'Look to your elders': Alfre Woodard shares her secret to Hollywood longevity

Alfre Woodard recalls acting in her first teenage play in Tulsa, describing the feeling as being tipped into water after walking on dry land. She credits acting with giving her open freedom and pursued it after college at Boston University by moving to Los Angeles. Her career includes notable TV and film roles such as Hill Street Blues, Cross Creek, Crooklyn, and 12 Years a Slave. In the Netflix series The Boroughs, she plays Judy, a former journalist living in an upscale retirement community where something supernatural targets residents. The cast is mostly over 60, while showrunners are younger, creating early, irreverent meetings. Woodard emphasizes that aging can strip away humanity, but continued practice refines identity, urging viewers to look to elders.

"It was as if I'd been walking around on dry land my whole life, doing the breaststroke and then just somebody came by me and tipped me in the water. Acting, she says, propelled me into just the most open freedom I've ever felt in my life."

"In the new Netflix series The Boroughs, Woodard plays Judy, a former journalist living in an upscale retirement community where something supernatural is preying on the residents. The ensemble cast is mostly actors over 60, while the showrunners are decades younger."

"Woodward says the generational gap led to some interesting meetings early, like a Zoom meeting held by human resources where the cast was particularly rowdy. "It was very irreverent kind of stuff going on," Woodard says. "We're hearing things like 'You can't call people honey.' What about baby? No, you can't ... Can I say 'You know, your butt looks really good in those jeans?' Just giggling and laughing. But that's our generation, and that's one of the things that I think we bring to The Boroughs.""

"For Woodard, The Boroughs is also a chance to spotlight senior citizens, a population rarely featured prominently on screen. "That's the thing about accumulating years is people take away your humanity when they look at you," she says. "But ... just like anybody playing music, anybody painting, the longer you do it, the more fine-tuned you are at it. We're constantly in the process of becoming more of our true selves. So look to your elders.""

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