Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Yo, it's effective immediately. I'm DJ Head.
[00:00:06] Speaker B: What up Hip Hop Nation? It's your favorite homegirl, ginaviews.
[00:00:08] Speaker A: Yes. We have a special guest in the studio on the air with us today. And we have been waiting for this for quite some time. And I am super excited to have the well established, the legendary Essence Atkins is here with us.
[00:00:20] Speaker C: Let's watch this.
[00:00:21] Speaker A: Watch this. Yeah. Not to be confused with Usher, right?
[00:00:26] Speaker C: Yeah. I'm so glad you said that. Cause I think it was gonna be a little, it's gonna be a little sketchy for a minute.
[00:00:31] Speaker A: Yeah, for sure.
I wanna get into like all the things that are your career and all of the new things and endeavors and stuff like that, but first and foremost, I wanna give you your flowers. Oh, thank you. We just talked to Richard Lawson. Richard Lawson, I love him. He's a hoot.
[00:00:49] Speaker C: Yes, yes. He's hysterical.
[00:00:52] Speaker A: He's very, he's very interested. He's a lot of fun. But I always find it when we get especially actors, actresses, even musicians that we have on the show.
It's really difficult to have a five year career, ten year career. But to be around and be present and be a leading lady for all this time. I think there's some dude that's old there. So I want to give you flowers for that.
[00:01:19] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:01:19] Speaker A: You know what I'm saying?
[00:01:20] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:01:20] Speaker A: That's really dope.
[00:01:21] Speaker C: Listen, I be pinching myself like, wow, how did this, how is this still happening? You know, this was a dare for me. This was me take just betting on myself one time seeing a notice on the bulletin board in high school and deciding I'm gonna audition for that and then booking it. You know what I mean? And that was the number one show in America was the Cosby show at the time.
[00:01:45] Speaker B: That was your first audition?
[00:01:46] Speaker C: That was my first professional audition and I booked it.
[00:01:49] Speaker A: Oh, no, you just pissed off a lot of actresses, especially being in la.
[00:01:53] Speaker C: I know there's going to be waiter spitting in my mood after this.
[00:01:56] Speaker B: What grade are you in at this time?
[00:01:58] Speaker C: I was 14. It was 1986. Yeah. And so I, yeah, I just, I called the number, I told them I didn't have any. I didn't have an agent. I didn't. Wasn't in the union, nothing. And they said, okay, well just come in and I audition. I went back for a callback and I went back for a final callback and ended up getting it. So that was my first time auditioning was a huge yes and it's been huge yeses Ever since. So there are moments where I still feel like, wow, God, like, you really have given me not just favor, but you've given me longevity. You know what I mean? And so I feel really grateful.
[00:02:40] Speaker A: We say God begotten.
[00:02:42] Speaker C: God begoding in my life. Y'all don't even understand.
Y'all don't even understand. I'm like, ooh, you love me for real? For real?
[00:02:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:02:51] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:02:51] Speaker B: Where's the. Where's the Cosby show at this point? When you Season three. Okay.
[00:02:56] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:02:56] Speaker A: Oh, so it was already running and you jumped in.
[00:02:57] Speaker C: It was the number one show in America.
[00:02:59] Speaker B: Was there anything you already a fan of it?
[00:03:01] Speaker C: Yes, that's why I did it. I was terrified. I didn't know what I was doing. I just thought, I want to be on the show. It's the show. Everyone was watching. They had, like, 30 million viewers every week. I wanted to be a part of it. That's what that. That excitement and that possibility is what gave me the courage. Because I was an introverted kid. I was shy. I was self conscious. I was bullied. I was skinny. I had a big forehead that hasn't gone away. But the point is.
[00:03:32] Speaker A: Don'T do that.
[00:03:32] Speaker B: I'mma retweet what you saying, but I'm not gonna take my hat off. All right, go ahead.
I was skinny. I know what you mean.
[00:03:38] Speaker C: You know what I'm saying? Like, I was made fun of a lot, and I was very. I mean, I was. I was bright, and I was a good student, and I had some talent, but I wasn't a confident kid. But it was. Again, it was the possibility that forced me to have the audacity to try. And here we are, 39 years later.
[00:04:01] Speaker A: Don't you think it takes that, though? Can you speak to. First of all, that's dope. That's crazy. Second of all, can you speak to. Cause there's other actresses that I'm sure they look up to you actors that want to do what you did, but it takes audacity to even have that courage to do that. Did you all. Were you born like that? Did you have to build that because of the bullying?
[00:04:18] Speaker C: I think that I always had.
I want to credit my parents for not making my world small. Like, even though we didn't have a lot of money, we didn't have a lot of resource. I grew up in Brooklyn. I went to public school until junior high.
They just never made me feel like anything was with. Anything was outside of my reach. And I think that that gave me permission to dream bigger than other kids in the neighborhood. And that's really the difference. Like, there was no difference. There's plenty of talent. Y'all know, there's plenty of talent where we come from. But it's about, do you. Are you.
Are you fortified enough? Is there the hint of possibility? Are you hopeful enough to try? And I was hopeful enough to try, and that's really. That's really what it was. And then you have to have wisdom. You gain wisdom along the way. After a while, I was having success, and I was like, well, I guess I should learn about this thing I keep getting booked to do. So I started taking classes, and that requires humility, because I realized, like, I'm working, yes, and I'm making money, but I don't really know about this thing. And then I found teachers. And so all of those things. Asking questions, observing, showing up on time, being prepared. You know, again, having the humility of curiosity to say, well, what's that wire for? What's he doing? You know what I mean? And also being respectful. These are the key ingredients that has made my career be 39 years old. It's not just, oh, she's talented, or she had a huge agent, or. It was none of those things. It was really, like little things that you build along the way before.
[00:05:55] Speaker A: I want to go back to before the Cosby show, because you said a lot of. You said a lot. But a lot of artists, creatives, they have these things that they do before they get their motion right. I remember Tiffany Haddish worked for Alaskan Airlines. I think. I think Brad Pitt was. He was in. He used to dress up as the El Pollo Loco Chicken and be up there.
[00:06:16] Speaker C: Ooh, that's a good. I did not know that. That's good.
[00:06:19] Speaker A: Yeah. So, like, different. What was your thing before acting?
[00:06:22] Speaker C: Well, you know, I was a teenager when I started, but I thought I was gonna be Misty Copeland. Like, I was a dancer. I was studying dance.
[00:06:30] Speaker A: Like, classical trained?
[00:06:31] Speaker C: Yeah, classically trained. I was a. Started out in ballet at the Newbert Ballet Institute at Carnegie Hall. I auditioned, and they saw some potential, and they gave me a scholarship because we didn't. Again, we didn't have resource like that. And then I ended up being a student at Alvin Ailey American Dance center back when it was at Lincoln Center. And so, I'm sorry, Broadway Dance Center. And so I was a dance student, and I thought that that was gonna be. But the interesting thing is in second grade, I love telling this story, because when I think about it, it Was like God showing me who I really was and what my life was gonna look like. So in first grade, I went to this public school, as I mentioned. And I was part of the gifted program, right? And so there was a play that was put on by the second grade class. This teacher named Mrs. Brumberg, she put on a play of the wizard of Oz. And she did it for the whole school, right? Kinder through fifth grade or sixth grade or whatever. And so we're all watching this play and I'm like, oh, next year I Hope I'm in Mrs. Brumberg's class so I could be play for everybody. And so the next year, I happened to be in her class. She was doing Peter Pan. Now, we all had to write on a piece of paper the five roles that we wanted to do. The first role I put was Tiger Lily. Because that felt like, you know, I was like, I was one of three black girls in the class. That felt like a real possibility.
[00:07:51] Speaker A: I'm win this one. I got this.
