- 1 week ago
Jameela Jamil, Tiffany Haddish, Amy Sedaris, Jane Levy, Elle Fanning and Robin Thede joined The Hollywood Reporter to talk about their respected television shows.
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00:00:00Hi, and welcome to Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter.
00:00:11I'm joined today by Jane Levy, Amy Sedaris, Elle Fanning, Tiffany Haddish, Jamila Jamil, and Robin Thede.
00:00:20Thank you all for being here. We're gonna dive right into this.
00:00:23We have all spent a lot of time at home in the last few months.
00:00:28What do you guys feel like you've learned about yourself during this time?
00:00:31I've learned that I am a filthy, filthy woman. Not in a fun sexual way, in like a really unhygienic way.
00:00:40I'm going sometimes five, six days between showers.
00:00:43I also didn't realize how comfortable I am by myself, or at least with my boyfriend.
00:00:50That sounds terrible. He's with me. I'm not completely alone.
00:00:53But I've learned that I love him even more than I thought I did, because this is really when a relationship gets tested.
00:00:59But also, I've learned that I exist very comfortably in confinement.
00:01:05This suits me. This is my teens all over again. I've been training for this my whole life.
00:01:09This is good. I'm good. I like it for me. Sorry for all of you.
00:01:13I got a question. I got a question. Five, six days between, are you at least wiping where the sun don't shine?
00:01:20Am I doing the sex work as well? Yes, I am.
00:01:23At least that. I feel like you don't have to submerge your whole body, but as long as you hit all the spots, you know, the hot spots.
00:01:30Because you're with your man, you don't want to hit him with the whoo-ha! You know, you don't want to hit him with that whoo!
00:01:37I've learned not to be so sad in my ways, you know. I've learned to appreciate, I'm not even joking, tongs, you know, kitchen tongs.
00:01:45I don't know what I ever had against them, but I'm obsessed with kitchen tongs now.
00:01:49But I've always cooked and cleaned, and I'm a homebody, but I've learned, like, I was prepared for this.
00:01:55Like, the Girl Scout in me, I had everything. I wasn't out desperately trying to buy stuff.
00:01:59The only thing I hoarded was hay for a rabbit. I have a seven-pound rabbit, and that's the only, I hoarded 30 pounds of hay.
00:02:06And the only thing I didn't have was a thermometer, but I used her rectal thermometer.
00:02:10The rabbit's rectal thermometer would take my temperature, but, you know, I cleaned it and everything.
00:02:14But I just learned, you know, and I'm good.
00:02:19I've learned a lot about resiliency and people's collective resilience.
00:02:25Like, if we would have been told three months ago, which we were, that we were going to be inside for this amount of time,
00:02:30me being like, what if we were told that? We were told that.
00:02:33But it was such a daunting idea, and we've done it.
00:02:38And I feel like, yeah, and just how collectively to take care of one another, you know, to not go outside and to wear a mask,
00:02:47not just for your own safety, but for the people that you come across.
00:02:51I've learned that I am way more emotional than I thought I was.
00:02:55I'm actually really sensitive.
00:02:58And I guess because I always keep busy and go to work and like go be active with friends.
00:03:04Always.
00:03:05I'm always doing something every single day to be told to stop and sit and be still.
00:03:10Then it leaves me with my thoughts and my thoughts are off the chain.
00:03:16And then I start to get all in my feelings.
00:03:18And then I'm like, why do I, why am I crying?
00:03:22And, and I, I think I might be a little bit, got some issues in here because I've been doing standup comedy shows to the plants.
00:03:29Like I am an addict for laughter.
00:03:32And like, when you are by yourself, like I've been playing YouTube videos of babies laughing club, like audience,
00:03:38like listening to my old like comedy tapes and stuff.
00:03:41Like I, I need it like to function.
00:03:44Yeah.
00:03:45And so when I don't get enough of it, I cry a lot.
00:03:50Laugh to do the tears.
00:03:51Yeah.
00:03:52Yeah.
00:03:53I can, I can relate to that.
00:03:55I can relate.
00:03:56I think I'm a pretty, like, I'm a very antsy person and I always want to go, go, go.
00:04:01And I always want to be thinking about the new, the next project, the next character, this story, that thing.
00:04:07Like, so I guess I've learned, this has kind of slowed me down a bit.
00:04:12And I've been with my family and my grandmother and my mom and my sister were all together.
00:04:18So, you know, that's a lot of emotions and a lot of commotion going on.
00:04:23But having like the family time again and kind of teaching myself to relax and breathe a little bit.
00:04:29Cause that's very, that's hard for me to do.
00:04:31I like going.
00:04:33Totally.
00:04:34I get that.
00:04:35Totally.
00:04:36And for me, I've been able to learn that I'm a little more domestic than I ever thought I was.
00:04:41I mean, I, I always liked to cook, but I never had time.
00:04:44I never did my hair.
00:04:45And I went on YouTube university and learned how to do all sorts of styles.
00:04:49I'm very proud of myself.
00:04:51But I've been cooking.
00:04:53I basically host a cooking show with my family every night, call them up and they'll go, what are we making today?
00:04:58And I'll walk them through the recipe and they'll do the same with me.
00:05:01So it's been a really, you know, as, as hard as this time has been for so many people, I think those of us who are lucky have had had a chance to reconnect with loved ones.
00:05:11And that's been really nice.
00:05:12And I think that I've, I haven't learned, but it's been confirmed that I'm incredibly lucky and incredibly grateful for the friends and family that I have.
00:05:21And I think gratitude is a big thing for all of us.
00:05:24We've all like, we've all started to really appreciate, especially seeing what's happening everywhere on the news.
00:05:29You, you feel so lucky to be somewhere comfortable and safe and have loved ones who are safe.
00:05:34I also think I'm never going to shake hands with anyone ever again.
00:05:37As long as I live, I can't believe we've been doing that.
00:05:39The amount of times a hand has just been on some sort of dick.
00:05:43And then we've touched this and we have a penile imprint on our hand.
00:05:48And we've just been allowing that.
00:05:49I've been alive for 34 years.
00:05:51And I don't even, I don't even think about the big, what about somebody else's coochie?
00:05:56I don't feel like, no, I don't, I don't, I don't feel like people touch coochies as often as.
00:06:01I'm always thinking about shit, people that don't like, that's what I'm always thinking about.
00:06:04Cause that's called everywhere.
00:06:05It's everywhere.
00:06:06It's everywhere.
00:06:07They got everything.
00:06:08They got everything.
00:06:09But the smell's funny.
00:06:10All those in favor of, of handshaking being canceled, say aye.
00:06:15Oh yeah, cancel the handshakes.
00:06:17Cancel handshakes.
00:06:18I miss hugs.
00:06:19I need a hug so bad.
00:06:20I miss hugs so bad.
00:06:22Like I need 15 hugs a day.
00:06:24I think that's why I do comedy.
00:06:25Cause comedians always hug each other.
00:06:27Like when they see each other, cause they know how hard it is to be on stage.
00:06:30And I haven't had a good hug in so long.
