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~ a few wee words from Della ~
If you have told me a few years ago that I would be starring in a televisions series about angels, I wouldn't have believed you. It isn't the angels that would have surprised me. (Anyone who started out in the red-light district in Detroit and ended up where I have wouldn't find it that tough to believe in angels.) What's hard to believe is that I would have broken my self-imposed promise never to do another TV series.
A few years ago, I was working with Red Foxx on a new show. In the middle of it, he collapsed in my arms and died four and a half hours later. I'll never forget the scene in the hospital waiting room. The doctor broke the news as gently as he could to Mrs. Foxx. Without skipping a beat, the show's executives started discussing how they would handle rewrites and who they would get to play the lead. Their anxiety about the show's success apparently overshadowed their sense of common decency. It must have been hard for Mrs. Foxx to accept their condolences-when they were finally offered. That's when I decided to get back on the concert circuit. I didn't want to work in that kind of atmosphere anymore.
When my agent called me about Touched by an Angel, he disarmed my fears about doing a TV series: "This is a pilot that won't work, but the check won't bounce." With that, I decided it was safe to go ahead and accept the job. But some people at CBS were more interested in the show than either of us had suspected.
Once the pilot was shot, they brought in Martha Williamson, a new executive producer, to rescue it. I remember meeting with Martha, Roma, and some television executives around a table to discuss the fate of the series. Suddenly Martha stood up and said: "I just want you to know that this show is going to be about God and we're going to say the word God. I want to know if that's all right."
I've been a preacher for nine years and singing gospel since I was six years old, so I didn't mind chiming in: "Yes, Martha, God's all right with me, has been for a long time." Suddenly I had a better feeling about the series. It wasn't going to be this heartless, corporate thing after all.
Later that day, I spent some time praying about things. I sensed God saying: "Do this for Me and you can retire afterwards." From then on I felt sure the show would last another ten years, by which time I will be seventy-five years old. (I'm not saying I'll retire then, but having a little more freedom to do what I'd like would be nice.) I told God I'd be happy to stick with the series for however long He intended. Meanwhile, all those television executives were deliberating about whether to invest in it. I didn't worry because I had already heard it from "The Chairman of the Board", if you know what I mean. I was sure the show would go on.
The network bought six episodes, and everybody was nervous whether we would make it. Because I had the inside track, I kept encouraging folds to hang in there, assuring them we would last ten years. To everyone's relief, the show really took off.
Being part of Touched by an Angel has been special for so many reasons. People stop me in airports and supermarkets to tell me how glad they are for something that offers them spiritual food. Many of them tell me it's one of the few shows the entire family watches together.
I am grateful that Martha Williamson is an extremely good write and that the crew is fantastic to work with. And as for Roma-she and I just hit is off immediately. We never had to work on our relationship, figuring out what makes each other tick, what we like and dislike. The chemistry between us has been great. The camera says it all-Tess and Monica are two angels who like nothing better than teaming up on all kinds of challenging assignments.
Not long ago, who waiting for my husband, I was approached by a five-year-old girl. She had been looking me over from a distance, whispering to her younger sister. Finally she said, "You're Tess, aren't you?"
"Yes, baby, I'm Tess," I replied. I knew that little one might never recognize the name Della Reese, But I was pretty sure she would always remember her encounter with an angel named Tess. And, you know, I wouldn't have it any other way. ~
Della Reese
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