[00:07:53] Speaker C: You know, I got this one. Then I put like, Wendy. Then I put like a lost boy. Then I made may have put something. And then the fifth one I listed was Peter Pan. Cause I had seen Peter Pan on Broadway. And back then an actress named Sandy Duncan had played Peter Pan. And she was white, she had blonde hair. So I was really like, I'm not gonna get Peter. But it would be fun. Anyway, long story short, we had auditions in the class, and I was teacher's pet. So I said to Ms. Bromborg one day when I was cleaning the board, so what are my chances of getting Peter? And she was like, well, you have a really nice voice, and I like your audition. She go, but you're really quiet. Cause again, I told y'all I was shy and introverted. So for like a week or two, I was home singing at the top of my lungs, talking at the top of my lungs, projecting. Anyway, y'all, I ended up getting Peter Pan. And so cut to. We're in rehearsals for the first time in the auditorium. And we go to the stage, and we're all sitting there, the whole class. And I go to get up on stage. She's like, okay, we're gonna do this scene. I go to get up on stage, and she goes, where's your play? And I go, what do you mean? She goes, your play. You need your play so we can do the scene. I said, oh, I know it already. She was like, wait, what?
[00:09:05] Speaker A: Yeah, what you mean?
[00:09:06] Speaker C: I said, I've memorized all My lines and the songs, she stopped everybody. She said, wait a minute, hold on, hold on. She was white though. She didn't talk like that. But I'm just saying in my voice, she be like, hold on, hold on, hold on. Right? But she was like, you know, all your lines and all the songs. I was like, uh huh.
So even then, there was something about the opportunity that I took really seriously that I really wanted to prepare for and be good at. And so when I look at that, that was the germination of who I am now. You know, at 53, it's like I still show up with that same excitement. I'm prepared, I'm ready, I'm excited. I can't wait. Whatever it is, whether it be comedy, drama, you know, act, whatever it is, I still carry that, like essence, little essence, 7 year old, 8 year old essence is still in there, operating in the same mindset.
[00:09:58] Speaker A: Yeah, that's fire.
[00:10:00] Speaker B: How's the support from your family growing up?
[00:10:02] Speaker C: They were like, wait, what?
They were confused because by the time I booked Cosby, they didn't even know. I didn't even tell them I auditioned. Like, they had no idea. This is what it was like growing up in the 80s. It was just feral kids everywhere just doing what they wanted in New York and the parents didn't have a clue half the time. But when I told them I booked it, they were just surprised. No one in my family had ever done it anything like that. So everybody was super supportive and wonderful, but they were also clueless. They could not guide me.
[00:10:35] Speaker A: Oh, sorry, go ahead.
[00:10:36] Speaker B: I just wanted to know, when did you lose your Brooklyn accent?
[00:10:39] Speaker C: Oh, it comes back when I go home.
[00:10:42] Speaker A: It's when you mad, huh?
[00:10:44] Speaker C: Or when I go home. When I go home, like all of a sudden I'll be somewhere and I'll be like, yo, let me get a glass of water. And I'll be like, oh, my gosh.
[00:10:51] Speaker A: Oh, shit. That shit just came. You heard she sound like a cab driver.
[00:10:54] Speaker C: Yeah, it comes back when I'm mad, though.
[00:10:57] Speaker A: Yeah, when you mad, you don't seem like. When's the last time you got really angry? You don't have to tell me what. But when last time you don't seem like you get angry.
[00:11:04] Speaker C: I really don't. I mean, you know, I think that my life is such. I have designed and been very intentional about my life. And also because I'm a believer, I. I carry, I think, the peace of God with me, or at least I have access to it even when I am angry. So I calibrate to that. I'm always kind of shifting to the fruit of the spirit and who I want to be, which is patient and kind and loving and gentle and long suffering and dying to myself. And, you know, so when that is kind of like my mantra. Not kind of. That is my mantra. That is the scriptures that live in me. So even when I'm angry, I always think to myself, I go to prayer first.
[00:11:47] Speaker A: You brought up the Cosby show being your first thing. 1. I want to get your opinion on that being the biggest.
I don't wanna say platform, but the biggest show. The biggest show to showcase our people in a positive light. Right. And then, I mean, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but then I've seen, like, your catalog of work over the years. You've carried the same thing where you never really ventured into controversial roles or demeaning roles in a way that will portray you or us in a certain light. Is that intentional, or have you been mindful of that since the Cosby?
[00:12:19] Speaker C: I've been, but it wasn't always that way. I mean, when I started out, it was kinda like, you know, again, you get in where you fit in. You just. But the work that I ended up having, the work that I ended up booking and gravitating towards, was all just like. You know, even now, I remember when my son, who's now 13, during the pandemic, was when he first discovered Smart Guy. Cause it was on. It went to Disney, and he was.
[00:12:43] Speaker B: Just like, how old is he at this time?
[00:12:45] Speaker C: At that point during the pandemic? I think he was eight when it first started. So it was his first time seeing the show. And I was so proud. I hadn't seen episodes in years, but I was so proud for him to see something that I had been a part of that was so kind of progressive. I mean, it was about a single dad doing his best after, you know, losing his wife in a tragedy of three kids and this brilliant boy who was in high school with his older brother and sister, navigating these relationships and them as a family, working it out together. You know, it was the first time Destiny's Child had ever acted, Ever. It was her. Beyonce's very first speaking role on television. So there's a lot of legacy and a lot of pride that I have in my career.
Some of it has been intentional, particularly in the latter years, but a lot of it was just how God orchestrated it was alignment.
[00:13:35] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. The roles that you've played, like, I remember watching you as A little girl and you being that girl. Like, the girl I wanted to be. It was you and Moesha who I wanted to be so bad. Like, the swag, the style, the way you talked, how you carried yourself. Like, everything is like, all of those roles that you played, you were the relatable black girl. You were the person who someone sitting at home could identify with. Of those roles, which of those roles that you played actually, like, resonated with you in your real life?
[00:14:08] Speaker C: You know, to a certain extent. All of them have. Because of. They were all at different time periods in my life. You know what I mean? Like, I loved being a vet. I loved being a vet on Smart Guy because I felt incredibly protective of Taj at the time, you know, And I loved who she was in her family, because there was no mom. Their mom was gone. And so she had to step up. And I felt like in many ways in my life, I had to step up because I was walking into a career that no one in my family could really guide me in. Right. So there was that. There was those similarities. And then if you have, like, half and half, half and half was such a dope environment for all of us because it was an executive producer who was a female, a shot showrunner, you know, Yvette Lee Bowser, a director, Ellen Gittleson. There were so many incredibly strong women that were on the show, as well as executives connected to the show. Like, the executive connected to our show on the UPN side is now Tracy Blackwell, who now runs Faith based programming at Amazon. And then our other executive is now the president of CBS Network. Like, we just had badass women all around us, obviously. We had Telma and Valerie. We had, you know, Light on the show. We had Loretta Devine on the show.
We had so many incredible women. And then, you know, we had, like, Louis Gossett Jr. On the show. We had amazing, amazing guest stars. You know, Diane Carroll played my grandmother on that show. So it was just iconic. And then for me, even when I did Ambitions, Ambitions was a great role for me. And Amara, I loved playing Amara because she was complicated. She wasn't just. She was smart, yes. And she was an ada, but she was also, like, she had cheated on her husband. She was a complicated character. She wasn't one thing, because we are not a monolith, you know, and then now when I realized, like, doing Reasonable Doubt and playing an expert in domestic violence, I had a whole conversation with Kerry Washington about that role and why I was so grateful to be playing that role, you know, because I grew up in a. Excuse me. I grew up in a home where early when I was very, very young, my mom was in a domestic violence situation. So I had that to draw from. So what's interesting is that every character. And then you guys, even with Marlon, like, Marlon happened. I booked Marlon three weeks after I had filed for divorce. And there I was playing a newly divorced mom with. Trying to figure out how to raise two kids with the love of my life, which played by Marlon Wayans. You know what I mean? So it was so healing for me at the time to book that role, to look at divorce and co parenting under the umbrella of humor. So it's like every single project has had this timeline that has brought me wisdom, that has brought me healing, that has brought me laughter at a time where I needed it, or just brought me catharsis in being able to play something or exercise something that I needed to process.