00:06:32And I can, like my brother gives me hugs, but that ain't the same, is it?
00:06:36That's my little brother.
00:06:37For a lot of you guys, this is the first time in, in years where you aren't sort of constantly in motion project to project to project.
00:06:46In this sort of moment of reflection, do you think it'll change the sort of professional choices that you make from here?
00:06:53No, I don't think for me, I mean, I'm, I'm a writer and a show runner as well.
00:06:57So it really hasn't slowed my days down.
00:06:59I've just shifted to all my writing and producing projects and, you know, focusing on getting my show back to work as safely as possible.
00:07:07So I'm, I'm incredibly busy.
00:07:09Um, but I don't think it will really shift much.
00:07:13Um, I do think there's a period where we're going to have to consider safely working and how, especially for performers, how you perform without PPE, you know, all that sort of stuff.
00:07:23That's a huge concern for me as a performer and as a show runner.
00:07:27But in terms of the work I take now, I mean, especially once there's a vaccine, I feel like I hope everything will be back to normal, but people will just be more aware given the events of the world and, and what we're talking about in our social conversations.
00:07:41But in terms of the mechanics of the business, are there different stories within this moment that you want to tell?
00:07:46I mean, uh, my stories have always been centered around the experiences of black women in comedy.
00:07:50So I'm already telling the things that I wanted to tell and those stories will continue.
00:07:54So I don't think it'll change much.
00:07:56And I don't really think the world wants to see a bunch of like quarantine movies after this, but that's just my personal feeling.
00:08:02Tiffany, you were, you were nodding to suggest that you might choose differently.
00:08:06Oh, I'm definitely choosing differently.
00:08:09I'm definitely going to make sure I have at least, I'm, I'm going to plan out my schedule because I've been napping and I think naps are magic.
00:08:16So definitely I'm putting in my contracts that like when we get back out there, I have to have a one hour nap.
00:08:25That means nobody talking to me.
00:08:27Nobody trying to, Hey, look, can we go over these lines?
00:08:29What are your ideas about this?
00:08:31None of that.
00:08:32I need one hour to shut my eyeballs and zen out.
00:08:36Like I need my naps.
00:08:38That's important.
00:08:39Super duper important.
00:08:41And I'm definitely going to be telling different types of stories.
00:08:44My comedy definitely has evolved.
00:08:47Um, cause I've had time to watch myself do comedy.
00:08:50Cause like I said, I've been in the backyard talking to the plants and doing comedy for them, which I'm calling plant based comedy.
00:08:55How will it change both, both the stories you want to tell and, and what's funny?
00:08:59Like everything I do is going to bring joy.
00:09:01Right.
00:09:02But some of the things that I like, I want to start talking more about history, right?
00:09:06There's, you know, they don't teach a black history in school.
00:09:09And so I feel like it's a, it's very diluted and people are very confused.
00:09:14So I want to start doing things that represent black history and not just the slave stuff.
00:09:19Cause we, we passed all that.
00:09:21Okay.
00:09:22We've been there, done that.
00:09:24If we've done a lot of really awesome things as, as people.
00:09:27And it wasn't, and like the thing that I feel like people don't understand is all people are awesome and you can't be awesome without others.
00:09:35There has to be like something that pushes you into being in your greatness.
00:09:40Right.
00:09:41So like, I would love to do a movie about Flojo and I've been running like every day on my little treadmill, get, get my mind right.
00:09:47Like in channeling Flojo.
00:09:49I want to remake Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
00:09:52I want to do something like that.
00:09:54So, you know, that's part of why I've been talking to the plants, preparing myself, using my imagination.
00:10:01See?
00:10:02Did the plants greenlight your project?
00:10:05Oh!
00:10:06Did you say what?
00:10:08Grassroots.
00:10:09I said, did the plants greenlight the movie?
00:10:11Oh yeah.
00:10:12It's greenlit.
00:10:13It's happening.
00:10:14Good.
00:10:15It's happening.
00:10:16It was a plant pun, greenlight.
00:10:17I don't know if Who Framed Roger Rabbit happening, but maybe I'll do something else in that realm of live,
00:10:23action and cartoons together.
00:10:26I would love that.
00:10:27How about your comedy?
00:10:28You mentioned your comedy would evolve in this moment.
00:10:31How so?
00:10:32Well, you know, in my comedy, I want my comedy to be educational, yet entertaining, informative more.
00:10:41You know, like in the past, I've talked about things that I know, sex and my trials and tribulations.
00:10:46Now, I want to talk about other things that I have learned while I've been sitting in this house.
00:10:51I've been reading books.
00:10:53I've been reading this book, The Color of Money.
00:10:56Okay?
00:10:57Black banks and racial, the racial wealth gap.
00:11:00I want to talk more about money.
00:11:02I want to talk more about politics, about politics.
00:11:04Like, I don't really know a lot about politics, but I know politicians talking about that more.
00:11:09Just in like the changes of the human body.
00:11:14Like I'm 40 now and I am noticing all kinds of changes and probably I wouldn't notice it if I was busy going, going, going all the time.
00:11:22So I'm stationary and I'm noticing my body is playing tricks on me.
00:11:26So I'm going to be talking about that.
00:11:28What about the rest of you?
00:11:30Do you think the choices that you'll make, having had this moment of reflection, will change at all?
00:11:36And if so, how?
00:11:37I think the industry as a whole is going to change.
00:11:41Not just the way that we make film, especially in the next couple of years, but also I think the stories that people want to hear.
00:11:46There's been a huge shift in our societal narrative and what people care about.
00:11:50And no one cares as much about the influences or the flashy stuff or all the money.
00:11:54And I think, you know, even celebrity has turned into something that people went from glorifying and loving and aspiring towards.
00:12:01Suddenly there's this like visceral animosity towards the privilege, which I think is completely understandable.
00:12:07And I always thought it was a little bit weird beforehand that people would glamorize and aspire just towards that.
00:12:14Not to say there isn't loads of privilege that comes with it, but I think we're kind of entering a moment where people don't want to see that stuff so much anymore.
00:12:20And they want real stories told.
00:12:22And I think we've also, because the world has come to a standstill, we are hearing more human stories than we've ever heard before.
00:12:28So I think I'm hoping that for women, the material continues to evolve because that still needs to be done.
00:12:34A lot of men still write more interesting and informative and nuanced roles for extraterrestrials than they do for women.
00:12:43So we need more female writers. We need more women execs. I think that needs to change.
00:12:47And I think also we definitely need more representation. We need stories that aren't being told to burst onto the screen.
00:12:54And I think we've heard in so many different ways that the public are done with waiting for the media to catch up with where society's at.
00:13:01So I'm hoping I will see more interesting scripts at my door. And I think that is just my mega fun answer.
00:13:10What about you, Amy, Elle, Jane?
00:13:12I mean, I agree with everything everyone's saying, but inside I still want to be really silly and I want to laugh at shit and make fun of people.
00:13:20I mean, you know, I don't want that to go away either and get so serious about stuff.
00:13:24You know, maybe a new character for me will come out of all of this. But, you know, exactly what everyone else is saying. It's true.
