I kept my promise to Richard Pryor
Remembering Richard

by Eugenia Wright
(kleopatragirl writer/publicist, courtesy re-print UFP)

Have you ever seen a shooting star? You may have seen it just once, but the sight of its brilliance is remembered for a lifetime. For me that was Richard Pryor.

I met Richard in the early 80’s when I was a young, shy actress. I really didn’t know anything about Hollywood. I was so new, so green. I attended the premiere of his film Some Kind of Hero. My date to the premiere was an established star whose focus was on networking. I was left alone for a moment and while standing in the middle of the lobby Richard turned and we caught each other’s eye. We just stood there glued to one another. I remember I was wearing white and it felt like a moment in West Side story. Everyone just disappeared and our eyes were locked. I turned away from the guilty glance because I was there with someone else, and clearly there was instant chemistry, which made me a little uneasy. Suddenly, someone in Richard’s entourage, which included, Actress Lynn Moody, his co-star, approached me and asked if I would join Richard for dinner after the premiere. I remembered thinking, why doesn’t he ask me himself and so I replied, “If Richard would like me to go out with him then he has to ask me himself.” The gentleman (who I later learned was his manager) and whose name I’d rather not mention, went back and told Richard what I said. Richard then personally came over and asked me to go out to dinner with him. I responded by thanking him for the invitation but explained I was with a date and maybe some other time would be better. Just then a very famous publicist with the initials M.L. took my arm and ushered me away whispering in my ear “that was a very good move.” I remembered thinking I didn’t say it like I was playing a game or wanted to make a good move.” Then Richard’s friend came back over to me again and asked me for my phone number for Richard. I gave it to him.

A few days later I received a call again from the same man in Richard’s camp asking me if I will go out with Richard and I repeated the same answer “Have Richard call me himself.” Well Richard did call and he was so, so funny. I know it seems silly to say Richard Pryor was funny, but to me, he was genuinely funny without a line. He was sincere. He asked me. “Do you like Chinese people?” And, I replied yes. He said let’s go and I thought oh my God, he wants me to go to China. After laughing about this, he assured me it was just to a restaurant. And so we went to a Chinese restaurant on Sunset Blvd., the first of many dates.

Richard was so sweet and I felt totally at ease goofing around with him. As we walked up the stairs at the restaurant, the staircase ended at a wall, so instead of turning right I walked right into the wall knocking my head lightly against the wall as if trying to go through it and he started laughing and told me he liked my sense of humor. God, Richard made me laugh. He was just as funny off-stage as on. He would pick me up in his soft-colored yellow Rolls Royce and we’d take off to the movies. One time my sister Alicia Bythewood was in town and he took us to dinner and to see the film Poltergeist. He would not stop taking pictures of us. He kept saying "I'm with the two most beautiful girls in Hollywood." It wasn’t until he sent for me to go to Hawaii did our troubles begin and I found out that Richard had one pet peeve…he did not want to be "exploited" in any way. Once he had me in Hana, Maui where he owned a beautiful home, he took out all the photos that he had taken of us and after he showed them to me, he tore them up. He told me he would never want me to use those photos in the press. I felt so hurt that he thought I was capable of anything like that. I was young and naïve and knew nothing about the press. I liked Richard for himself. During my three-day stay he made it clear to me that he did not want me to use his name in any way to get roles. I would never have thought to do anything like that. I spent the whole time trying to convince him that he was the one I cared about. I was with him not for fame or money. I felt I had done my best to convince him I would never use him in any way shape or form, but sensed he had doubts. Possibly because when I first met him, I was out with another actor who he knew very well. We dated a few times after, and then he invited me to fly to meet him while he was shooting a Superman film. I declined all his invitations and he would call me every year for the next four years to wish me Merry Christmas.  I liked Richard a great deal but always felt I could not allay his fears.

I always remembered Richard throughout the years. His distrust about putting his name out in the media made me keep our relationship silenced. If I talked about it, I felt I was going against his wishes.

On one of our dates, he took me to Diana Ross’ birthday party and as we entered the party the paparazzi took photos and we were filmed on Entertainment Tonight. On ET they reported I was someone else. At the time I never corrected it. I did not want to take any fame or put myself in the spotlight for having been his girlfriend.

He was a special man. At last I want to be able to say, I really liked the guy a lot. He was a special part of my life and no; I don’t want any money for telling it, thank you. Someone recently said, you should write a book. I answered, “Are you kidding, that’s something Richard would have hated.” I will always remember Richard and keep many of our treasured moments sacred.

It’s ironic that after our relationship ended I continued to work quite extensively in television and film all on my own and then segued into public relations and became a writer too (I’m sure he would have cringed at that). If I had those photos, they would have been in a special safe box just for me that I could take out and look at from time to time, just to reminisce. Now they are just a memory. 

Eugenia Wright is an actress turned publicist and freelance Writer. She spearheads ISA Public Relations a boutique PR office in LA. She has represented the likes of Chris Stokes, Marques Houston, Voice Over King Pin J.D. Hall, Broadway Actor Michael A. Shepperd, Irene Mama Stokes, R& B Singer Dvyne, Renowned Dance/Fitness Instructor and Choreographer Joey L. Dowdy, Fame photographer Tim Alexander and highly regarded journalist Vinni Ratcliff and many others. She is also the publicist for Urban Film Premiere.com. Her extensive acting credits appear in the IMDB. For more info on Eugenia Wright log on to www.isapublicrelations.com