Actress Lorraine Toussaint on how racial issues are portrayed on her show "Any Day Now"

CNN Moderator: Thank you for joining us today, Lorraine Toussaint, and welcome.

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The state of race relations

Lorraine Toussaint: Good morning! It's wonderful to be here!

CNN Moderator: Please tell us about the episode of "Any Day Now" that will air on March 18th.

Lorraine Toussaint: The episode is a two-part episode. It's a very provocative episode centered on a case where a young black man is accused of killing a young white man, because he was called the "n word." by that man. A fight ensues, and the young man was accidentally killed. My character, Rene Jackson, in rare form, decides to put the word itself on trial.

CNN Moderator: What are the challenges of working on a show that deals with racial issues?

Lorraine Toussaint: I don't know if it's particularly challenging, but it is thought provoking. I have had to personally question many of my beliefs based on some of the subject matter that we've tackled. Personally, as a black woman, I've had some difficult moments. There are some in the two-part episode that's coming up. We did a show on racial profiling a while back, and no matter how much I was acting, it was me laying on that sidewalk in the middle of Pasadena, which is where we shoot, with my face rubbing against that concrete and with people driving by, maybe not sure if we were making a movie, or if this was real.

Question from chat room: I would like to commend you on the realistic and intelligent black female that you portrayed in your series. Do you think there is a sufficient amount of this type of portrayal of black women in the media?

Lorraine Toussaint: I thank you so much for the compliment, first of all. I don't take those kinds of compliments for granted, because there aren't a lot of roles being offered to African American women, especially age forty and above. So, the answer is no, I don't think there are enough roles in the media like Rene Jackson. But, I'm hopeful because the fact that our show exists is testament that things are changing, and I believe the networks are paying very close attention to our little show on cable.

CNN Moderator: How do you prepare to deal with a show with moments as challenging as this?

Lorraine Toussaint: I don't know. That speaks to my process as an actress. I've been acting for so long that it's almost like breathing at this point. So, when I read a script that has difficult or highly emotional moments, be it personal or relationships -- I've had difficult moments with Bill, who was my lover in the third year -- as an actor, I immediately make an internal shift that is even hard to talk about.

Question from chat room: Lorraine, what time will the show air?

Lorraine Toussaint: I'm so excited and so proud of this episode; it's extraordinarily provocative. The two-part episode airs next week at a special time, 9 p.m., and goes to 11 p.m., so you'll see both episodes at once.

Question from chat room: What is your feeling on blacks using "the n word," especially in music?

Lorraine Toussaint: I don't always agree with it, but I certainly understand it. In some cases, artistically I can appreciate it. There are some times when I don't. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this word, and the use of it. In its historical context, and the way in which it seems to be evolving, it means lots of different things to lots of different people.

CNN Moderator: How is "Any Day Now" different than other shows that have dealt with racial issues in the past?

Lorraine Toussaint: I think we don't pull punches. It's a little bit more "in your face."

Question from chat room: Is your co-star, Annie Potts, much like her character? Have you established a friendship outside of the show?

Lorraine Toussaint: Yes, Annie is a southern girl from Kentucky. She is very much like me. We've become very good friends, which is wonderful, because we don't have to act that part anymore, of being friends. We genuinely are friends.

CNN Moderator: Where can we see the show going in the next season?

Lorraine Toussaint: Rene Jackson finally finds love! Yippee! It's been a lonely third season! It'll be a rocky road, and a fun road for our viewers. I'm starting a larger practice, I've taken on quite a few challenging associates. Lots of fun stuff!

Question from chat room: What did it mean for your show to be nominated for an Image Award by NAACP?

Lorraine Toussaint: We were very proud of that. It meant being acknowledged by one of the oldest organizations that has dedicated itself to civil and human rights. We were very proud.

CNN Moderator: What initially attracted you to working on this show?

Lorraine Toussaint: The role of Rene Jackson was the best thing that I'd seen in a long, long, long time. I fell in love with her immediately. It was so full of potential, and so fit who I am as Lorraine. I felt that no one else could play it like I could!

CNN Moderator: Do you see yourself and your character as role models for young women?

Lorraine Toussaint: I do, very much. She's a professional, caring, smart, flawed woman in process. As I like to say, we're all in process! We're all trying to figure it out as we go along. But she has a good heart.

Question from chat room: Do you see the show as having a positive impact towards opening dialogue between races, particularly women whom seem to have a harder time bridging the racial gap?

Lorraine Toussaint: I don't agree... I think women have an easier time bridging the racial gap. I think men have a harder time. Do I see this opening dialogue? Absolutely. Television has a way of giving people permission to go into areas of their lives that they wouldn't normally, and our hope is that our show does that. It facilitates a difficult conversation around the water cooler or the coffee machine, which might not normally have happened.

CNN Moderator: How significant is it that this is a show about a friendship between two women? How different do you think the show would be if about a friendship between two men?

Lorraine Toussaint: Very different. I don't think the areas we go into-- the things we cover, and the way we do it, with emotional honesty and integrity-- could be done by men. I don't think they're built that way.

Question from chat room: I loved you on Law and Order, as a lawyer. Did the fact that this is also a legal role interest you? Were you ever interested in being in the legal profession?

Lorraine Toussaint: I think if I weren't an actress, I might have made a halfway decent attorney! I like the way they think. I've become very fond of the law. I've always been an advocate for justice, which occasionally the law brings to light. They're two different animals, but yes, I'm very fond of playing an attorney. I've sort of fallen into it.

Question from chat room: I watched Annie in an interview and she said she wants to call it quits next year, will she? Please tell her no, the show is too good

Lorraine Toussaint: I'll tell her! I think she is going to call it quits. I hope she doesn't, and I'll certainly try to talk her out of it.

CNN Moderator: Some might argue that in a society that values free speech, hearing hurtful or offensive comments is unavoidable. What do you say to those that say that your program should show people how to deal successfully with that?

Lorraine Toussaint: I think our show at times does tell people how to deal with it successfully. Sometimes our show doesn't provide an answer, because to do so would be presumptuous and unrealistic. Some of these issues before us can't be answered in an hour. What we do is ask people to think, hopefully.

CNN Moderator: Are there any other projects you are working on currently?

Lorraine Toussaint: Yes. I'm producing a film for Lifetime called "Justice Denied," which is the story of Joyce Ann Brown, a woman in Texas in the '80s who was wrongfully accused of murder, and sentenced to life in prison. I'm producing that film with Eileen Kahn and Curtis Peake, who also happens to be my fiancee.

Question from chat room: Why did the writers abandon the story of Rene and a white doctor?

Lorraine Toussaint: I'm not sure! I think they were searching for a potential mate for Rene, but the second season was always about Rene's exploration of self, and they decided that Rene gets too distracted in relationships, so they took them away from me!

CNN Moderator: Do you have any final thoughts to share with us today?

Lorraine Toussaint: I want to thank the audience for their emails. We read them regularly, and what you ask for, we sometimes try to give. Keep chatting, because we're reading, and we appreciate your support and input.

CNN Moderator: Thank you for joining us today

Lorraine Toussaint: Thank you so much! It's been a wonderful pleasure, and I'm off to work!

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