Many years ago I was waiting in an audition room to go in an read for a role (in a movie I can’t remember) for a young director seemingly recently out of film school. As I waited, actor after actor walked in to audition, my turn was next and at that moment in walked a towering powerful elderly man. A man of regal grace, intelligence and class that I immediately recognized. As I looked at him sit down with his audition sides in hand, I sat back in my seat dumbfounded and angry. I said to myself, “Are these producers and that young director actually making the great Richard Roundtree audition for this rinky dink film?” I felt super protective of him for some reason. Lol. In my mind, there was no doubt they should’ve offered him the role out of respect. It was that moment I realized that the world rarely grants us the respect we are due. So after I read and before I left I made it a point to laud him with compliments and respect. From that moment on, everytime he would see me he would say...