00:13:34I got something for you, girl. I got something for you. Your imagination is on point.
00:13:40How do you guys feel like Hollywood sees you? If a casting director were to call, what's the role that they most commonly sort of bring to you?
00:13:49To sort of answer this question and the last question. Well, first of all, I feel definitely changed in this moment and how I think will be revealed to me over time.
00:14:01Our show came out during the pandemic and our show is a musical and it's full of joy and silly comedy, but it also has this theme of grief.
00:14:12And a lot of audience members have connected with me on the internet to say that during the pandemic, the show offered them great catharsis like cries, tears from laughter and just the great distraction and entertainment.
00:14:29Just high on life and this fantastic presentation.
00:14:33You know, it's just how a song gets stuck in your head and, you know, the calendar thing with the spark point watch turning everything into Christmas.
00:14:47That's why I was singing the song because of the watch and because Christmas.
00:14:52Do you understand how important this pitch is?
00:14:54Totally.
00:14:55In the past, some of the things that I have done in my career that have like made the most money have been horror films.
00:15:02And thinking about maybe having a horror film that came out in the past couple of months, I feel like I would feel less like my art had offered something to people in this way that I felt really was meaningful.
00:15:14So not to poop on all horror films because I still like watching them.
00:15:19But I think that maybe veering towards like projects that are really full of heart rather than just violence or gore.
00:15:29Obviously, that's part of storytelling.
00:15:30But for me, I just felt like it was a really gratifying thing to hear that our show offered anything to people during such a hard time.
00:15:39I think you've said that horror is sort of taxing on your nervous system.
00:15:43Totally.
00:15:46Screaming and crying and also like sorry to be so dark, but like every horror film a woman is raped.
00:15:52Like it's I'm kind of over that.
00:15:55We got to start raping men in these horror films.
00:15:57We got to rape some dudes.
00:15:59Okay.
00:16:00You're right.
00:16:01Fuckin' Elle Tiffany.
00:16:04Let's change it up.
00:16:05Let's change it up, ladies!
00:16:07Equality.
00:16:08That's feminism.
00:16:09Feminism is equality.
00:16:11Elle, what are the, when roles sort of come to your door, and obviously you were now shifting and trying to, you know, and producing your own material.
00:16:19But, but how does Hollywood sort of, what's the lane Hollywood wants you to be in?
00:16:24Um, I think, I mean, right when you asked that question, I was like, boop, I know, like it totally like stuck in my head.
00:16:31But I mean, I, when I was 14, I was cast as Sleeping Beauty in Maleficent.
00:16:40And that moment definitely changed my life and like the trajectory of also differentiating myself, like apart from my sister and being recognized as myself.
00:16:51And I, you know, that, that role is, um, very important to me, but also I think it, you know, it's a Disney princess and, you know, I'm this blonde.
00:17:00It comes with a certain, a certain stigma, right?
00:17:04Like, and, and I think people probably, that's the biggest movie I've done.
00:17:08So people know me sometimes most for that film.
00:17:11I think for me, what was exciting about the great getting to try out the comedy world, because also some people are like, they think of me, oh, like serious or doing dramatic roles or just playing the kid.
00:17:23And I was like, okay, like getting to do, you know, stretch my comedy chops was exciting.
00:17:29Cause I'm like, I feel like I'm a very funny person in real life.
00:17:32And people are like, wow, you're funny in the show.
00:17:34I'm like, thanks.
00:17:35Like, yeah, like, you know, um, so I think for me, it's just constantly challenging myself and I love surprising people.
00:17:43I love shocking people and proving to people that I'm not exactly who they think I am.
00:17:49So, I mean, I think being in this pandemic, like, um, Jane was saying is like my show came out at that time as well.
00:17:56Um, and I was proud of that.
00:17:58Of course, it's very raunchy and crazy and out, out there, but it's touching on very, um, modern themes and things that, you know, are happening in the real world and are quite serious themes too.
00:18:10So I was, I was proud that it came out at the time and was on the right side of that conversation and, um, was still escapism and entertaining.
00:18:19So I think for me, um, and even thinking on a producer side and putting on another hat, um, which is always something I've been interested in.
00:18:27But just looking for more roles, um, that do that, I guess, if that makes sense, but I'm happy.
00:18:33I mean, this is huge for me to be like in the, I'm like comedy actress round table.
00:18:37Like I've never been in the round table.
00:18:39And then like for comedy, I'm like, I'm freaking out.
00:18:41Like, this is super cool.
00:18:42So I'm that this is new.
00:18:45I feel like a new chapter for sure.
00:18:49What about the rest of you?
00:18:50What tends to sort of come your way?
00:18:53You know, what's been coming my way a lot lately?
00:18:55Always the mama that's been through something since kid ends up getting hurt some kind of way and fighting for the justice.
00:19:05And I'm trying to get out of jail or I'm like, no, no, I'm not doing that.
00:19:11I'm not doing that.
00:19:12I know people that live that.
00:19:14I'm not doing that unless it's super, super good.
00:19:17The writing has to be impeccable.
00:19:19Right.
00:19:20And a lot of times it's like telling these stories that could be powerful, but the writing is garbage.
00:19:26So no offense to whoever's out there watching this right now and knows what I'm talking about.
00:19:34They know.
00:19:35I get sent a lot of very sexual roles.
00:19:38Lots of a woman who has, you know, what would be described, I guess, by the writer as too much sex.
00:19:43And, you know, that's kind of that tends to be one of the ways in which we show nuance in a woman that how her life is complicated is and how much she drinks and how many people she sleeps with.
00:19:53And so that's been something really strange to me.
00:19:56Which to me, I mean, it's fine.
00:19:57I love sex and stories about it, but I find that that is overwhelmingly I am the either the sexy girlfriend or the annoying girlfriend who derails the protagonist, the male protagonist life.
00:20:09And I'm so tired of that always being the case.
00:20:12And I've been watching so many films during lockdown and realizing how often that storyline comes up, that a woman is there to instigate difficulty for a man.
00:20:21And she doesn't really get to be the great comedian.
00:20:24And so I think that that is something I would rather I don't want to be someone's sidekick and I don't want to just be someone's fuck toy in a film.
00:20:33I want more complex and more nuanced roles, especially within comedy for women.
00:20:38And I think that we are coming into a great moment.
00:20:40But that that can't be where we stop.
00:20:42We have so much more to do, so many more stories to tell because women are amazing and they are hilarious and they are filthy and complicated and interesting.
00:20:51And I guess, Robin, that's also why I love your work so much because of how many different layers of women you show.
00:20:57Thank you so much.
00:20:58That means a lot.
00:20:59Robin, what are the stories you felt like you previously couldn't tell and how in this moment might that be changing?
00:21:05Oh, I've never had a problem writing or doing what I wanted.
00:21:09I think for me, I don't think Hollywood does see me, to be honest.
00:21:14I don't get sent scripts.
00:21:15I don't get random calls.
00:21:17I don't audition.
00:21:18I create shows and I act in them.
00:21:20And for me, that's just been the way it's been for the many, many years I've been in this business.
