[Blindtlk] Meet Christopher Gorham, Star of Covert Affairs on the USA Network

Wed Nov 2 07:38:27 UTC 2011

Definitely worth watching.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "T. Joseph Carter" <tjcarter at spiritsubstance.com>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 3:09 AM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Meet Christopher Gorham, Star of Covert Affairs on 
the USA Network


> Is he still using that cheeseball laser cane prop?
>
> I was relatively impressed by the character—it was the main protagonist of 
> the series who required just a little too much suspension of disbelief for 
> me.  This from a guy who faithfully watches Burn Notice and superhero 
> cartoons.
>
> Usually, I don't have much trouble suspending my disbelief to watch a 
> generally mindless action/drama with clever agents doing seemingly 
> preposterous things as if it were commonplace.
>
> Then again, I didn't make it past the Covert Affairs pilot.  Perhaps I 
> ought to have given the show more of a chance to find its footing.
>
> Joseph
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 01, 2011 at 03:54:44PM -0400, Sherri wrote:
>>Covert Affairs is a great show and the blind character in the show is
>>portrayed very well. Part of his character is that he is a blinded veteran
>>as well. Please see intervview below. Please share.
>>
>>Meet Christopher Gorham, Star of Covert Affairs on the USA Network
>>
>>In honor of US Veterans' Day, VisionAware's [1] Editorial Director Maureen
>>Duffy is pleased to interview Christopher Gorham, who stars as blind
>>military intelligence agent August "Auggie" Anderson in the hit dramatic
>>series Covert Affairs [2] on the USA Network.
>>
>>Covert Affairs tells the story of a young CIA trainee, Annie Walker (Piper
>>Perabo), who is summoned to duty, with minimal explanation, as a field
>>operative with the Domestic Protection Division (DPD), housed within CIA
>>headquarters.
>>
>>Auggie Anderson is currently head of the Technical Operations Department
>>within the DPD. Auggie is a former Captain in the 82nd Airborne Division 
>>and
>>Special Forces operative who was blinded while on a mission in Tikrit, 
>>Iraq.
>>Auggie understands the intricacies of the CIA in a way that few others do
>>and serves as Annie's guide through the tangled CIA bureaucracy.
>>
>>Maureen Duffy: Hi Chris. I appreciate your taking time to visit with our
>>readers! I've read several interviews in which you discuss your audition 
>>as
>>Auggie, including the fact that you didn't know very much about blindness
>>back then. I am curious, however, about this: What drew you to audition 
>>for
>>Auggie, the blind character? What did you believe you could bring to the
>>role?
>>
>>Christopher Gorham: Initially, like most of the guys who read for this 
>>part,
>>the challenge of playing a physically convincing blind character is what
>>caught my attention. What I needed to know before I accepted the role,
>>however, was that Auggie would also be an emotionally convincing character
>>with depth and complexity.
>>
>>I liked the fact that he excels at what he does, but also wanted to make
>>sure he didn't become the typical quirky computer geek that so many
>>procedural shows have now. I wanted him to be a leading man, who happens 
>>to
>>be blind, and I think we've succeeded.
>>
>>
>>
>>Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham M.D. And of course I have to ask this
>>question: How do you respond to people who believe that the role of Auggie
>>should be played by a blind actor?
>>
>>C.G. Honestly, I'm almost never asked that question. Certainly, a blind
>>actor can be capable of playing a role like this. I think that goes 
>>without
>>saying. I really can't speak for the producers, nor the network, as to why
>>they chose as they did.
>>
>>The only thing we've done, that a blind actor might not be able to do, is
>>the flashback episode [3] showing Auggie in Iraq before he lost his sight.
>>
>>M.D. Have your ideas about blindness - and disability in general, 
>>perhaps -
>>changed since you first auditioned? If so, in what ways?
>>
>>C.G. Oh, sure - of course! My admiration for people living with 
>>disabilities
>>has absolutely soared since I started working on this show.
>>
>>I met a man who lost his sight at twenty years old who gave up his 
>>mobility
>>training [4] for an entire year because he was too embarrassed to practice
>>walking with his cane on his street. He then worked up the courage to do 
>>the
>>work, moved on with his life, and now works as a professional and is 
>>married
>>with children.
>>
>>I met a young man who is congenitally blind and plays drums in a heavy 
>>metal
>>band.
>>
>>And David Lepofsky, who's well known in Canada as a lawyer and disability
>>advocate, has introduced me to all the newest, coolest technological 
>>gadgets
>>for the blind [5] (some of which have made it onto Auggie's desk!).
>>
>>The people I've met and the reading that I've done have all served to
>>educate me about the technical, and emotional, aspects of living without
>>sight; but, as importantly, they've reminded me how different each
>>individual is.
>>
>>It's the uniqueness of each individual with a disability that, I feel, has
>>driven us to make Auggie a "real" person, not just a "blind guy."
>>
>>M.D. In a recent interview, you mentioned that most sighted people don't
>>know any blind people, and, as a sighted person who happens to have many
>>blind friends, I do agree with you. Now, of course, you've spent quite a 
>>bit
>>of time around blind people, both as colleagues and friends. What is the
>>most interesting thing you've learned - as Auggie or as Chris - about 
>>living
>>with blindness?
>>