[00:17:25] Speaker B: You need a lifetime achievement award.
[00:17:28] Speaker A: It literally from real life or.
[00:17:30] Speaker B: Have you seen these?
[00:17:31] Speaker C: Oh, I have seen that. Yeah.
[00:17:34] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:17:34] Speaker B: All your roses. Like, this is amazing. These are. It's so many different females from one person. That's crazy as hell to me.
[00:17:43] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:17:44] Speaker B: That's amazing.
[00:17:45] Speaker A: It seems like also what you just said, like, your career is, like, aligned in divinity in a certain way to where it's lining up like that. That's crazy. God play.
[00:17:56] Speaker B: God don't play with you.
[00:17:57] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:17:58] Speaker B: He don't play about her.
[00:17:59] Speaker C: He definitely don't. He definitely don't.
[00:18:01] Speaker B: We gotta talk about.
[00:18:02] Speaker C: If y'all don't tell me the truth, the Holy Spirit's gonna tell me. So you better say. You better tell me. Yeah.
[00:18:07] Speaker B: What is it like for you? Like, just being a part of a whole era that's so iconic. Not even just like half and half, but the full UPN era.
[00:18:15] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:18:16] Speaker B: That run Moesha, the Parkers 101. Like, it's so many shows that came from that that was for us that we don't even have that anymore.
[00:18:26] Speaker C: And it's sad, but at the same time, like, what I love about now today is that because we have so many platforms, there's so much content needed and people are finding their way. Like, we just talking about in the elevator on the way up here. Everybody I know is watching Paradise. Everybody, you know, and it's so good. And I've known. Like, I thought about it yesterday. I met Ryan and sterling back in 2005 when they first. Ryan was. I'm sorry. Sterling was doing Army Wives. Ryan was a guest star. She played my college Best friend on Half and Half, and we've been friends ever since. Like, I think about those things, you know, Taraji played my best friend on Smart Guy. Gab played my other best friend on Smart Guy. Like, I've known these women. I've been around these women. I've become friends with these women who are incredible artists, incredible leaders, incredible pioneers and mavericks, you know, and it started just from.
Yes, it started from a. Yes. And UPN was definitely a big part of that era. And, you know, but then so was Fox, you know, Living Color. That show was part of the launching of the Fox network, you know, and I was so grateful to be a part of NAACP's Image Awards, inducting the family into their hall of Fame. You know, that was such a big night for me, and I was so excited because that's. They're a family and they're friends of mine that I've known. I met Marling, Kim and Sean on Wayne's Brothers comedy back in 1995. So again, UPN.
[00:20:06] Speaker B: Yeah. I've always wondered, Deliver us from Eva. That's another one of the iconic roles. But not just that one role, just you guys as a sisterhood, you've played a sister, you've played a friend. Even, like we talked about Smart Guy, where you play Taj's big sister, who's Tia Tamara's brother.
[00:20:24] Speaker C: Little brother.
[00:20:25] Speaker B: Yeah. And then half and half, you play his sister. What's the sisterhood like off camera?
[00:20:32] Speaker C: I mean, it's real, you know, it is. It's beautiful. I say this often that sisterhood through the difficult times of my life has saved me. You know, my friendships have saved me. And I'm so grateful that we have become and we have been a safe space for each other. You know, I was in Gabrielle's first wedding as a bridesmaid, and then I officiated her wedding to Dwayne. Like, that's a long. That's a long, beautiful, you know, incarnation of friendship, you know, and we love each other and, you know, it's not to be considered a restful place for people, for them not to feel the pressure of having to put on or be on or be anything other than where they are in that moment. That's my goal. That's my goal for friendship. That's my goal for sisterhood. That when you. When it's you and me, me, or when it's us, you don't have to worry about your business getting repeated. You don't have to worry about being gossiped about. You don't have to worry about showing up and having all the things and being all the fab. You can just be and come as you are and lay your head and rest, and we can laugh and we don't need anything fancy or complicated to have a good time, you know?
[00:21:52] Speaker B: How many times did you have to explain that you're not related to T and Tamara?
[00:21:58] Speaker C: One too many. Listen. So many times. But I get it. I get the confusion. Their show is on at 8. Ours was on at 8:30. They are literally the actual biological sisters of the boy that I played the big sister to. And we sound alike. We definitely sound alike. But they are younger, they are taller, and they are twins.
[00:22:19] Speaker B: Was there ever any crossover episodes?
[00:22:21] Speaker C: No, there was Never.
[00:22:22] Speaker B: Never.
[00:22:23] Speaker C: No, we didn't do a crossover. Wait a minute. Hold on. Wait a minute. Maybe T and Tamara were on Smart Guy. They may have been.
[00:22:30] Speaker A: I think I remember.
[00:22:30] Speaker C: Yes. I think I remember the ghost episode. I think they were on an episode of. I was never on their show, but I think they were on our show.
[00:22:37] Speaker B: Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I knew you was about to say something. I still got another question.
[00:22:42] Speaker A: Go ahead.
[00:22:43] Speaker B: What about show? Like, there's movies that you could have been in or you probably should have made an appearance in, like, something like a Bring It On.
[00:22:51] Speaker C: Oh, you know, I never auditioned for Bring it on, but I did audition for Baby Boy. I screen tested.
[00:22:56] Speaker A: For who?
[00:22:57] Speaker B: For who? Eyvette?
[00:22:58] Speaker C: Yes.
Yes. Yes, what? I screen tested with Tyrese for John Singleton, and then. And I felt so good, y'all, I'm not even gonna lie. I was like, ooh, I just killed it. And then Taraji walked in.
[00:23:14] Speaker B: Give me your bestie back.
[00:23:15] Speaker C: Yeah, I don't even. Give me a line, y'all. We gotta pull Trojan.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: Very sensitive. America's number one condom. Well, at least you went all out. You do you know the movie?
[00:23:27] Speaker C: I do. But you know what?
It was a great. It was a great test. I'm trying to think of what else I tested for. Oh, this is funny. I was just thinking about this the other day. So do y'all remember Carmen? The hip hopper?
[00:23:40] Speaker B: Yes. Beyonce and Mekhi Pfeiffer.
[00:23:42] Speaker C: I auditioned for Carmen. Yes. I screen tested for Carmen. Yes, yes, yes.
[00:23:48] Speaker A: Wait, wait, wait, wait. So, okay, this is my question about this.
[00:23:51] Speaker C: I screen tested. No, I didn't screen test, but I did I screen test.
[00:23:56] Speaker A: You auditioned for what?
[00:23:57] Speaker C: I auditioned for Sister Act 2 that Lauryn Hill got.
Actually, I'll tell you guys a really funny story. So my very first pilot.
[00:24:07] Speaker A: That's Crazy.