00:21:25I was never that girl.
00:21:28So for me, writing was the way that I got on shows and then creating my own shows with the vision for what I wanted to do.
00:21:35A black lady sketch show is the seventh sketch show I've done, but the first that I've created and been in charge of.
00:21:41So in terms of those characters, it's like I never had any restrictions on what I was going to do, even when I was in late night television.
00:21:49And now that I'm back in my sketch home, I never had any restrictions on what I wanted to do because I was the person who got to say yes or no.
00:21:57I mean, the network always had something to say, but they bought the show, so they knew the vision.
00:22:00So I'm incredibly lucky in that way.
00:22:02And exactly what Jamila was saying and Tiffany was saying about and all of us really about writing and getting projects where you're like, this could be really good, but the writing is so bad or it's from the wrong point of view.
00:22:12I took charge of that.
00:22:14And luckily I'm able to do that.
00:22:16And I have that skill set because everyone, you know, can't.
00:22:19But I have been incredibly lucky and I've also worked really hard to be able to create stories that I want to see on television.
00:22:28And it's so cool to be able to take four black women on this sketch show and do what has never been done in history.
00:22:34You know, have a black woman director, all black women writers or all black women cast and be able to play over 100 characters in six episodes, have 55 celebrity guest stars in six episodes.
00:22:44Like people just want to play.
00:22:46It's a playground where we haven't been able to come together before.
00:22:49And Tiffany, we still waiting on your schedule.
00:22:51Well, it's wide open right now.
00:22:52It's wide open.
00:22:53I know, I know.
00:22:54Let's write a sketch where I play a white woman in history.
00:22:57Okay.
00:22:58Let's redo the King and I, since they had a Russian man playing the Thai King.
00:23:03Let's do, I beat a white woman in the King and I.
00:23:08Let's do it.
00:23:09Well, sadly, I think that'll have to be on a different show.
00:23:11We don't really cover that kind of material, but.
00:23:13You don't want to remake white classics?
00:23:17I certainly don't.
00:23:18There's plenty of other spaces that can do that.
00:23:20I do stuff that can only be done black, black women.
00:23:23And I think that's what's so cool.
00:23:24Well, then let's do Cleopatra.
00:23:25Elizabeth Taylor.
00:23:26Okay, you got it.
00:23:27Cleopatra.
00:23:28Because that was actually, okay.
00:23:29Perfect.
00:23:30Perfect.
00:23:31What about you, Amy?
00:23:32Amy, do you feel like Hollywood sort of has, has you in a lane?
00:23:37And is it the lane you want to be in?
00:23:39I'm with Robin.
00:23:40I'm not really in a lane.
00:23:41I'm not really on Hollywood's radar, really.
00:23:43I'm more off the, a little bit under the radar, which is what I like.
00:23:47I like to spearhead my own projects, get my, the people I know involved in it and put on a show, you know, and, and kind of stay out of the way.
00:23:56Sometimes a script will come my way, but it's usually a character, you know, I'm always like, well, does this make me laugh?
00:24:02Will I have fun?
00:24:03What am I going to look like?
00:24:05Who else is involved?
00:24:06You know, do I really feel like getting on the airplane and flying, you know, to go do it?
00:24:11I mean, all these elements play into it, but I'm like Robin, I like to create my own things and get the right people involved.
00:24:18But it is funny when a script does come to you, you're like, what really?
00:24:21And then, you know, oh, they give it to Claire Danes.
00:24:24I'm like, of course, you know.
00:24:26Did anyone else get sent that script that had a woman who's a police officer undercover and the part she's playing is a hyper-sexualized bimbo as her undercover role?
00:24:36And she has to say to two of them, in fact, you know what, this is actually too filthy to say on this interview.
00:24:41No, no, no.
00:24:42I think it might be okay.
00:24:43Keep going.
00:24:44At one point, one of the lines, I mean, I got, I got sent this by my agents.
00:24:47But one of the lines in the script is when she's telling these two men that she wants to feel both of their cocks slapping together inside her mouth, which begs the question, how small are their cocks?
00:25:06How big is my mouth supposed to be that there's room to come apart?
00:25:09When do you start shooting it?
00:25:11Yeah.
00:25:12What was the gross part?
00:25:13The gross part was when I say, I want you to cover me in your man milk.
00:25:20Yeah, I didn't do that one.
00:25:22This script was written by a very, very famous actor and a lot of very big names went up for it.
00:25:29And you're starring in it.
00:25:30I was wondering if anyone else.
00:25:31This is your next project, right?
00:25:33Covered in man milk.
00:25:35This is the kind of shit people think that I want to say.
00:25:39It's like a porno.
00:25:41Steven Spielberg stuck in a weird turn.
00:25:44Yeah.
00:25:45Anyway, I'll stop talking now.
00:25:47I just wondered if anyone else had seen that.
00:25:49That's amazing.
00:25:50No, but that's fascinating.
00:25:51I mean, that's, that's the kind of stuff that honestly, when I was a few years into the business and I just wasn't seeing the results as a comedian and as a performer that I wanted, I really was like, okay, I'm just gonna write.
00:26:02I'm gonna write and write myself into stuff.
00:26:04Cause it was like, you see stuff like that once or twice and it's just like, come on, we can't, we can't make a living this way.
00:26:11It's totally demoralizing.
00:26:13Well, and black women, black women honestly don't even usually get sexualized unless they are like a sex worker or a dancer or something like that.
00:26:21But black women usually are the opposite where they're just not sexualized at all.
00:26:25Like they never have sex and they're not attractive.
00:26:28So it's like, it's, it's kind of both sides of the coin, you know, and it's, it's, it's, it's tired.
00:26:34Those stories are so tired.
00:26:35Those characters are so tired and they're not real.
00:26:38Tiffany, is that the new experience?
00:26:40And is that changing at all?
00:26:42You know, when I, when I first hit the scene, you know, I was offered a lot of roles where they want you to expose your breasts.
00:26:49They want, I remember that one movie that Chris Rock did and it's like, he meets the two girls and they have like a threesome and then Cedric gets in there and they're like, he's like supposed to like all over their face or whatever.
00:27:03Like, you know, just let that baby batter go all over their face.
00:27:05And it was like, Tiffany, they're offering you the role.
00:27:07I was like, I don't want that role.
00:27:08I'm a standup comedian and I, I don't let people do that in my face in real life.
00:27:13I don't want that baby batter facial in real life.
00:27:15So why would I do it in this movie?
00:27:17Like you're going to have a little bit of respect for me.
00:27:19Period.
00:27:20If anything, I shoot my juices in his face, but I'm not doing that to me.
00:27:26Okay.
00:27:27Period.
00:27:28You're not going to disrespect this, but God made this face for a reason and you're not going to disrespect it.
00:27:33Now, um, when it comes to being in my lane now, like definitely, I feel like sometimes my representation tries to get me to go outside my lane.
00:27:42And if it is against my morals and I do have some, I know I'm a little wild, but I do have some morals and some standards.
00:27:49And if it goes outside of that, then somebody might get fired.
