REGINA - TAYLOR Nurture Your Own GARDEN

The I'll Fly Away alum talks about her life, career and heartbreaking guest spot on CSI: Vegas

- Fortune Benatar

In the first episode of I’ll Fly Away, the historical drama set at the dawn of the civil rights era, Regina Taylor’s character, Lilly Harper, accepts a housekeeping job with a prominent Southern white family. Before she leaves the room, she politely signals to her new employer how she expects to be treated. “My name is Lilly,” she says. The spirited role won Regina, 62, back-to-back Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress and boosted a career that has extended into theater, films, playwriting and directing. “I truly love all of it,” she tells Closer. “It works as a whole body. One part speaks to the other.”

This TV season, Regina elicited fresh Emmy buzz for a guest-starring role as the mother of a murdered child on CSI: Vegas. “They did a beautiful job etching out a story that is very heartfelt and powerful,” she says.

Tell us about the character you play in the CSI: Vegas episode “The Promise.”

Raquel is a mother who lost her daughter years ago, and they can’t find the body. I think it’s about the tenacity of a mother’s love. When she meets [Paula Newsome’s character Maxine], she finds someone who will hear her and champion her. To me, it evoked feelings of grief, anguish, sorrow, rage, and then the blossoming of a relationship where she finds relief.

Is there a message you hope viewers will take from the episode?

Yes. The tenacity of love crosses all boundaries.

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?