor can be challenging in many ways had told me the casting crew and all the finishing touches to the call sheet by Robi Reed & Associates would be made known as soon as the lead male character is found. Henson, who was born in Washington, D.C. and graduated from Howard University also studied electrical engineering at North Carolina A&T University but decided acting's where her talent lies.
But Henson is no newcomer to the big screen and her character had that of going with the flow which she credits to optimism and how Hollywood opens up to such characters. She's just one busy woman who will be appearing in many movies before 2009 runs out. Among them: an all star cast with Forrest Whitaker, Lil' Wayne in "Hurricane Season" and opposite Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Burton" which opens next month.
