Eric Haywood returned to Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon and his friends and family were ready to celebrate -- by eating and watching a little TV.
Haywood, a graduate of Custer High School and UWM who moved to Atlanta in the 1990s, wrote the script for "Relative Stranger," a film that debuts Saturday night on the Hallmark Channel.
"My family's putting together a nice little gathering with lots of food," Haywood said in an e-mail to OnMilwaukee.com. "I haven't heard what's on the menu, though."
Haywood tried to pitch "Relative Stranger" as a feature film, but didn't win much support. Hallmark did, however, supply him with an all-star cast.
Eriq LaSalle plays the lead role -- a man who returns to the family he abandoned six years earlier. Cicely Tyson also stars along with Michael Michelle.
"Working with Miss Tyson was amazing," Haywood said. "It was the opportunity of a lifetime watching her bring to life a character that I wrote. I'm hoping that I'll be lucky enough to work with her again someday."
Haywood already is working on his next project, a romantic comedy called "On Bended Knee."
Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