[00:24:08] Speaker C: And for those of you who don't know what a pilot is, a pilot is like, basically kind of a test episode that they do for a network to decide if they want to pick it up to become an actual show that you see on TV. So my first pilot, I was 19 years old that I tested for it was a pilot called Diva. And Quincy Jones was executive producing for CBS. And they saw, like, 1500 girls. New York, Miami, Louisiana. I want to say Atlanta, but they saw girls from all over 1500, and they narrowed it down to 10. I was one of the final 10. And basically, the premise of the show was basically like, to follow a upcoming singing group, like En Vogue. There were four girls just, like, in Vogue, and they were gonna follow their, like, rise to fame. And like I said, Quincy Jones was producing. So, you know, the music, all of it was gonna be tight. I had to sing in my audition. I had to act in my audition. I had to dance in my audition. So the final test was a Monday at the CBS over there on Fairfax. And the role that I was auditioning for was the youngest member of the group. I don't remember the character's name, but it was me, Lauryn Hill, and one other person. And neither one of us got it. Me nor Lauryn Hill got it, and the other girl got it. But, yeah. And when I finished my test, I was packing up my stuff, putting it in my bag, and Quincy comes over to me. Q comes over to me, and he says to me. He goes, you did a good job. And I said, thank you, Mr. Jones. Thank you so much. And he goes, a train leaves the station every 10 minutes. Do you get what I'm trying to say to you? And I was like, yeah, I get it, Mr. Jones. Thank you. And I knew I didn't get it, but I knew he was saying, keep going. And literally, like, a month later, I booked my first pilot with Debbie Allen.
[00:25:55] Speaker A: With Debbie Allen. Light flex. You see the two light flexes also. Q walked over. Yeah, he Q. You know what I'm saying?
[00:26:01] Speaker C: But, you know, but that's the thing. It's like, I was on the right path. Like, I just kept getting. When I didn't get it, I just kept getting other work. Like, other things happen, other things. Like getting that pilot with Debbie Allen, which also didn't go, was just amazing. Debbie Allen was my mom. Diane Carroll was my grandmother. John Witherspoon was my uncle. Jennifer Lewis was my cousin. Jurnee Smollett was my little sister. Like, that was my first pilot. I was 19 years old. That was NBC.
[00:26:31] Speaker A: That's crazy.
[00:26:31] Speaker B: The show that you were talking about, Diva, it sounds a lot like Star.
[00:26:34] Speaker C: Yes, it was the star before Star. Because this is. Again, this is. This is 1990, 1991. This is early. Early 90s.
[00:26:44] Speaker B: What about roles that you turned down?
[00:26:46] Speaker C: I'm like, do I turn down roles? I don't know that I do. I mean, you know what I won't do? I honestly can't remember anything that I've turned down. But I've become way more sensitive in the spirit. So there are certain things, like horror that I don't want to do just. Cause I don't want to mess with that energy. I don't want to even pretend that I'm in that energy. But. Oh, it's another role I screen tested for Thandie Newton's role in the vampire Lestat.
[00:27:16] Speaker A: Yeah. So like, horror. I don't like. I don't like scary movies.
[00:27:19] Speaker C: Right.
[00:27:19] Speaker A: I don't mess. I don't scary movies.
[00:27:21] Speaker C: I don't mind scary movies. I don't mind thrillers. I'm all about a violent thriller.
[00:27:25] Speaker A: I like thrillers. I don't fuck with the. You know what? I like scary movies. But, like, the ones where it's like Jason. Cause I could shoot him. You know what I'm saying? He keeps getting up, but it don't matter. But I'm gonna get away. And then they'll do something else.
The ghosts and the poltergeist and all that. I don't play with the spiritual energy.
[00:27:42] Speaker C: Right.
[00:27:42] Speaker A: You know what I'm saying?
[00:27:43] Speaker B: And neither does Keisha.
[00:27:44] Speaker C: Neither does Keisha. That's right. She don't play. She don't play. Well, you know, again, back then, I didn't. Well, I was also delirious. So when I did Haunted House, y'all, my son. When I auditioned for the movie, my son was 20 days old.
[00:28:02] Speaker A: Damn.
[00:28:02] Speaker C: I just.
[00:28:04] Speaker A: You a hustler.
[00:28:05] Speaker C: And by via emergency C section, mind you. Cause I was in labor for 40 hours, and then they had to cut me. So my son was 20 days old when I got the audition for Haunted House. And I was like, my agent called. I go, do they know I just had a baby? Like, I just had a baby. And they're like, yeah, they know. But it's Marlon, and he really wants to see you. And at that point, I had worked with Marlon on Wayne's Brothers and on Dance Flick. Dance Flick, right? So I was like, okay. So I say, as long as they know that I just had a baby. So I go, in and I read, I audition. Anyway, they end up offering me the role. But I was when I started, I got cleared on a Friday, my six week clearance checkup, and I started that Monday. My son was like, just a baby. And if you look at the poster, look at my boobs. They're humongous.
[00:28:55] Speaker A: For research purposes.
[00:28:58] Speaker C: Yeah, they're huge. I was like full, full, full of breast milk. I was in the throes of new mommyhood and I was really delirious. But they made it so much fun, I had to say yes. And it was actually when we were filming Haunted House. We were in the hair and makeup trailer. One day, Marlon looked over at me and he was like, you and me, we gonna do a TV show together. He goes, and you gonna play my wife? And I go, I would love that. You know, that would be great. And then cut. Two, four years later, I'm not his wife. I'm his ex wife. On Marlon.
[00:29:33] Speaker A: Speaking of Dwayne's first of all, that NAACP award for the fam I think was long overdue. And I think the other platforms should do the same for them because we get Jim Carrey, we get J. Lo and.
[00:29:45] Speaker C: Right. That's how we got them.
[00:29:47] Speaker A: That's how we get them. People overlook that lineage, but you have a long history of the family. I actually pulled the clip right, because.
[00:29:55] Speaker C: Oh, boy.
[00:29:56] Speaker A: It's the clip of you and Sean in.
[00:30:01] Speaker C: Oh, in dance flick, when he comes.
[00:30:04] Speaker A: In, when he comes to pick up.
[00:30:06] Speaker C: His baby, I'm here to pick up my son.
[00:30:07] Speaker A: I'm here to pick up my son. He walks in, he picks up the.
[00:30:10] Speaker C: Son and puts him down.
[00:30:11] Speaker A: And puts him down. I'll be back next week and pick him up again.
And I'm looking at that scene, and then you turn around like, is he such a great dad?
What movie was that pulled from?
[00:30:21] Speaker C: So that's from Save the Last Dance. Save the Last Dance. I'm Kerry Washington. Kerry Washington in that movie had a young kid. She had a baby.
[00:30:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:31] Speaker C: So that's who I was. If you look, pull up Kerry Washington, Save the Last Dance. And look at, look, get a picture of her. And you'll be like, oh, that's exactly who Essence was playing.
[00:30:42] Speaker A: So the thing, the question, I guess, do people. Have people ever approached you or been upset with y'all spoofing them over the years or like. No, nobody's ever taken it personal or gotten sensitive about it? Cause it's like it when I see certain something like, oh, that's good.
[00:30:55] Speaker C: Yeah. No, I mean, you know, I think.
[00:30:57] Speaker A: The writers room gotta be crazy.
[00:30:58] Speaker C: Oh, there. You gotta be on your toes. It's so fun, though. Like, working with them is part of the reason that I always say yes. I tell them, I'm like, whatever y'all call me and ask me to do, I'm gonna say yes because I always have such a good time. Besides how talented they all are, which is crazy. I'm like, what do y'all do with the ones who aren't talented? Y'all just. Y'all just disown them. Because I don't think that exists. Like, they don't. They've been. They've been bred out. It's like the evolution has just. They died off. Whatever unfunny gene doesn't exist. But I always have such a good time with them. They're such incredible human beings. Like, walking into an environment with them is just so loving, so fun, so cool. They treat everybody with kindness. They are so, so, so generous. And they're so respectful with everyone they're working with. You know, it's like, they don't treat. There's no hierarchy, you know, And. And people are always, you know, observing the nepotism that exists. Right. They put everybody on. But what people don't understand is that even in that process, you have to learn. They make sure that you learn the craft. They make sure that you learn what everybody does. They make sure that if they open the door for you, the door is held open. And then you gotta stay there. And they make sure you're prepared to stay there by knowing what you're doing. So you're trained up. When you're let in, you are trained up. It's not just like, I'm gonna let you in and you just figure it out. We're gonna train you up so that you know how this thing works, whatever area you're interested in. And it's beautiful. Working on Papa's House, there's Waynes in the writer's room. There's Waynes in post production. There's Wayne's. My stand in is Damon Jr. S daughter Amara is my stand in. There's. Kim has directed a bunch of our episodes. The executive producers, there's four of them that are Waynes, you know, so it's just. It's a beautiful environment to walk into. And again, it's just like being part of one big happy family.
