00:00I hate to start out on a sad note, too, but I was just thinking about you, and you got to work with Spike Lee.
00:04I consider John Singleton and Spike Lee in categories very similar.
00:08How are you feeling about John's death, and do you remember Boys in the Hood or another movie that you saw that first inspired you to do what you do?
00:16I mean, John, along with Spike's movies, they kind of go hand in hand for me in really forming how I felt about film and making me want to act,
00:24because I saw people who looked like me on screen, and Boys in the Hood was one of my favorite movies growing up, Poetic Justice.
00:31It was really sad, and he was a huge icon of filmmaking, and I'm very happy to have been able to be in the category with him and Spike and be influenced by him.
00:43Did you ever get to meet him?
00:44No, I never met him. I wish I got to meet him.
00:47How has working with Spike influenced what you want to do next?
00:51It's made it very hard. You know, it's hard to decide what to do after being in a movie that kind of felt like the culmination of everything you've ever wanted professionally.
01:04So, you know, I kind of just, Spike always tells me to be really picky and to be smart and to make good choices and go by the character and the director
01:13and not just what other people tell me to do, so try to listen to him.
01:16And when you have, when you're looking for advice, obviously you have a team of people that you go to.
01:21Who else, you know, empowers you to make the decisions you make?
01:25My amazing agent, Lori Bartlett, who's actually being represented in this issue today and who's here.
01:31So I'm super thankful to her, and it's really rare to, you know, have a black woman empower in that position in Hollywood,
01:37and it's awesome that she's here and being represented and that I get to work with her.
01:41And she's genius.
01:42Brilliant. Yeah, yeah.
01:44And she's really, you know, it's really important, I think, to be able to have someone who feels like really hears you.
01:49And I think she, like, we have similar goals, so let's go down.
01:55And then, um, Oprah's here.
01:58I know. I can't believe I'm in the same room as Oprah.
02:01What's your favorite Oprah memory or moment?
02:05God, I mean, you get a car, you get a car. It's classic.
02:10Tom Cruise jumping on her couch. There's so many good ones.
02:13But I grew up in Chicago, so Oprah was just, like, this figure that was always there.
02:17Like, she was just, you know, kind of, like, a god in Chicago.
02:21And growing up with her and now being able to hear her speak, it's just incredible.
02:25Did you ever go to be in the studio audience?
02:27I went to Harpo for something random with my mom when I was a kid.
02:32I never, like, was in the studio audience, but I remember going to Harpo Studios for some reason
02:35and being, like, this seminal moment of, like, this is Oprah's house.
02:39Yeah.
02:40Have you ever had the chance to meet her?
02:41I haven't met her. I've heard her speak before at another event.
02:45But, no, hopefully I get to meet her today.
02:47Hopefully today. And you can tell her you're from Chicago. That'd be very cool.
02:50And then speaking of work, do you know what you are doing next?
02:53I'm doing a movie I'm really excited about, but I can't tell you yet.
02:56So keep your eyes open. But, yeah, it'll be announced soon.
03:00Well, when you're ready to talk, let us know.
03:02Thank you again. Nice to see you. And good luck or have fun today.
Be the first to comment