Actress Baranski wraps up speaker series at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center

Keerthi Eraniyan l Contra Costa Youth Journalism In an era characterized by constant distraction and digital advancements Emmy Award-winning actress Christine Baranski believes the greatest performance anyone can give is solely being present In the theater of life in which we are all players we must practice the art of being human and present every single day Baranski announced Put down your phone look away from your screens and just take delight in the present moment Appearing in recent weeks before a packed audience at Walnut Creek s Lesher Center for the Arts Baranski known for her roles as Diane Lockhart in The Good Wife Tanya Chesham-Leigh in Mamma Mia and Agnes van Rhijn in The Gilded Age was the eighth and final presenter wrapping up the th annual Lesher Foundation s Newsmakers Lesher Speaker Series with reflections on her decades-long career in theater and television Event moderator and KTVU Fox anchor Heather Holmes kicked off the evening by introducing Baranski and her wide range of accolades including an induction into the Theater Hall of Fame in But tonight Holmes stated we re going to learn a little bit more about Christine Baranski the person Baranski opened by commending the evening s featured nonprofit the Diablo Regional Arts Association DRAA which partners with the Lesher Center to help fund performances arts learning programs and public outreach initiatives Baranski recalled the impact a similar theater undertaking had on her while growing up in Buffalo New York I started my career on the streets of Buffalo doing projects like what the DRAA is doing for kids I applaud the organization for that Baranski announced That s where a kid s heart can ignite and set fire to a long career As a theater novice Baranski commented she did not get into the Juilliard School the first time she auditioned due to a very slight speech impediment Her mother who was widowed at a young age and worked late hours to earn a paycheck for the family spent what little money they had on a dental procedure to correct the issue so Baranski could reaudition I invariably say I got into Juilliard by the skin of my teeth Baranski joked Juilliard was all about picking people apart You were endlessly doing voice and speech exercises and body work and they would criticize you and pick you apart While Baranski grew up in Buffalo she shared that the Bay Area was close to her heart because it was where she had met her late husband Matthew Cowles while filming director Louis Malle s movie Crackers in San Francisco It was a comedy starring Donald Sutherland and a young relatively unknown actor named Sean Penn I thought that this would be my big movie break Baranski revealed The New York Times review referred to it as a Malle mistake but even though the film was a flop I have fond memories of being in love in the Bay Area The couple married and later had two daughters Soon afterward Baranski faced the challenges of balancing her career while caring for her children and her aging mother who was diagnosed with cancer Baranski reflected on how hard it is for women to work toward success with all of their responsibilities There s so much that goes into what is perceived as a thriving life but when you re living it you don t see it that way Baranski stated Mostly it s about just getting through the day and the week and meeting the challenge at hand keeping your balance making the right decision especially for those that you love Baranski noted life commitments caused her to enter Hollywood in her s to better endorsement her family I didn t really want to work in Los Angeles but with two daughters and tuition bills to pay my late husband and I agreed to a life in which I worked in L A but kept the family in our rural homestead in Connecticut Baranski So for three-and-a-half years I commuted between coasts and that was certainly an exhausting and stressful time As an actress stepping into Hollywood later in life than largest part women Baranski revealed she viewed aging differently in a world that revolved around stopping aging because she so often played roles that were meant for slightly older or mature actresses which gave her a unique mindset when reflecting on her long career Frankly I was never afraid of getting older in my profession Baranski mentioned In acting school at Juilliard I played certain of the great dramatic mother roles for women twice my age Baranski declared her role as Diane Lockhart a formidable law firm partner was a sign of changing representations of women in Hollywood I consistently thought Why don t we see more women in film or TV that are like the women around us who are running institutions and are highly educated well dressed and smart and right in there with the men Baranski commented I like to think that Diane was somewhat groundbreaking She condemned the trends of airbrushing photos and extreme plastic surgeries What is captivating is character and detail as well as attitude and the inner life of the person she reported and I fear we are losing faith in the value of our unique human qualities Also on the topic of human qualities Baranski addressed the rise of AI and instrument s presence in the media industry and in her own life saying that the mindset that comes with innovation use is very creepy I m now in the process of trying to protect myself as an intellectual property and as with the Internet it feels like Pandora s box has been unleashed she reported We re way behind schedule in terms of how we regulate legislate and foresee the consequences of this new tech phenomenon Baranski discussed how the rise of AI actors such as the infamous Tilly Norwood affects the industry Despite this she predicted theater and live events would make a considerable comeback Live theater is going to be invaluable and relevant Baranski disclosed I think we have to really be protective of our humanities and that s why I think these programs educating young people to be performers and to be in touch with themselves as performers be sensitive as human beings is just absolutely crucial Baranski concluded the event by advising the audience to practice the art of presence and paying attention and to find solutions of calming down We live in a way of life of hyperbole Everything has exclamation points after every sentence and I think we need to find means of living in our deeper selves Baranski reported There are methods that we can calm our minds and clear our minds of clutter and just be more available to each other Contra Costa Youth Journalism is a collaborative effort involving educational institutions and professional news organizations dedicated to expanding opportunities for Contra Costa County high school students to inform Contra Costa County residents about relevant local news