[00:32:59] Speaker A: You throw a rock in the industry here to Wayne's.
[00:33:01] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know, I get offended. Speaking of, you know, when you're like, how Many times have people kind of confused you with the Maori sisters, which is, you know, they're beautiful women. But I think that people should be more mindful to joke about people's legacy, you know what I mean? Because they have their own legacy, which is beautiful in its own right, and I have mine. And so I don't like when people just haphazardly conflate. And the other issue is I don't like when people say, like, me and Marlon dated. Never happened. Never happened. One of the reasons that I get so upset about it is because it undermines the fact that we are such good friends. And he has warred for me. He has championed me, he has advocated for me. Just based on gp, just based on love, brother, sister, love. And it does exist. And it can exist. Everybody who's single and attractive does not have to sleep together. And the more that you realize that. And the reason, again, that I get upset about undermining what the true history between he and I is, is because I feel like it doesn't encourage people to have wisdom. Like, if I had been reckless enough, I mean, the man is very handsome and very talented and is an incredible human being. But I also know he's not my person. And if I hadn't had wisdom and discernment to know that he's not my person, I would have forfeited how many projects, right? How much money would I have let go of for a fun night or two or three? Like, nah, I'd rather get that paper and have fun with my boy, my friend, my brother. That's who he is to me. And I have gained all of these other brothers because of it, you know.
[00:34:51] Speaker A: Does that come up often for you? Like, not accusations of, like, oh, you know, she's only here because she got with this person, or this is her. Her husband, or this is who she slept with. Not the accusation, but I'm saying I know that's a thing because we go through it, too. I'll be protecting her all the time from that, you know what I'm saying? But I know it's a thing, but has that been present in your career?
[00:35:14] Speaker C: Honestly, not as much as for a lot of us, you know what I mean? I mean, I was also married, you know, and that being married for. And with my ex husband for almost eight years, you know, that kind of kept me, you know, it was like, clearly, this is what I'm doing, right?
You know, and also just being. I'm still somewhat of that introverted person, you know, I'm not really I don't find. I get a lot of anxiety. Even as I'm talking about it. You hear me stuttering over my thought. But I get a lot of anxiety when I'm out in the world.
I enjoy being girly and dressing up and looking pretty and all of those things. But I have to admit, I don't have the same comfort level when I am not in a relationship, walking in the world that way, because the attention is too much for me. Like, I start to get. I don't feel safe. And so if I'm not going with a friend and it's something that I have to go to to be supportive of them or something, that's my own project. I'm not out in these streets. I'm not out at these parties. I'm not out mingling because I don't feel safe. I don't like how I feel about it.
[00:36:26] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:36:26] Speaker C: So I. It's. I don't know if it's the New Yorker in me, the street kid in me. Like, I just. I rather. I'd rather be home.
[00:36:33] Speaker B: You're still Aquarius.
[00:36:35] Speaker C: I am. Yeah.
[00:36:37] Speaker A: I can see that. My mom's Aquarius.
[00:36:39] Speaker C: Yeah, I just. I just. And I like. I like to be chill. Like, I can have a good time with my friends in our house or in their apartment or. You know what I mean? Like, it's just. I don't need a lot of things, you know? Even when people ask me about dating, I'm all, for a coffee date. Keep your money. Let's see if we can talk without all the. Without all the stuff. Let's see if we vibe. Just be honest.
[00:37:03] Speaker B: I'm not saying the same thing.
[00:37:03] Speaker A: Yes, we are.
[00:37:04] Speaker B: He finna say that's what I be saying. He's a very complicated person.
[00:37:07] Speaker A: I'm not. I'm just simple. I like sweats and I want to do lunch. I don't want to go to dinner.
[00:37:12] Speaker C: I like sweats, too.
[00:37:13] Speaker A: Yeah, let's go.
[00:37:14] Speaker B: Lunch. Okay, we'll go to lunch.
[00:37:16] Speaker A: No, I'm saying, like, I agree with her.
[00:37:18] Speaker B: Okay. I wanna go back to haunted house.
[00:37:21] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:37:22] Speaker B: There's a scene where Avion Crockett walks in, and I've always. It's funny as hell. He said, I don't care what the ghost. Fuck you, Keisha.
[00:37:31] Speaker C: Right, right.
[00:37:32] Speaker B: I don't give a fuck. Like, it's funny. The furniture's there.
[00:37:37] Speaker C: Yep.
[00:37:37] Speaker B: Then he goes back, and it's not.
[00:37:39] Speaker C: And it's not.
[00:37:39] Speaker B: How did y'all shoot that scene?
[00:37:42] Speaker C: So we basically shot the scene where the furniture was there. And then we shot the whole scene where the furniture had, like, is taken out. Then we shot it again with the furniture everywhere. That was like the last piece. And then they cut between.
How did it fall from the floor? I don't remember how they did that effect. You have to talk to the director about that. But, you know, it's one of those things that you have to do in pieces because you need everything looking normal, everything gone, and then you need the disarray. So you need the same room in three different. Three different states. So that's how they do it. They do it in pieces. Everything, film and television wise, is. Is done as a puzzle. So, you know, that's what you're looking at. But it's also one of the reasons I love stage, because there's no take two. Like, you just gotta. You just. You live, you know, And I love that when we were. When the pandemic was happening, I was doing E. Daily Pop, their live show, as a regular guest host. And I loved it because it reminded me of being on stage. Like, there's no do over. There's no take two. You just gotta figure it out. So I love the thrill of that. There's something really exhilarating about it.
[00:38:52] Speaker B: I know you're a professional, but how are you able to shoot with all these comedians and keep a straight face?
[00:38:57] Speaker C: I don't always keep a straight face. If you watch Papa's House, you will see the bloopers at the end. All of us laughing and busting up at each other. You know, it's one of those things. You have to just be prepared that they're gonna do something different every single time. And you have to know the script. You have to be prepared enough and know the story well enough and the lines well enough to come back to what is scripted and getting the story back on track, just in case. I mean, Marlon was notorious. If you watch episodes of Marlon, you'll see he does these long pieces where he'll go off on these rants. And he used to do it different every single time. And he would sometimes go on for three, four minutes, and he'd be sweating. And it was. But it was so much fun. And I loved it. I loved it. It's like being. To a certain extent, it reminds me of being a dancer, right? Because you're like, on your toes the whole time. You have to just be in your body and you have to be listening. Like just really listening and paying attention so that you can capitalize on the stuff that they're laying out so much fun.
[00:39:57] Speaker B: Another scene that was so freaking iconic is when Jamie and Jamal meet in how high? Oh, you ever been arrested?
[00:40:05] Speaker C: My dress, my hair. And he's like, woo, woo, woo. Yes. Red and method. And I gotta tell you, I was really nervous about working with them because they hadn't done anything. You know, they were simply, at that time, known for being in Wu Tang and being rappers. And so I was like, oh, what's this gonna be like when I tell y'all they were on time, they were prepared. They were hilarious. They were so cool and kind. I had the best time working with both of them. They were great.
[00:40:35] Speaker A: That scene where y'all are, was that improv or y'all?
[00:40:39] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, his stuff, a lot of red stuff was improv. But, you know, it's like a. The script is there, and so, you know, like, my dialogue was there. But, yeah, I mean, so much of it, they brought in the moment when.