>>C.G. The most interesting thing I've learned is how differently each 
>>person
>>lives; at the same time, the training blind people receive seems to be
>>pretty standardized. For instance, mobility training [4], as I understand 
>>it
>>and have (in a limited way) experienced, is based on a standard body of
>>knowledge. Safe cooking technique [6] is another example of something 
>>that's
>>fairly standard, such as using trays, not leaving knives in the sink [7],
>>etc.
>>
>>What's great, and should be expected but often is not, is how each
>>individual takes that training and then modifies it for their individual
>>needs. For instance, I've seen one, maybe two, blind people on the street
>>who are holding their canes the "proper" way. The rest of them are just
>>holding it however they find comfortable.
>>
>>In Istanbul, where we were shooting for Auggie's flashback episode [3] of
>>Covert Affairs, I saw a blind man walking, quickly, in the middle of
>>hundreds of people with his beat-up, bent cane just kind of held out in
>>front of him and he was one of the happiest-looking people I saw on that
>>trip.
>>
>>M.D. I've also read about your rehabilitation training at CNIB [8] in
>>preparation for your role. This especially interests me because, for many
>>years, I was a university professor who taught the adapted "skills of
>>blindness" course at Salus University [9]. What was the most difficult 
>>skill
>>for you to learn? Is there any daily living activity (blindness-related)
>>that you still want - or need - to master?
>>
>>
>> C.G. Street crossing was the most difficult. I know that anyone who's 
>> gone
>>through that training knows what I'm talking about. Until you've stood,
>>sightless, on the corner of a major intersection, trying to listen for the
>>traffic pattern and planning your veer so you don't walk into oncoming
>>traffic, then walk not knowing, for sure, how far you have to go, nor, if
>>the corner isn't very tactile, knowing for sure when you've made it all -
>>well, you know what I mean.
>>
>>That was tough, and I wouldn't go out and try it alone. And let me say 
>>this,
>>I haven't "master"ed ANY of the blindness-related living activities [10]!
>>This is, very much, a work in progress.
>>
>>M.D. Speaking of mobility, will Auggie ever get a guide dog? As you know, 
>>a
>>dog can definitely be a "babe magnet," so to speak!
>>
>>C.G. I've wondered the same thing. The answer is, I don't know. But, you
>>know what they say about dogs and kids in film. (In case you don't know 
>>what
>>they say, they say dogs and kids will always steal the scene, so don't 
>>work
>>with them!)
>>
>>M.D. What are some of the more humorous things that have happened to you 
>>(on
>>or off the Covert Affairs set) related to your role as a blind person?
>>
>>C.G. Early on, in Season One, we had to re-shoot a scene because I 
>>realized
>>halfway through that if Joan (senior DPD officer Joan Campbell, portrayed 
>>by
>>Kari Matchett) wasn't leading me, and she hadn't been, there's no way I'd 
>>be
>>able to turn the corner, during the "walk and talk," exactly at the same
>>time she turned. To make my point, on one take I just kept walking
>>straight - out of the shot!
>>
>>Also, I added a moment, in the pilot, where Annie takes off without me,
>>forgetting that I'm blind because we'd just met. Real, and funny.
>>
>>M.D. I imagine that an actor's defining role, such as your portrayal of
>>Auggie Anderson, has particular meaning for the actor. What will you take
>>away from this role that will remain with you?
>>
>>C.G. I didn't anticipate the very real positive impact that this fictional
>>man has had, and will continue to have. I'm so proud of how we've been 
>>able
>>to reflect, with Auggie, the capability and humanity of not just the blind
>>community, but the disabled veteran community as well.
>>
>>I'm very active in social media and have received hundreds of messages of
>>support and thanks from veterans and their families. Some of those words
>>will stay with me forever.
>>
>>M.D. Do you have any words for our readers who (along with their family
>>members and friends) are dealing with vision loss every day?
>>
>>C.G. You stand up and move forward when others would lie down and give up. 
>>I
>>don't know the strength you have. I can promise you that I do everything 
>>in
>>my power to honor you, and yours, with my work on Covert Affairs.
>>
>>M.D. And finally, on US Veterans' Day, is there anything you'd like to say
>>to our veterans who have lost their sight due to combat injuries?
>>
>>C.G. I hope that we make you proud. I hope that, by portraying a disabled
>>veteran as a strong, smart, capable, even sexy (!) member of his fictional
>>community, we're honoring the very real roles you play in your very real
>>homes, neighborhoods and careers. You are our heroes.
>>
>>We thank Christopher Gorham for his support of VisionAware [1] and urge 
>>you
>>to watch Covert Affairs, which began Season Three (congratulations!) on
>>November 1, 2011. You can also watch full episodes online at the Covert
>>Affairs web site [2]. All photos courtesy of USA Network.
>>
>>Where you can find Christopher Gorham online:
>>
>>Sherri Brun
>>flmom2006 at gmail.com
>>Character is the side of yourself you choose to show the world.
>>Integrity is what you do, what you say and how you act when you think no 
>>one
>>is paying attention.
>> NFBF Newsline® chair
>>www.nfbnewsline.org
>>E-mail:  newsline at nfbflorida.org
>>Secretary FDCP INC
>>www.fdcp.org
>>Vice-president National Federation of the Blind of Florida Greater Orlando
>>Chapter
>>http://nfbfgoc.org
>>Chair Orange County Disability Advisory Board
>
>
>
>
>
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