On the Monday, March 27th edition of “Tamron Hall,” Emmy-winning actor Glynn Turman joined the show in celebration of his new documentary, “The Legend of Glynn Turman.” During the lively chat, Turman reflected on his iconic career and why he believes the groundbreaking film Cooley High remains such a powerful and emotional film nearly 50 years after it was released. He also opened up about his first marriage to Aretha Franklin, what it was like to work with Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Sally Field in his new movie 80 for Brady, and how he became the “pin-up” boy for Beyoncé’s 2021 Ivy Park denim collection campaign.
Tamron also welcomed musician Samara Joy to discuss her sophomore album, Linger Awhile which recently won her two Grammy Awards including Best New Artist, marking the first time since 2011 that a Jazz vocalist was awarded that honor.
Glynn Turman on starring in the iconic film Cooley High and why the story was so powerful:
In response to Tamron asking, “Do you cry like the rest of us [when you watch Cooley High]? I can watch it today and I cry like I did the first time I saw it. What was it – not just about the score – but about the story?” Turman shared, “It showed a part of our journey as a Black people that we were proud to share with the rest of the world. It shows that the gangsters in the show, in the hood, were people that we knew. They had mothers, they had fathers, they had brothers so that they were not just who the news media portrayed them to be.”
Glynn Turman on how he became the “pin-up” boy for Beyonce’s denim line:
“Tina [Knowles-Lawson] says ‘Beyoncé, why don’t you ask Glynn to help you finish the piece that you’re not —[that] you haven’t finished.’ And I said, ‘what? What are you talking about B?’ We call her B…She says, ‘Well, I’m not happy with the way it has turned out. I need someone who can ride [a horse] – a female who can ride— but has to look good to model some of the other clothing. I said ‘Well, our granddaughter, she used to be a model and she’s a cowgirl, you know?’ She said…I said, ‘Well, come out to the ranch and we can finish it off. So they did. They showed up with a whole crew.” When asked if he knew he would be in the campaign, Turman replied, ‘No. I wasn’t supposed to…I thought I was just going to stand around and help shovel up the horse crap. That’s what I was there for, you know? But Tina Lawson, she said, ‘Glynn why don’t you try on this jumpsuit?’ So I said ‘try on a jumpsuit?’” He continued, “The next thing I know, I’m the pin-up boy for Beyoncé…at 76 years old.”