00:27:53If you try to push me into something I don't want to be dealing with, you might get fired.
00:27:57Cause it's like, you disrespect me.
00:27:59You, you work for me and it's like, I'm a company, right?
00:28:02I'm a brand.
00:28:03And if you try to push that brand outside the lane, but it's like against the policy of the company, like you might not need to be working here no more.
00:28:12So my people, they, we have weekly conversations about where I'm at mentally, what I want to do.
00:28:20And right now, almost everything that I'm doing, I'm producing.
00:28:24Some of the stuff I've written on, like I'm, I do not play.
00:28:27My lane is big.
00:28:28I got a, I got a five highway lane.
00:28:31You know, I'm even opening up a grocery store.
00:28:33I'm not playing out here.
00:28:34I'm, I am going to be a mogul.
00:28:36I'm creating generational wealth and I have morals and standards and I'll be damned if anybody makes some sweat.
00:28:43But I want to see you in roles that are like, I want to see you in a loving relationship.
00:28:48I want to see you in whether it's a comedy or drama or whatever.
00:28:50Like I know, I know what you can do.
00:28:52I've known you for decades.
00:28:53Like I want to see you in something where we actually get to see you.
00:28:57You know, like you said, like that role where you will leave that alone.
00:29:00But yes, I want to see you with the baby batter.
00:29:03With the baby batter.
00:29:04But you know what I mean?
00:29:05Like I want to see you.
00:29:06I want to see all the dimensions of you.
00:29:08And do you feel like those things are coming your way?
00:29:10Those things are definitely coming and I've done some of them.
00:29:14They'll be coming out sooner than later.
00:29:16I don't know if y'all notice, like the way I've been moving every single thing that comes out is a,
00:29:21it's like, it's me, but it's a different version.
00:29:23Like I did the Madam CJ Walker story.
00:29:25That was a period piece.
00:29:27And that was a way different version of, you know, what I normally, what people normally think I would do.
00:29:33When I did the kitchen, you know, that was like a more dramatic piece.
00:29:37Then I, then I hit you with some, some comedy, like a boss, you know, like I'm always, I'm moving.
00:29:43Cause that's how I am in real life.
00:29:44I move, I sway, like, but, and I play.
00:29:48But wait till you, wait till you see, wait till you see the movie I got coming out with,
00:29:52with, with Billy Crystal.
00:29:54You're going to be like, oh, okay.
00:29:56I'm curious on the, on the great.
00:30:00There's obviously, we were just talking about the, you know, about sex on screen.
00:30:04There's, there's a lot of it, but in your case, it's the, the nudity is much more the men than the woman.
00:30:10The woman. I'm curious, how does that change a dynamic on set?
00:30:14Catherine, the great in real life.
00:30:16She was a kind of the first woman who was, um, slut shamed, honestly.
00:30:22I mean, the whole horse rumor, um, was created because she loved sex.
00:30:27She was very, um, open and had multiple lovers.
00:30:31And so that's a, you know, obviously our, our story is not a historical document,
00:30:35but a lot of truths, um, are, are in it.
00:30:40And, and, um, that's a big part of Catherine's character.
00:30:42So sex, you know, is incorporated in the show a lot.
00:30:46Um, and just her first wedding night is not exactly, it doesn't go to plan how she, um, thought it was going to be.
00:30:54I mean, there's, there are a lot of things to talk about here because of course we're, it's a period show.
00:30:58So we're corseted up with multiple layers of skirts.
00:31:03And so just the logistics of actually getting naked for the women, it takes a long time.
00:31:09So it's like, everyone's kind of just having fully closed sex.
00:31:12Like, all right, girls, like, we're going to just lift up your skirt, you know, and like, that's fine.
00:31:17There was an intimacy coordinator on set, which I have never had.
00:31:21I don't know if any of you guys have had that, but, um, that was very new to me that on a show, a woman that was there, um, to make sure everyone felt comfortable and also made sure that the sex looked real.
00:31:33So there would be times where Nick, you know, or whoever the guys would be in the wrong position.
00:31:39It's like, it doesn't look like you're doing it, you know, um, or just like simple things of like, maybe you should, you know, wipe your hand off or like these little details that you don't think about.
00:31:50But I do love that our, our show is very sex friendly and it's just a part of it.
00:31:55And, and it captures Catherine's journey too, because she does get a lover and that's more passionate and the sex with Peter is, um, uh, not at all.
00:32:05So, um, and it was hard to keep a straight face during those scenes with, with Nicholas Holt.
00:32:10He is so hilarious.
00:32:12And I would be like biting down on a pillow when he's like having to thrust and say these lines or just like, we can't take it seriously.
00:32:20Fucking bitch.
00:32:21I loved you.
00:32:23And you feel this has affected that love detrimentally.
00:32:26The fact you're trying to kill me, indeed, it has cast a pall.
00:32:30Un-fucking-believable.
00:32:31I'm about to cut your throat and you're making jokes.
00:32:33Perhaps that is why you love me.
00:32:36Say hello.
00:32:37No.
00:32:38He's really there.
00:32:39Under your hand.
00:32:40I'm happy that I had someone that I felt comfortable with and we could actually be like embarrassed in front of each other.
00:32:55Like that was something that was new for me with comedy.
00:32:58I think it's so important to like embarrass yourself, go for it.
00:33:02It's fine.
00:33:03And, and he was a partner that I was like, let's just try to embarrass each other and challenge each other.
00:33:08And that made everyone feel much more, you know, safe and supported during all those scenes.
00:33:14I like to call that dare to suck.
00:33:16Dare.
00:33:17Just take a chance.
00:33:18Dare to be horrible.
00:33:19You actually might be great.
00:33:20Dare to be horrible.
00:33:21Yeah.
00:33:22I could never do that.
00:33:23I could never do anything like that.
00:33:25Like sex scenes or get naked or pose in your underwear.
00:33:29I just could never.
00:33:30It just doesn't interest me.
00:33:31It's not funny to me.
00:33:32But that's the part I wrote for you in this movie.
00:33:35I don't know.
00:33:36Yeah.
00:33:37But have you seen that wedding night scene that she's talking about?
00:33:41It's so funny.
00:33:42So good.
00:33:43It's so funny.
00:33:44It's just the first episode of The Great.
00:33:45It's so good.
00:33:46It's so funny.
00:33:47And she gives this amazing, Elle, you give this amazing speech right before what you think
00:33:51it's going to be and that it's totally not that.
00:33:54Oh, my God.
00:33:55I cried.
00:33:56I cried laughing.
00:33:57Oh, God.
00:33:59That means a lot.
00:34:00Laughing at my sex.
00:34:04Amy, one of the things that you hadn't done until this show was play yourself.
00:34:09And it was something you hadn't been interested in doing.
00:34:12Why not?
00:34:13And how did you ultimately get comfortable?
00:34:16Um, because I realized that I was the odd man out.
00:34:19Like, even though I was doing all the characters around me or people would come on, I was like,
00:34:22oh, I'm the queer one.
00:34:23I'm the one nobody really likes that much.
