Vanessa Bell Calloway is no stranger to good roles. With a career that spans three decades, she mixes it up with her latest projects. During a recent interview, Bell Calloway spoke about how one of her latest films has impacted her spiritually as well as where we can expect to her next on TV, digital and stage.
“I play the wife of Ernie Hudson who portrays the biblical character Job,” Bell Calloway says of the faith-inspired film, “To Hell and Back,” which premieres on Saturday, April 4 on TV One, just in time for Easter.
Starring Hudson and Bell Calloway, To Hell and Back is based on the Book of Job and tells the story of Joe Patterson (Hudson), a successful businessman, loving father and humanitarian who’s been blessed with every good fortune. Despite living a life of great faith, in rapid succession, catastrophic events devastate the lives of Joe, wife Janine (Bell Calloway), and children as the family encounters deaths, deterioration of physical wellbeing and a downward spiral of the prosperity. But even in his darkest hour, Joe remains steadfast in his faith.
“It reminded me of my personal faith,” starts Bell Calloway about the personal impact of this film. “Our faith is tested all the time. This is not new information. We grew up knowing this. One thing I have always felt strongly about is you need two things, faith and patience. You need the faith to know that God’s got your back and to have the patience to allow to him do his will.
“How we apply our faith when presented with trouble, what we do, won’t do, and how we fall apart and bring it back together. Most times, it’s very hard because what we want, we want it now. We want it right away. We want to figure stuff out and we want it to be perfect.
“Things sometimes have to work themselves out and you have to be patient long enough to let it happen. And, have the faith to know that it will.”
Bell Calloway has a strong work ethic as well as an envious work schedule. She has a recurring role in the Amazon Studios original drama, “Hand of God,” and she just nabbed a part on TNT’s “Murder in the First.”
“I have a big play, it’s a one-woman show, ‘Letters From Zora,’ ” she vaunts. “It’s headlining the DC Black Theatre Festival in June 2015. I will be in the National Black Theatre Festival this August and we’re working to get it on a New York stage,” she adds.
Additionally, she’s playing Authorine in “Dreaming of Harlem Under a High Southern Sky,” which premiered on March 28 at USC, also by playwright Gabrielle Denise Piña who wrote “Letters from Zora: In Her Own Words,” based on iconic folklorist Zora Neale Hurston.
Having more than 100 filmography credits on IMDB among other crafts, it’s family first for Bell Calloway who has been married for almost 27 years to Dr. Anthony Calloway. They have two adult daughters: Ashley, 24, and Alexandra, 20, both educated at Spelman College. Ashley is a 2012 graduate and Alexandra is currently a junior.
“Spelman is a great institution for Black women. I don’t know what they put in that water but them sisters come out bad. I wish I could have gone to Spelman,” says the Ohio University graduate. “My husband is a Morehouse Man. I believe in legacy. Legacy in a family is a beautiful thing. I think you teach your children to be individuals but I also think you should teach them to honor their family, look at the legacy and the common bonds. The girls grew up with uncles and godfathers who were Morehouse brothers. They chose to go to Spelman because they saw the value it [HBCUs] brought to their father’s lives and what it would bring to theirs.”
Prior to trekking across the country to attend the HBCU, Ashley and Alexandra were educated at private schools in California.
“My daughters, I am so proud of them. They can relate to many cultures. We sent them to Spelman because we knew they’d get an education that would only enhance their foundation. For them to shine and grow, it was the best place,” she says.
A gourmet cook, Bell Calloway looks forward to Easter dinner and decorating. “I am cooking this year and inviting my oldest daughter’s friends. I am trying to decide on the menu. My daughter gave up meat for Lent so she is starving for beef. I will probably have fish, turkey or roasted chicken, for the vegetables and sides, I will think of something. My biggest thing is decorating. I love to decorate my tables and my favorite thing to do is plan dinner parties,” she says.