[00:40:53] Speaker B: Cameras were rolling because of you saying that. I say that to guys when they, like, try to shoot their shot. You ever been arrested? You got a mug shot?
Stopped your mama, right? I want to know how gangster you are.
[00:41:08] Speaker C: It's true. It's true. Jamie was definitely gangster. You know, the vice president's daughter.
[00:41:15] Speaker A: What's the best theme song from the, like, 90s or early 2000s?
[00:41:20] Speaker C: I mean, you know, I'm gonna say half and half because that's 2002, right?
[00:41:24] Speaker A: It's the best. Which one, other than your own, do you know by heart still?
[00:41:29] Speaker C: Oh, the one that everybody sings. Thank you for being a friend.
[00:41:36] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah, yeah, That's. That's a classic.
[00:41:39] Speaker C: Golden Girls. Yeah.
[00:41:42] Speaker A: The other thing I wanted to ask you is, I saw you say that people be in your DM asking you for money, and I was like, who the fuck is hitting her up? Asking her for some.
[00:41:53] Speaker C: It's crazy.
[00:41:54] Speaker A: What's the most egregious amount that someone's asked you for? And then. Are they men?
[00:41:59] Speaker C: That's like, have they been. I feel like it's been more women, to be honest, which is crazy. Like, help me with my loan. Help me pay my rent. Help me pay, like, for my daughter's tuition. Like, yeah, I get a lot of those.
But also, let me think the most egregious amount. I think somebody asked me for maybe $35,000 or something.
[00:42:22] Speaker A: Did they give you a rhyme or a reason? Yeah, yeah.
[00:42:24] Speaker C: There's a whole.
[00:42:25] Speaker A: Oh, there's a whole dissertation.
[00:42:26] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
[00:42:27] Speaker B: Have you ever sent any money to them?
[00:42:28] Speaker C: No, absolutely not.
[00:42:29] Speaker A: Oh, these are fans.
[00:42:31] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:42:31] Speaker A: I thought these are family members.
[00:42:32] Speaker C: No.
[00:42:33] Speaker B: In their dm.
[00:42:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:42:34] Speaker C: Yes, yes, yes. Crazy strangers believing that I'm going to somehow send them copious amounts of my hard earned money for be. No, absolutely not.
[00:42:48] Speaker B: Have you ever offered to help anybody with their bills or something? Like, why are they asking you for that?
[00:42:52] Speaker C: I don't know. I think they do. I don't know.
[00:42:55] Speaker A: I have no idea what's going on.
[00:42:57] Speaker C: This is something that we need to figure out. Sherlock. I don't know. But I will tell you this.
I am a person who is generous, so I do give. But when I give, I like to give anonymously. I don't like credit. I don't like to be credited for what I give.
[00:43:14] Speaker A: So, speaking of the pay, like, obviously, we know Taraji was one of the people who spoke out about women not getting, you know, not being paid fairly and stuff like that. And I wanted to know your perspective on it, because what I'm noticing, I'm radio, obviously, I'm a radio person and stuff, and I've been for years, but I'm noticing that this doesn't just exist in acting. It's everywhere across the industry where women feel this way. Have you had conversations with women who've experienced this? Have you?
[00:43:44] Speaker C: I mean, it's not. We feel this way. This is a statistic.
[00:43:47] Speaker A: What. I'm just saying it's real.
[00:43:48] Speaker C: But, yeah, I think the only industry that women are notoriously paid more than men is models. Models are paid more than.
[00:43:56] Speaker A: Well, y'all look better than us.
[00:43:58] Speaker C: Yes, but. Yeah, I mean, this is facts. But we.
I don't.
I don't know how to.
I don't know how to remedy the situation is what I'm trying to say. I don't know what the solution. What the fix is, you know, because it is something that is systemic, you know, and it's across industries, across the board. So how do you remedy. How do you help people see the value of what women contribute, you know, as equal to what men contribute when they have the same resume or similar resumes and accreditations and accomplishments? You know, it's. And that's the case for so many people. So I don't know what the solution is.
[00:44:48] Speaker A: Well, I'm gonna ask you another question about that. But what my. I'll just present it and you give me feedback on what we could do better.
[00:44:54] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:44:55] Speaker A: Like, for instance, me and my team, like, we make it a point to advocate for black women. Like, you know, my co host is a black woman. My producer, like, we try to empower women. What do you think that men could do better to help, not remedy, but assist?
[00:45:08] Speaker C: I think that's a great. That's a great contribution to make sure that women are in positions of leadership. You know, part of what I think perpetuates prejudice and bias is not having diversity in your. Now, you guys don't come at me with the diversity, you know, the dei, as if it's a dirty word, but not having a diverse landscape in your life. You know, I feel like part of what I love about growing up in New York, in New York City, is that my world was exposed to people from all different walks of life, different races, different religions, different ethnicities, different languages. And what that did was increase my humanity. What that did was increase my compassion. You know, whenever someone is talking and I feel like they have a lot of bias, and I've talked about this before in other.
In other podcasts, but I'll go look at who they follow.
If you don't have a lot of diversity in who you follow in terms.
[00:46:12] Speaker A: Of, like, you'll go look at someone's followers.
[00:46:13] Speaker C: Yeah. Not their followers, who they follow.
[00:46:16] Speaker A: You'll go look through like 1200.
[00:46:18] Speaker C: No, no, no. Not look. But I'll just. I'll just open it up and I'll see. Who are you following? Because that's telling me what your ear and eye gates are absorbing as truth or as spectacle, what you like to see, what you're looking at, what you have a palette for. So when I am watching someone and they are in leadership positions, I'll go look at who they follow. Because I'm like, that is going to tell me what your world looks like. If your world is very homogenous, then I don't want you to be my leader because you can't speak to my experience. Cause you don't know anybody like me.
[00:46:52] Speaker B: She cooking?
[00:46:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
Is that translate to, like, the personal life, too? Cause me and Gina have conversations about that, too. Like, as far as, like, she's kind of petty every now and then, you know, like, she'll go look and, you know, she likes to look at certain things, and I don't really notice, like, oh, this person's unfollowing or this person.
[00:47:11] Speaker C: No, I'm not speaking to those things. I'm really speaking about people who, again, are in leadership positions professionally. Professionally. But also. Yeah, you can find out things about people personally as well, if you know that. Like, so there was a guy, right? And he was like, you know, I really want to Be with somebody like you. And I want what my parents have. They've been married for like 50 something years.
And I looked at who he was following, and he's following, like, all these Instagram chicks that are half naked. And I'm like, bro, so you do.
[00:47:43] Speaker A: Go look at that.
[00:47:44] Speaker C: Because here's the thing. I'm look. Yes, because here's the thing.
What I'm looking for is congruence. It's not a judgment. But I'm saying, don't tell me you want this. If what you're looking at, what you're coveting is that.
[00:48:00] Speaker A: Oh, so it's not lining up with what he's saying.
[00:48:01] Speaker C: That's it.
[00:48:02] Speaker B: I go, look, I'm judging, though.
[00:48:05] Speaker A: See what I'm saying?
[00:48:06] Speaker B: I wanna congratulate you on. We got a toast to your four years of abstinence.
[00:48:11] Speaker C: Oh, thank you very much. It's not quite four. It'll be four soon.
[00:48:14] Speaker B: I'm also practicing it.
[00:48:15] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:48:16] Speaker B: I'm six months in. I was a year and then I relapsed. Okay, I relapsed. Six months.
[00:48:22] Speaker A: Relapse is crazy.
Pray for me.
[00:48:30] Speaker B: What made you decide to take that path?
[00:48:33] Speaker C: You know, it was something that I never thought I would ever do. You know what I mean?
When I walked into my relationship with Christ, I was in my early 20s, and it was one of those negotiations that I thought I was having. Like, listen, Lord, I love you, I'm a follow you, but this area I'mma keep over here.
