ReZoom

"You just don't see black Diane Keatons, Meryl Streeps or Jane Fondas," said actress Margaret Avery, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her work in 1985's "The Color Purple."

"Women of color in those age categories, who are slim and active, don't play women with adult children. There's been a lull in my career where I've been too young looking to be someone's mom but I wasn't young enough be the girlfriend of the leading man."

The actress spoke to ReZoom from the set of "The Better Man," in Shreveport, La., where she has found herself cast against type: Going for the role of the "mature" mother, the youthful looking Avery showed up at the first reading wearing her "little gray wig." But director Malcom D. Lee (Spike Lee's cousin) told the actress she offered a fresh take on the part he was looking for. She was called back for a second meeting, this time without the gray hair.

"In real life, I'm a mother and a grandmother, so it's wonderful to be playing this role just as I am," Avery said. "Most people don't realize how women of color age. We don't wrinkle. We do lose elasticity in the face. If Hollywood doesn't see wrinkles and a lot of loss of elasticity or we're not overweight, we don't get the part. I actually had an actress friend of mine say to me, ‘I know you're thinking that I'm gaining weight, but the more pounds I put on, the more parts I get.'"

But with a family history of diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, gaining weight to gain work is not an option.

Avery has worked with Richard Pryor ("Which Way Is Up?"), Clint Eastwood ("Magnum Force") and Harry Belafonte ("White Man's Burden"). Her winning streak continues on "The Better Man," as her movie husband is played by James Earl Jones.

"I feel so blessed to be working with such a legend," she said of Jones. "I've always admired his work."

But career highlights don't pay the bills, nor do they take care of family. After her daughter went off to college, the empty nester began taking psychology classes "to do something new for my brain. I was tired of reading the trades and just knowing about who was doing what."

Inspired by family therapy pioneer Virginia Satir, Avery completed her master's degree and obtained a license as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT), all while caring for her aging mother – and squeezing in the occasional TV or film role.

"Now I'm at a crossroads in my life," she said. "Now I have the time and the freedom to devote to acting. We're always living in change. I'm making adjustments. I don't have the same family responsibilities and, because of my education, I do have choices."