00:34:26I'm the straight person.
00:34:27So, somehow that gave me a hook to play.
00:34:29Your sperm, Dan, attached itself to my second uterus.
00:34:34Sort of like a barnacle on a sunken sea vessel where it went into a hibernatory remission.
00:34:39I don't think we need to go into all the scientific details.
00:34:42The short story is you better get a second job because we're a family now and we have expenses.
00:34:49Ah, look, I already have a family.
00:34:53I'm happily married with children.
00:34:55Yeah?
00:34:57What are you doing here?
00:34:58But I just have more fun playing characters and being other people and looking completely different.
00:35:03I just, it just seems like you're playing like you did when you were five or six years old.
00:35:08And that's just what I enjoy doing.
00:35:10And I just can't imagine ever getting tired of it.
00:35:13One of the things you've said about these sort of characters that you play is,
00:35:17if I'm going to be in the makeup chair, let's get ugly for it.
00:35:21Ugly is so much more fun to play.
00:35:23Yes.
00:35:24Yeah, it is.
00:35:25I love playing hideous.
00:35:26I mean, if anybody's seen my show, you know I never look like myself.
00:35:29I play men.
00:35:31I play ball-headed, like, 150-year-old people.
00:35:34I play everything.
00:35:35I love just hiding in those characters and being able to don those different looks.
00:35:40And the funny thing about our show is, we don't actually do a ton of prosthetics.
00:35:45We don't do any prosthetics, actually.
00:35:47It's all done with pretty minimal makeup, but the hair is a big part of the transformations.
00:35:53And also, just making really smart and quick makeup choices, because we shoot our show really fast.
00:35:58Are you ready to provide a verbal yes?
00:36:00I mean, I felt like I said that.
00:36:01Yeah.
00:36:02You know it.
00:36:03Okay.
00:36:04So what do you say?
00:36:05Yerp.
00:36:06Yes.
00:36:07Yam.
00:36:08Yes.
00:36:09Yaman.
00:36:10Yes.
00:36:11Yodel.
00:36:12Yes.
00:36:13Yoshee.
00:36:14Yaaaaaam.
00:36:16That's just a sound.
00:36:19Yeah.
00:36:20Yes.
00:36:21But yeah, whenever the uglier the better man. I love it. I love playing men. I love playing hideous people
00:36:26Plus it gives people it gives hair and makeup a chance to be creative and everybody
00:36:31You know even I did that small part of the Mandalorian and and I was like, okay
00:36:36Just give me a mullet and take my eyebrows away
00:36:38But they guys who were doing it were like most girls come on the show and they want to be pretty
00:36:42They want to look exotic or pretty and I'm just like oh I I'm not like it
00:36:46But everyone had so much fun because they got to make me look ugly
00:36:49I also I really hugely object to how much time they make us spend when they're trying to make us look nice or glamorous
00:36:57And after like after season one of the good place I objected I took the producers aside and I was like nah
00:37:03An hour and 45 minutes. How ugly do you think I am an hour and 45 minutes?
00:37:08What is this avatar?
00:37:10I was like I'm doing my own makeup. Yeah, I'm so I said I'm doing my own makeup. I know how to do it
00:37:17I have that I've had this hair star since I was two years old
00:37:19They even made a they made a little tahani doll of me
00:37:24In my hair and makeup look and my hair and makeup was the same. I was like I want the same amount of time as the boys
00:37:29This is a comedy. I need to turn up. I need to be funny. I can't be funny if I'm tired
00:37:33I'd rather be funny than look perfect will look utterly glow like glamorous and glossy
00:37:38So I got the same hair and makeup time as the boys there's 25 minutes in and out and then I got sleep and it infinitely
00:37:46Improved my performance. I couldn't remember my lines when I was tired. It's a crazy
00:37:51It's a crazy thing to put especially on on comedians
00:37:54I think is the idea that our sleep and our memory and our timing and our energy isn't important
00:38:00When I think that's the most vital part of us being able to show why we
00:38:03Should have women more and more so in comedy. We can't do that. We can't be funny when we're cranky and tired. I'm a bitch when I'm tired
00:38:12I'm not funny
00:38:14Jane your show is one that sort of walks this tonal tightrope
00:38:17I mean you can go from some singing and dancing to balling and back in in 20-something minutes
00:38:23Are you more comfortable and more at ease in one versus the other and how do you sort of balance that?
00:38:28A lot of people have asked me this question because like you said the show
00:38:33Goes from slapstick sometimes farce like clowning
00:38:37There's a song that I had to do that was like completely physical comedy and talk about being embarrassed
00:38:42I was like if I don't do this all the way it's gonna be so it's gonna fall so flat
00:38:46So I have to go all the way
00:38:49But for me I approach a comedic scene the same way as I approach a dramatic one
00:38:56I guess it's just like an energy shift that like I couldn't really explain but
00:39:02I you know, there's like a
00:39:04Tempo to comedy. There's a there's timing, but that's more it's sort of like I just have to get into the mood
00:39:10But I technically speaking I approach the scenes the same way
00:39:14Is it easier to laugh or cry?
00:39:16I am a crier
00:39:18So it's not like it's hard. It's it's definitely more painful laughing is more fun
00:39:25But I've been thinking a lot about
00:39:28Fantasy since Tiffany brought up
00:39:31Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which is one of my favorite movies of all time?
00:39:34That's my favorite movie girl. I could do a whole thesis on it. Okay
00:39:39So good, but like and talking about being ugly and being evil and playing characters
00:39:46For me at least the most fun part about acting and making television shows and movies
00:39:52Is like the fantastical element?