[00:48:55] Speaker A: I'm gonna run this up over here.
[00:48:57] Speaker C: And I really didn't have any intention on submitting in that way. And the deeper that my relationship has gotten. And, you know, I think that when you become really. When you start abiding in the Word, when you really start being in it and reading it for yourself and having your relationship intensify and deepen with the Lord. For me, I have found that I want to be in his will.
And whatever that requires is what I am aiming to do. Because I want the full blessing of what is on the other side of his promise. I don't want to undermine the blessing that is available to me because I don't have discipline. I got discipline. It's not easy. I don't. I wouldn't say, like, oh, it's the best thing ever, but it is the best thing ever. Because I really believe. I believe I will be married again. And I believe that there will be something really beautiful about my husband knowing that I waited for him, that I. That I was intentional, and that I Wasn't haphazard. And also that I had faith that we would be together and for him to have the privilege, hopefully, of being able to have me in that way. When we have fully fallen in love with one another and committed to one another and are sure, I think that's going to be really beautiful. And I do think that there's a beautiful. There's a beautiful blessing to have in that. And that is something that came to me over time. It didn't start out that way. So, you know, again, I don't walk around in judgment of others and what they're doing. I just know what the word says. I know what my heart has been convicted of, and that's what I'm trying to walk in. And hopefully I will be successful. And also, you know, at my age, I've lived. You know what I mean? Like, I've lived. I've been married, I have a son.
So it's not, I will say that, romantic love. I have a very beautiful full life. Romantic love isn't my priority. I have incredible friendships. I have a long standing, wonderful career. I have so many things to look forward to that I'm not focused and hyper focused on my sexuality.
And again, there is a sensitivity in me that has risen from this discipline that is amazing. Like, I can literally be turned on by someone's voice if I feel safe and if I feel connected. And that's like a level. I really feel like the level that I'm about to have when I am married is gonna be way better than anything I've ever experienced.
[00:51:39] Speaker A: It's up.
[00:51:40] Speaker B: Is it? So is it celibacy for you?
[00:51:42] Speaker C: Celibacy is a vow, so. No, it's a vow. Like, a priest is a. Is celibate. I am abstinent. So abstinence is, you know, a discipline.
[00:51:54] Speaker A: Yeah, I don't know.
I mean, I've done it before, but not. Not that. Not that.
[00:52:02] Speaker B: See, I was just tired of fbs.
Fuck, boys.
[00:52:07] Speaker A: She know what you was talking about. She from Brooklyn. What shit you say?
[00:52:11] Speaker C: I mean, you know, that'll do it.
That'll do it. Y'all will just drive us to just lock it up.
[00:52:19] Speaker B: Yeah, Shut all the way down.
[00:52:21] Speaker C: Shut it all the way down.
[00:52:22] Speaker A: What's the worst experience that you've had? Like, obviously you were married for so long, but then, I mean, did you date at all?
[00:52:29] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:52:30] Speaker A: What's the worst, like, experience that you've had?
[00:52:33] Speaker C: Like, on a date?
[00:52:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:52:36] Speaker C: I went out with this one guy and I don't know that he hurt Himself. Cause he was talking a lot. I think he was nervous, but he kept talking about drinking. He kept every story that he was telling me. A huge amount of alcohol was in my.
[00:52:53] Speaker B: That's a big red flag.
[00:52:55] Speaker C: And I was like, do you hear yourself? I don't think you do. And at one point, he confessed that his friend had gotten a new motorcycle recently and that he had gotten on it. He was like, oh, I love motorcycles. Let me get. And so he jumped on it, and then he crashed it. But he was drunk.
[00:53:09] Speaker B: And I was like.
[00:53:10] Speaker C: I was like, never again irresponsible.
[00:53:13] Speaker A: You were in his car, huh? You were like. You were in the car with him?
[00:53:16] Speaker C: No, no, no. We were at a.
[00:53:18] Speaker A: That would have made it worse.
[00:53:18] Speaker C: No, no, no. We. We were having tea. I told you, I'm a tea coffee girl. The first time. Let's have tea or coffee. Cause then we can leave after 30 minutes if it's not going well.
[00:53:31] Speaker A: Do you not worry about being seen at a coffee shop?
[00:53:36] Speaker C: No, no. I don't feel paranoid about that.
I'm not infamous enough for that. The shenanigans that come along with people who can't leave their house without paparazzi chasing them down, you know, I don't live that reality. I can't imagine how difficult that must be to navigate. It's hard being me, knowing that people think they know me, but don't really know me. You know what I mean? Because I've been on television for 39 years. I have.
You can watch me every single day. Every single day, there's something. No, but every single day, there's at least one thing that I am in or on somewhere on television. You know what I mean? So that. That comes with a certain target on your back, you know, from the wrong people who have wrong intentions. And that's another reason to be discerning. It's another reason to be disciplined. It's another reason to just have a sober mindset. Because people. You know, there's a lot of people who don't want to earn anything. They want to just take it. They want to siphon it. They want to be a barnacle on your life. So you gotta be vigilant.
[00:54:51] Speaker A: Your energy is radiant. You remind me of my friend Paris Nicole. She's an actress, too. She's like, your energy. You bubbly, but you a real nigga. But you know what I'm saying? You just remind me of her. But you mentioned television for 30. That's crazy. Okay? You've been on television that long, you were also In Are we there yet? Yes. What movie franchise or what movie in general would you like to see made into a series, whether you. Whether you're in it or not?
[00:55:18] Speaker C: Oh, that's a really good question.
Oh, my goodness. What would be a good movie franchise? That. I mean, it would be too much cussing. But Friday would be fun.
Friday would be really fun to watch those characters, you know, every week, like, just be crazy. That's the first one that popped into my head. But I'm also. I also love a good. Like a good horror movie. And I know they. My. My son just told me about Alien Romulus. I haven't watched it yet, but I. Alien 2. Aliens is my favorite horror movie of all time. I love that movie.
[00:55:56] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:55:57] Speaker C: I love that movie. Yes. Sigourney Weaver.
[00:56:00] Speaker A: So random.
[00:56:00] Speaker C: Sigourney Weaver. Are you kidding me?
[00:56:02] Speaker A: By the way, I did talk. I talked to DJ Pooh about trying to do a animated Friday series.
[00:56:07] Speaker C: Oh, you did?
[00:56:07] Speaker A: And he. Yeah, he was. He was like, man, head animation's difficult. He gave me. He discouraged me.
[00:56:12] Speaker C: It's difficult. I mean, animation just takes so long, right. To create. That's the difficulty, you know.
[00:56:19] Speaker A: But what about animation for you? Like voices and like, develop your own?
[00:56:25] Speaker C: No, I haven't developed my own, but I would.
There's not too much again, other than like the horror films stuff, like some of the horror elements. There's not too much. I love what I do. I love telling stories. I love telling funny stories, dramatic stories, silly stories.
So for me, children's stories, plays. I love what I do. I would do. If I won the lottery tomorrow and I never had to work again.
It wouldn't stop me from being an actress.
[00:56:54] Speaker A: What about stuff that I haven't really seen you do crazy love scenes either. Has that been something that you stayed away from or would you do it?
Nudity, like the power universe gets kind of cracking.
[00:57:07] Speaker C: Yeah. No, I haven't done nudity. I just don't believe in gratuitous nudity. I just don't. And there's a lot of stuff that it feels just like, exposed just to be exposed, just for the scintillation of it. And that's not something. If it's necessary, if it's needed to tell the story, then I would consider. But, you know, I don't feel like that's something I've missed out on. Like, I'm not like, oh, damn.
[00:57:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:57:35] Speaker C: I never was naked. No.
[00:57:36] Speaker B: You've done so many projects with the Waynes family.
