Award-winning actor, writer, and director Roger Guenveur Smith was in Detroit recently for three solo performances at The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History’s newly renovated theater. The one-man plays pay homage to Frederick Douglass, Otto Frank and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Smith’s one-man shows are kicking off the premiere of “The Wright Performances,” a curated collection of events featuring dynamic performers chosen by The Charles H. Wright Museum’s President & CEO Neil Barclay. 

Best known for his collaborations with Spike Lee and roles in movies like “Do The Right Thing,” “Malcolm X,” and ” American Gangster,” Smith joined American Black Journal contributor Cecelia Sharpe of 90.9 WRCJ to talk about the major role literature has played in his life and his collaborations with filmmaker Spike Lee.

In an extended interview with Sharpe, Smith also takes us on a trip down memory lane, recounting his introduction to the world of acting, his three solo performances, and the moving inspiration from his dear friend, the late Jean-Michel Basquiat. Watch the extended interview here.

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Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit PBS, WTVS-Channel 56.