(January 2009) - PCM's Kristyn had the opportunity to sit in on a great conference call with actress Kimberly Elise. She's starred in movies like Diary of A Mad Black Woman, Beloved and The Manchurian Candidate.

Audiences will be able to see Elise's extraordinary performance in the TNT presentation of Gifted Hands-The Ben Carson Story opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. Elise is set to play the role of Sonya Carson, a single mother who inspired her son to study and work hard so that he could rise above their inner-city roots, eventually becoming a world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon.

Check out the complete Q&A session that we had with Kimberly and learn all about this upcoming film!
Gifted Hands will premiere on TNT on February 7 at 8:00 pm.

Q: What would you say and feel it is about a story like Gifted Hands that will resonate well with viewers?

Kimberly Elise: Well I think there's a lot of things that are really identifiable. I'll speak specifically about my character Sonya Carson, Ben's mother being a single mother and battling mental illness and depression in a time where there wasn't a lot of knowledge about it and a lot of information and just having the courage to go out and seek help for herself and knowing that she had the responsibility of her children and work and realizing that it was important to put herself first and take care of her own health to take care of - to be able to take care of her family.

I think that that's something that women today, mothers today often have a hard time with putting ourselves first and she sort of shows us how to do that and that it's important and also I think it'll resonate for people who are parents especially how important it is.

Education and reading and instilling those values in our children and encouraging them to allow all opportunities into their lives and that anything is possible. And I think you know we've arrived into a day in our nation and in our world where people are really inspired and really believe that anything is possible and that anybody can achieve anything and this story sort of validates that and I think it'll sort of hit home with people.

Q: What kind of preparation did you do for your role of Sonya, did you actually go and meet Ben Carson?

Kimberly Elise: I actually got to chat with his mother. And had you know a wonderful time getting to know her and learning more about her background and her child rearing philosophy and views on the world and life and then also in one of his books she actually wrote her own chapter, which really explores her marriage and the tragedy there and her battle with depression and mental illness and how she raised her boys, so I had a really strong foundation going in.

Q: We were wondering if being a mother yourself had any effect on how you approached this movie and the role?

Kimberly Elise: Well I definitely saw the value and then I could relate you know I'm a single mother just like she is. And I'm raising two girls. She's raising two boys and I definitely could understand and relate to the challenges that come with that and the level of responsibility we put on ourselves as the sole everything for our children.

And how overwhelming and scary that is sometimes, but how you have to just persevere and be strong and keep yourself healthy and physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually so that you can keep your children healthy and I saw her doing that and the same for the things I have to do every day with my own girls, and so I definitely connected with her in that way.

Q: Is there anything that you would say that makes filming, I know this is based on a true story, is there anything that makes filming a true story more challenging based on fiction, is there any more added pressure to it?

Kimberly Elise: Well only self inflicted pressure. You know I'm playing Ben Carson's mother of all things. And so you know we're all very protective in want our mothers well taken care of and so I'm you know I hold that within myself and so I really wanted to do right by her and she was so open in sharing her struggles and things that could have been kept private and secret, she put out there in a way to help other people and so I wanted to honor that and just do right by her. And so every day I was conscious of that and you know did a prayer every morning to you know show the truth in the right way and honest way and in the most respectful way.

Debbie Harry Necessary Evil CD