Pam Grier Talks Growing Up in the Country, Martial Arts & Women’s Equality
Pam Grier, known for being a crucial part of the 1970s action genre, recently stopped by Live with Kelly and Mark to talk about her iconic character & film Foxy Brown turning 50. Kelly Ripa asked Grier about her roots and why she traded Hollywood for Colorado, adding that Grier seems to be a country girl. Grier joked, “I’m dirty.” She went on to talk about her roots, and how her family was from Wyoming. Her grandmother had a sugar beet farm and a hotel for the Blacks and Chinese who worked on the railroad there.
She added that she always envisioned a life in Hollywood or New York but in reality, she stuck with her family and her rural roots. She admitted that this gave her a balance to live outside of Hollywood while working and created her dream home, based on the work of home improvement star Bob Vila, whom Grier revealed is her idol.
Everett Collection
Mark Consuelos stepped in and noted that Foxy Brown, Grier’s character from the 1974 film of the same name, turns 50 this year. Ripa asked if she knew that the role would be such a big cultural moment in society. Grier responded, “I was around a community, a global community of women, who were doing just that but were never able to promote what they were doing to keep the hunk. We had war. Our husbands and fathers and uncles did not come home. So they had to be self-sufficient.”
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
She admitted that in those times, a woman doing martial arts was often considered offensive and she wanted to change that. She trained at an Air Force base and had to do her own stunts in the film because there was no stunt double, so she had to make everything look convincing. Grier shared that they are doing a series about her life and she hopes that they showcase what it took to prepare the audience for a woman in a more masculine role. We can’t wait to see it!
Grier appears in the second season of Them which premieres on April 25, 2024, on Amazon Prime Video.
Remind 
1974 (50 Years Ago)
January 2024
In this time capsule issue of ReMIND Magazine we look back 50 years ago to 1974!
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