00:39:55I'm not interested in watching shows or movies about people who look like me and sound like me and just like go about my life
00:40:01The way that I do I want to see something greater
00:40:05So I think comedy in some ways fits into that world. I don't know hearing all of you guys talk about that. I was just thinking like
00:40:13Imagination and blowing things out bigger and fantastical realities are are more interesting to me as a performer
00:40:20Robin, I'm curious the shift to a black lady sketch show. It is not at all topical
00:40:27You have obviously came your your prior projects
00:40:31your more more recent ones have been in the
00:40:35the late night space the um
00:40:38You know having to consume the news 24 7 and have a point of view and one that you have to have sort of humor
00:40:45Brought to that how much was this sort of decision to move away from that
00:40:49By design how much of that sort of task of of trying to have something to say that is and find humor in these moments
00:40:56way on you it weighs on you a lot and um you know I was doing it for
00:41:03five six years straight with uh Jon Stewart and Larry Will Moore and Chris Rock executive producing my late night show
00:41:08but I was show running my late night show I was the only person on it I had no correspondence I was
00:41:14head writer on the nightly show managing a huge department and a big show and consuming news 24 7
00:41:22everything from Ferguson to the Charleston shooting to trump being elected uh
00:41:29we we got cancelled on the nightly show right before that happened and then
00:41:32my late night show came on right after he took office so
00:41:35you know I think um I have not uh I had not let up in any of that
00:41:41uh pursuit for for many years and and those kind of years are like dog years they kind of
00:41:47feel much longer um for people who have to live it every day so for me I knew my next project after
00:41:53my late night show got cancelled was um to go back to my roots and sketch and to affect change
00:41:59differently you know it wasn't going to be me coming on tv every night talking about my opinions about
00:42:03politics and pop culture but it was going to be making a revolutionary statement by the existence of
00:42:08this show and I think this show is political in its nature and in its existence and you know all of
00:42:13the first that we've created but also in the fact that it's just good it looks good it's funny it's
00:42:20hilarious like I'm just so proud of it it's the thing I'm most proud of in my career and I have a
00:42:25lot to be proud of like it's just the thing that for me that shift felt natural it felt like a return
00:42:31to home I really wanted to be in hard comedy that was scripted and didn't have anything to do with
00:42:36politics we never mentioned politics on the show um because we think that the political act is existing
00:42:43and innate been playing all these characters and being able to play black women like you've never
00:42:48seen them before um uh and so I think for me that was the way I knew I could do my next step uh in the
00:42:56work that I want to do Tiffany you've sort of called yourself a joy ambassador I think I have that
00:43:01terminology uh correct how challenging is it to sort of play that role in this moment obviously we are in
00:43:08the middle of a pandemic but but if we weren't and you had a show to do this weekend how do you
00:43:13be funny in this moment can you be funny in this moment it is very difficult to be funny in this
00:43:18moment but I'm gonna be honest with you if I had a show this weekend I would light that stage up and
00:43:22I'm a administrator I'm an administrator of joy ambassador that's no no administrator I'm delivering it
00:43:31I'm presenting it right and I work so hard because I want to bless the ones that did look out for me
00:43:35like my granny she looked out so now she needs a little help I got her staying in my house
00:43:40and um you know I love her to death but she is a major cock blocker I can't even have sex in my house
00:43:48she's a super cock blocker I didn't block no cock from her but
00:43:53she had five kids four baby daddies ain't nobody stop her
00:43:57if I had a show this weekend though I know I would kill it because I would just talk my truth I would
00:44:03talk about the truth like people are asking Tiffany how can we solve this what what action moves can we
00:44:08do what do you think we could do I don't know to be honest I don't know but I know when I have
00:44:14problems and I want them solved I just stop having sex and everything's solved so if everybody just stop
00:44:20having sex especially if you in an interracial relationship and your man is white stop having
00:44:27sex with your white men things will change if you're a white woman and you got you a white man
00:44:32stop having sex with that white when a white man ain't getting no sex things change that I know for
00:44:39a fact I actually thought it was because no one's having enough sex and that's what's making everyone
00:44:45so that ain't why that ain't why that ain't why see sex is power now you take the power away
00:44:51and you want he want that power now he walking around with blue balls you know what I'm saying
00:44:56like in especially in a black man he not getting no sex he gonna he gonna team up with the white
00:45:00man look brother we got to figure this out okay the women ain't having sex with us and I don't want
00:45:05to have sex with a man I mean I did it before I don't want to do it again look we got to figure this
00:45:10out we got to make it right I'm telling you things will change Jamila I want to ask you came to the
00:45:16good place your background wasn't necessarily as an actress per se at what point at all the run of
00:45:22the show did you feel like you were an actor the good place was my first ever audition for anything
00:45:27I'd never ever acted I mean when I was six I played Oliver's mother like on stage at school so when I
00:45:34was asked by the casting director if I had any acting experience I was like I did um I did theater in
00:45:39England and I was referencing my pre nine-year-old school plays uh I guess it was probably sometime
00:45:48through season two season one was really hard I mean I think generally as a woman you have a tendency
00:45:54towards imposter syndrome so when you are literally an imposter someone who's never acted surrounded by
00:46:00veterans and people like Ted and Kristen and even my supporting cast have all been working for about
00:46:04two decades hey this is a weird question to ask I'll just throw it out there can I ride your centaur
00:46:09I'm afraid Tania's quite particular about whom she allows to ride her I tried and she gave me a
00:46:16withering stare it turns out centaurs are a bit tricky you didn't have like a stable full of horses
00:46:22growing up of course but they just pulled our carriages or performed in our horse ballets
00:46:26we weren't so what's the word judgmental with whom can I speak about acquiring new shoes you can't expect me
00:46:33to walk around in these flats all day like some common glue factory hobo horse Eleanor you were
00:46:38looking for me I felt so unworthy of being there and so stressed so stressed that I used to comfort
00:46:44eat uh my way through the the entire of season one so I was almost concentrating on how much gas
00:46:51I had rather than uh how nervous I was having to act face to face with Kristen I would avoid eye contact
00:46:57with her for the first seven episodes I used to try and look at someone else while delivering all my lines
00:47:01to her because I just couldn't look her in the eye because I felt guilty for being there
00:47:05but I think over the course of spending 16 hours a day with Ted Danson and all of these great actors
00:47:12just studying them day and night by season two I decided to find my confidence I think I still have
00:47:17so much to learn but the the joy of Mike Schur is that he's someone who writes those interesting
00:47:23complicated nuanced roles especially for women and for people from ethnicities I wasn't the typical
00:47:27South Asian like hello I drive taxi cab I am your doctor the only kind of roles that we ever give
00:47:33South Asians historically he just wrote me as a as a person as a human a complicated tricky human who's
00:47:40playing out her childhood trauma and her adult life which is all of us um and so I think that I got so
00:47:47many different parts of Tahani that I was able to play she went through such a huge emotional journey and
00:47:53and period of growth throughout the four seasons that I think I've left there feeling like I have
00:47:58definitely more skills uh than I went in with and a stronger digestive system
00:48:07Elle obviously acting is something you have been doing for decades but producing is it was the new
00:48:12piece you like Catherine the Great sort of found your voice in this process what was that process like
00:48:19what did you find were the things that you wanted to speak up about and and how did you get comfortable
00:48:24doing so it was because I had produced um I guess the first thing I produced was a net netflix film
00:48:31I was called all the bright places and that was a book that I had read and um was kind of
00:48:36I did it with my friends and it was a learning experience on how to kind of get involved more because I
00:48:41think I was a child actor young actor whatever that term is but you know I've grown up on film sets
00:48:49and um I think there was a part of me that I've always been so interested in everybody's job and
00:48:56so curious and just wanted to I want to tell my own stories or not be not that you're a puppet but I
