Okay, I am just watching the first 10 minutes of the first episode. Where Faux Chicken George is sitting on a chair in the back of the truck (driven by the actress from The Jeffersons, I believe). When George Stanford Brown's wife, Lynn Moody comes out, she looks 55 or 60 years old.Her hair is gray as anything. Then it appears that she has YOUNG kids. And I mean like 10 years old. Are we supposed to believe that she was that old? good grief!
shareThe actress driving is Janet Du'bois. She sang the song from The Jefferson's, but she was actually in Good Times. As for aging, well times were hard for everyone back then, and arguably hardest for poor black women. I happen to think she was aged just fine.
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it - Shaw
They appeared to age Lynn Moody (Irene)more than they did Georg Stanford Brown (Tom). Honestly, it took me awhile to see that it was Lynn Moody.
When the sequel resumes in the year 1882, both Tom and Irene are approx. 48-50 years of age.
Chicken George actually looked younger (albeit scruffier and unkempt) than he did when the original Roots ended (time period of 1870).
IMO, they did a better make-up (aging process) on the characters than they did in the original Roots.
I watched Roots yesterday. Leslie Uggams (I have no idea how old she is now), well, she supposedly gave birth to Chicken George at the age of 16 or 17 right. So she was maybe 37 or 38, when Richard Roundtree came to call on her, right?? Well, I don't know about you, but whoever did her makeup (and she explains during the commercials) that they baked her pieces in an oven and applied them to her face, and she thinks they did a marvelous job. Let me tell you something. Black woman do not age like caucasian women. They have more melanin intheir skins, so they don't get wrinkled the same way caucasians do. Look at Ruby Dee. She has looked the same since she was 30 or so. Maybe a few grays. The best example is Diahann Carrol. My god, that woman never ages. It's all about the sun. Thank god for sunscreen. But I'll say one thing for leslie Uggams. Yesterday, when she was telling the story of how she played the part of Kizzee in Roots, she looked marvelous.
shareGood Times. That's the one. I'm losing my mind (whatever is left of it that is). Thanks so much
shareI know that black women don't age like white women but I still believe that slavery and working in the elements on a poor diet would age even the beautiful Dianne Carrol rapidly. The other reason for all that aging makeup (which I believe they did extremely well for the time) was the fact that many of the actors were similar in actual age with some playing the parent to an actor literally older than them in real life (e.g., Dorian Harewood playing father to James Earl Jones).
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it - Shaw
when i saw it I thought some1 else was playing irene-some1 told me"no that's lynne moody" I had to look twice.
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Inthe first episode of Roots next generation set in 1882 Irene was only supposed to be about 42 but looked like she was in her mid 50s.They seem to age overnight
shareLet me second what an earlier poster wrote: you're talking about characters who lived through slavery and the harshness of Reconstruction, doing the kind of physical labor that most of us would have nightmares about. No aerobics class, botox, well-balanced diets, extensive medical care or electricity! A woman like Irene was quite lucky to live to age 42 or 43, considering the above-mentioned PLUS the hazards of 19th-Century childbirth and lack of pre- and post-natal care.
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I agree with the OP. She looked dreadful.
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