[00:57:39] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:57:40] Speaker B: Will we see you in Scary? I Don't know if this six, seven or eight.
[00:57:43] Speaker C: I think it's Scary movie six that they now are going to do. They haven't asked me. And my hope is that Regina comes back. That's my hope, is that Regina comes back.
[00:57:54] Speaker A: But you open to it?
[00:57:55] Speaker C: Of course. I told you.
All they gotta do is call me. I'd be like, I'm on my way.
[00:58:01] Speaker B: I'm in the car. I think it's a place for you on there.
[00:58:04] Speaker A: She's a. She's a scream fanatic.
[00:58:07] Speaker B: I'm like obsessed with.
[00:58:08] Speaker A: She's obsessed.
[00:58:09] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:58:11] Speaker B: Sorry to go back, but you are single now.
[00:58:14] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:58:14] Speaker B: What is your criteria for dating?
[00:58:16] Speaker C: Oh, well, the first thing I wanna say is that I want him to have a relationship with the Lord that's definitely Paramount. But the other thing is, that's really important to me is that he's happy. I want somebody who likes their life, who wakes up and feels excited about who they are, what they're doing, where they're going, and, and, and how they have evolved, whatever that is. You know what I mean? I don't. I definitely am past the build the bear stage, you know, so. And I want somebody. I listen, I have fixed teeth, I have fixed credit, I have fixed wardrobe. I'm not doing it again. I'm not doing it. I ain't building.
[00:58:54] Speaker B: No.
[00:58:57] Speaker C: Not doing it again.
That jersey jerseys hung up.
[00:59:01] Speaker A: You would fit right into her group chat.
[00:59:04] Speaker B: It's the Aquarius Leo thing.
[00:59:07] Speaker C: But I will say that the other aspect of it for me, which is maybe sometimes maybe a little bit more complicated, is that I'm fit, I'm strong. Like, I run an 8:49 mile. I do push ups every day. So I. You can't be 50 something and sedentary on the couch rubbing your belly. You gotta be able to keep up.
[00:59:30] Speaker A: Oh, shit.
[00:59:31] Speaker B: Does the occupation matter? Like, would you date a regular guy?
[00:59:35] Speaker C: That's all I've dated. Mostly west coast. Yeah.
[00:59:38] Speaker B: So he has this fear that actresses fake their feelings in relationships.
[00:59:46] Speaker A: I don't traditionally date, so I've been involved with an actress.
[00:59:50] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:59:50] Speaker A: And she cried out of nowhere when we was having a discussion about it. And I didn't know, like, I didn't know if she like. Cause she can cry on command.
[00:59:58] Speaker C: Oh, beautiful.
[00:59:59] Speaker A: So I'm like professional, right? You feel like, am I just deceit? Like, what's going on? So I have a reluctancy now.
[01:00:08] Speaker C: Y'all broke up?
[01:00:09] Speaker A: Well, it didn't work out.
[01:00:10] Speaker B: He told her he didn't like her.
I'll be starting crying.
[01:00:14] Speaker A: I'm radically honest. Okay.
[01:00:15] Speaker C: I love that.
[01:00:16] Speaker A: But she says too much. So what I do is I present a lot of information.
[01:00:21] Speaker C: Okay.
[01:00:22] Speaker A: And that allow you to make the decision whether you want to fuck with it or not. And so because I'm so forthcoming, it usually goes left because women aren't used to that.
[01:00:31] Speaker C: I'm similar. I don't want to say I'm radically honest, but I am very truthful. I pepper everything, or at least I try to pepper everything with grace and love. So I'm definitely kind even in my truth telling.
But yeah, I'm not acting for you in life. You not write me a check?
[01:00:50] Speaker A: Well, I just, I just didn't know how real the tears. Cause the tears weren't warranted in the situation that we had.
[01:00:56] Speaker C: That's between you and her. I have no idea. I can't speak to her.
[01:01:00] Speaker B: You know, I told her he didn't like her.
[01:01:02] Speaker C: Listen, I, I don't like you.
[01:01:03] Speaker A: That's not a diss, that's just like.
[01:01:05] Speaker C: Well, you can't. But you can't micromanage how someone receives information.
[01:01:10] Speaker A: I wasn't, I'm saying my intention wasn't to disrespect her.
[01:01:13] Speaker C: Uh huh.
[01:01:13] Speaker A: She asked me. Here's my thing. My premise is if I volunteer information, like, you know, Essence, this movie is trash. You have every right to be upset with me, but if you request information, you can't then dictate how I disseminate my truth. Is my compromise.
[01:01:29] Speaker C: Is that what she was doing or was she simply reacting to your truth?
[01:01:33] Speaker A: Probably both.
[01:01:34] Speaker C: Okay. You might want to call her. This is unresolved.
[01:01:37] Speaker A: No, no, no.
This is years. No, this is gone. But yeah, anyway, they're rapping this.
[01:01:44] Speaker B: I'm done.
[01:01:47] Speaker A: But yeah, no, I do want to say again, like for you to be in the game 39 years is a blessing.
[01:01:54] Speaker C: Yeah.
[01:01:55] Speaker A: And you've been a blessing to others.
[01:01:57] Speaker C: Thank you.
[01:01:57] Speaker A: And you know you are.
I love your energy. It's really like, it permeates off of you.
And you are, I think you one of the few people that I've seen who like you damn near are who you present as. You know what I'm saying? Where to me that's the biggest form of.
[01:02:14] Speaker C: That's a huge compliment.
[01:02:15] Speaker A: Thank you. We thrive in authenticity, so you're welcome anytime.
[01:02:18] Speaker C: Thank you.
[01:02:19] Speaker A: And I appreciate you for coming.
[01:02:20] Speaker B: Thank you for being an example for so many years.
I love looking at somebody who looks like me on tv. So thank you for that. I appreciate it. I love to Be able to give our legends their flowers while they can smell them. Thank you for your contribution. I really appreciate it, and I hope you get all the awards.
[01:02:37] Speaker C: Oh, well. Come on. Amen.
[01:02:39] Speaker B: Tell me where to sign, whatever I gotta sign.
[01:02:42] Speaker C: Yes. I think they're coming. I do. I think they're coming. I don't know how I haven't tried to micromanage what God does, but I think they're coming.
[01:02:51] Speaker B: Do you have a star yet?
[01:02:52] Speaker C: No, I don't have any of the stars.
[01:02:54] Speaker B: Where do I sign it?
Let me know where the proceeds.
[01:02:57] Speaker A: You don't feel any way about that, like, not getting those things?
[01:03:01] Speaker C: No. Because that would require me to step outside of myself to know who I am.
[01:03:06] Speaker B: Right.
[01:03:07] Speaker A: I feel that. Well, Papa's house, make sure you tune in Damon Wayans. The Wayans family in general, but Damon, like, I love that he stepped. Like, I. Like the arrogant Damon now. I just saw him. I think he was a big boy. He was like, yo, I'm funny in real life. Like, I like that. You know what I'm saying?
[01:03:23] Speaker C: And obviously, Junior, they know their worth. They know who they are. And it's beautiful. It's very potent to be around black men who know their worth, know their value, feel good about themselves. Feel good about the incarnations and the legacy that they built and who they are and how they're operating in the world. It is. It is a wonderful. It is a wonderful experience.
[01:03:47] Speaker A: Well, I will plug Papa's house, but Essence said that you could watch her every goddamn day.
[01:03:54] Speaker B: You know what I'm saying?
[01:03:55] Speaker C: I need y'all to watch Papa's house. That's what I'm here for.
[01:03:58] Speaker A: Yes, please, go watch Papa's House. But you can also watch Essence Atkins every damn day of the week if you like something. But, yeah, go tune in to Papa's House. Thank you for coming through.
[01:04:07] Speaker C: Thank you.
[01:04:07] Speaker A: It's effective immediately.
