Note: This document originated at Buena Vista's Official Gargoyles Site, and is copyright Buena Vista Television. Used without Permission.
In its first two seasons, "Gargoyles" won praise for depicting modern day issues in a responsible and realistic fashion. But the efforts of the series’ creators to give the program a modern sensibility go even deeper than its story lines dealing with gun control, literacy and environmentalism: the extensive cast of characters that makes up "Gargoyles" and now "Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles" represents a variety of ethnic images and genuine color-blind casting. The female characters have also been drawn in a non-sterotypical image; they are strong, positive role models.
"‘Gargoyles’ is the most fun I’ve ever had in my life -- when I grow up I want to be just like Goliath!" laughs Keith David, the African-American film ("Platoon") and stage actor who has garnered critical acclaim and an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of Goliath, the strong and wise head of the Gargoyles clan. A Tony nominee for "Jelly’s Last Jam" and the current Broadway hit, "Seven Guitars," David also "doubles up" as Officer Morgan, an African-American co-worker of Elisa’s on the New York Police force.
The series’ female lead, Elisa Maza, the New York Police Detective who befriends the Gargoyles, is written as half Native American (Sioux) and half African-American, paralleling the ethnicity of the actress who portrays her, Salli Richardson ("Low Down Dirty Shame"). Elisa’s parents are voiced by well-known Native American actor Michael Horse ("Passenger 57") and by Nichelle Nichols, who blazed her own path as the first African-American female character on television to hold a prestigious position when she played Lt. Uhura on the original "Star Trek."
One of the most compelling episodes of last season, "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time," featured actor Paul Winfield ("Sounder," "Picket Fences") as Jeffrey Robbins, a blind author and Vietnam veteran who inspires Hudson (Ed Asner) to learn to read. Winfield reprises the role for the new season in an episode entitled "The Dying of the Light," in which Hudson turns to Robbins for help and inspiration when he fears he’s going blind.
Other black actors have lent their talents to guest and recurring roles, including James Avery ("Fresh Prince of Bel Air"), Michael Dorn ("Star Trek: The Next Generation"), Cree Summer ("A Different World"), Dorian Harewood ("Kiss of the Spider Woman") and Rubin Santiago-Hudson (Tony Award-winner opposite Keith David in "Seven Guitars") -- creating villains, heroes, mystics and an assortment of colorful personalities for both series.
Additional ethnic representation is provided by such noted actors as Robert Ito ("Quincy, M.E."), cast as an emergency room physician in the series’ noted gun control episode, "A Deadly Force," and by Hector Elizando ("Chicago Hope"), who voiced Zafiro, a Mayan Gargoyle in "The Green," which focused on the destruction of the rain forest.
Foremost among the female characters in the series is Elisa Maza, self-assured, level-headed and independent. Her boss on the New York Police force, Captain Maria Chavez, is voiced by Hispanic actress, Rachel Ticotin ("Total Recall," "Falling Down"). Although she heads the department, most episodes find Capt. Chavez involved as a supportive team member, either in the field or behind the hot white interrogation lamp.
"Gargoyles" and "Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles" celebrate the cultural and ethnic diversity of contemporary society, both on and off the screen.
