Stephen McKinley Henderson (MA LA’77) has had a busy year. He appeared in two Oscar-nominated films, Fences and Manchester by the Sea, additions that are not too shabby in an already impressive résumé.
Henderson started out as a math and political science major at Lincoln University, drawn to the precision of mathematics. But soon poetry got his attention, which in turn drew him to great writing and acting. Henderson auditioned early on for a conservatory position at Juilliard. He was chosen for one of 35 spots out of nearly 5,000 applicants. “I hung in there for a couple of years,” he says, but then he decided to follow his other passion as he became more politicized. It was the 1960s, and he was caught up in changes that were taking place in the world.
Henderson transferred to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he was president of the student government. This opened his eyes to complex issues as he tried to raise money for the Black Panther Party’s free breakfast program for elementary-school children. “It was pretty clear it was tough to get funds to the right places.” He was happy to turn his attention back to acting. “It was Juilliard that solidified the fact I was going to be in it,” he says. “I just had to make it through that activist period.”
Although he changed career paths, Henderson is quick to point out that activism still plays a part in his work. While attending Purdue in the late 1970s, he used his acting to raise consciousness. He appeared in an original play written by classmate Sheila Hofstedter called Busy Dying, taken from the quote by Bob Dylan: “He not busy being born is busy dying.” He had a role in Joe Orton’s Loot and played McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. He was the student director of the Black Cultural Center Drama Workshop and was involved in honoring Paul Robeson at the same time former agriculture secretary Earl Butz was welcomed back to campus in 1976 following Butz’s racist comments. “It’s just the idea that the arts are an important voice for the times,” he says. “The arts have to be a part of the times they’re in.”
Henderson has worked in television, in films, and on the stage. He thinks all have their value, but it’s more about valuing your work ethic. “Work on your craft,” he says. “The career you seek may elude you, but your craft is in your hands. You have to enjoy working in the arts. You don’t have a different way of working in Jefferson City than on Broadway.”
“It’s just the idea that the arts are an important voice for the times. The arts have to be a part of the times they’re in.”
—Stephen McKinley Henderson
Henderson had the privilege of working on the Broadway revival of the play Fences with Denzel Washington and reprised his role in the Washington-directed film adaptation — two different jobs, he says, but one wonderful play. Nearly the entire cast from the play was able to assemble for the film. And it happened to be released at the same time as Manchester by the Sea, which also earned critical acclaim. Henderson says it was exciting to be part of the awards season, attending events and sharing the honor with the films’ crews.
While he once had a slight preference for the theater — being involved in creating a role and working closely with the cast and the playwright — the work can be exhausting. As life changes, he thinks there are benefits to other types of work. “As I’m older, I prefer a wonderful script,” he says. “It’s the medium. It’s not whether it’s a play or TV or film. It’s doing something of substance that people can walk away with.”