00:49:06mean just the editing room for example learning how that works and how scenes can change so drastically
00:49:13just from a music cue or you know who's close up you're on and just little technical bits like that
00:49:19um was something that I I learned from from this experience and um and with the great that was a
00:49:26script that came to me that was written by Tony McNamara and he who wrote the favorite and I hadn't
00:49:33seen the favorite um at that point so I had nothing to compare it to so it was even more um surprising for
00:49:39me at that moment but it was a film script at first and he he came to me oh you know wanted me to
00:49:46possibly be Catherine and and it being a tv show and I've never done a series before so that was new
00:49:53and also to you know hop on board and help kind of collaborate with him and go do pitches like I've
00:49:59never done a pitch like that was new um going to you know the the different streaming services and
00:50:05sitting in a room and kind of I felt like a circus like everyone has their little spiel like okay this
00:50:11is you're up next like say why you're passionate you know it's like this is so just pull it was like
00:50:16pulling the curtain back um you know just the inner workings of everything which um I absolutely
00:50:22loved and I would watch you know the dailies every night I would watch all of the edits um which was
00:50:28interesting for me I don't um I don't know if it's because I was a kid actor growing up I loved watching
00:50:35myself as a kid in movies I thought it was the coolest thing like a kid and you're watching
00:50:39yourself giant on a screen like yes like I loved it um so I think that maybe it stayed with me a bit
00:50:46that it doesn't affect me watching the edits um so much I can kind of separate myself from that so I
00:50:54got to really have that experience and and learning to speak up I mean they're in the beginning you know
00:50:59you're on phone calls yeah I mean I you're on phone calls that you don't normally you're not normally
00:51:05on you know you're hearing things that you don't normally hear and and there would be times in in
00:51:11scripts or I mean I'm trying to be specific but just in general things that I wouldn't agree with
00:51:16you know of edits that I wouldn't agree um and sometimes I wouldn't speak up like in the beginning
00:51:22obviously it was a six-month shoot well you know even that was just the shoot so then there's the
00:51:27post-production and everything but those moments I I learned much like my character I grew in
00:51:32confidence and then by the end I was on those phone calls like you know what I don't care I have these
00:51:38notes and I've also I just learned I've been in this business for a long time I technically started
00:51:44when I was two you know I was like you know I do I do know something and it was a very um I felt very
00:51:51it was a proud moment just kind of coming into my own um in so many different aspects of my life of
00:51:58being able to to say your opinion you know um and and to argue like it's okay get into arguments about
00:52:06it like we need to talk it out and if you don't say your point of view like no one's gonna know you
00:52:13have to use your voice you have to say you know and like you have to so I I learned that that was just
00:52:18like this character was huge for me and this this this show is so dear but it also just as a human
00:52:24being like made me raise my voice more and makes me want to you know get to be behind the scenes more
00:52:33now I'm like authoritative I've grown for sure you referenced the the horse sex rumor which is obviously
00:52:42something that has followed Catherine the great uh and I'm curious sort of for you guys have there
00:52:49been points in in your careers where where you felt misunderstood where you felt the need to sort
00:52:54of have to clear up a misconception Tiffany you uh you're you're I didn't know where that question
00:53:00was going I did not have sex with no animals has there been a point in your career where you had
00:53:08sex with a horse no yeah never all right just for anybody that's a man that had a horse-sized dick
00:53:14though like a little pony Tiffany your special starts with this with you saying some version of
00:53:19people think they know me people think they they they know everything about me and I'm curious for you
00:53:25guys what are the sort of have you felt misunderstood and what is the process of trying to sort of correct
00:53:32that if in fact you feel that that's necessary people come up with crazy stuff to say about you
00:53:38okay they they look at you and I feel like they put their own little crazy thoughts on you and then
00:53:43they create these stories but I think it's for clickbait or whatever but um I can't stand that so you know
00:53:50I'm not perfect I make mistakes and when I make them I claim them yes this is the dumb shit I did
00:53:56yes this is the stupid thing I said and that but if they make up stuff now people be making up stuff
00:54:02then that's when I use my fake account and I attack I attack viciously viciously and I reach out to my
00:54:13little unicorns and I'll be like get them y'all get them just like Beyonce
00:54:18I have quite an interesting experience because I choose to use my platform to be very vocal and a
00:54:25little bit loud a bit much about certain social political issues that I have an issue that I take
00:54:31issue with and I think people a a lot of people think I'm Tahani in real life and that The Good
00:54:36Place is a fucking documentary uh and that's just who I am and they think that and they think I grew
00:54:42up with loads of money and they think that I have this really privileged perfect upbringing which
00:54:46couldn't be further from the truth of how I how I came up in this world but they just assume and
00:54:51also because she loves philanthropy but she does it for show people assume I'm I'm in philanthropy just
00:54:56for show and it's like this speaking out about things that are stigmatized doesn't help your career
00:55:03it doesn't make people think that you are easier to work with it doesn't make people think that you are
00:55:07not a liability it costs you working relationships it costs you I attack giant power structures like any who who
00:55:13would do this for fun it's not fun but it's something that I personally choose to do with my
00:55:19career so I think people tend to start as like Tiffany was referencing people start rumors when
00:55:25when there isn't enough controversy especially you know with women we see this in this industry
00:55:29a woman is given sort of like a year and a half of grace where everyone loves her and they love her and
00:55:33we love her we saw it with Jennifer Lawrence or Anne Hathaway like all these different famous women
00:55:38where she gets a year and a half where everyone loves you and then you kind of get overexposed to
00:55:43death and then just like this perfect cycle the death like the drag begins and we see it one after
00:55:50the other after the other and so I am definitely kind of like experiencing that cycle but thankfully I'm
00:55:56I'm old and I've been in this industry for a long time and I knew it was always coming but people start
00:56:01to tell really vicious rumors especially about women and that is something that I find so extraordinary
00:56:07because they're not allowed to take us out and kill us anymore so they discredit us
00:56:11discredit is the new death I think if they feel like too many people are listening to a woman or she's
00:56:16breaking too many glass ceilings or making too many changes she's stepping outside of her little box
00:56:21people think you're dangerous and the reason because they can't get rid of you they just destroy
00:56:26people's opinion of you which I think is I like when they make up stuff about me dating somebody
00:56:31when they say that you're dating somebody but you're not dating them but then that person starts
00:56:35calling you because they like did you start this room like no I didn't start this room the next
00:56:39thing you know you dating them and you like hey thank y'all for starting that shit do you feel like
00:56:46you haven't gotten roles because of or you've lost roles because you've spoken out I think some networks
00:56:53where I've gotten involved in HR if I've seen uh bad behavior uh and I have taken it to where it's
00:57:01supposed to go and and alerted people I think they've definitely become like a little bit afraid
00:57:05of working with me because I am a sort of professional tattletale uh I'm a whistleblower
00:57:10but I uh I don't think I don't think it's affected me I don't think it's affected me career-wise when
00:57:15it comes to Hollywood I mostly think it's impacted probably the sort of like brand relationships all
00:57:20these different things because I'm so because I'm sticking to I'm trying as hard as I can to stick to my
00:57:25principles and not work with problematic people but as we're seeing everyone is has got some sort of blood on
00:57:29their hands everyone is problematic everyone's difficult to work with and so I I wonder what
00:57:34I I wonder what the state of things will be after the pandemic now that everyone's kind of shown their
00:57:38ass I'm gonna do a very hard left turn with a final question which is which is will feel very light in
00:57:45this moment but when was the last time you guys were genuinely starstruck I've been so quiet today like
00:57:53before we even started like filming I was sitting over here like a serial killer because Tiffany
00:57:58Ash I'm like fully starstruck by you like a full body reaction when I watch you on screen you like
00:58:06explode like I have never seen a performer like you in my life and when I saw you on here today I was
00:58:12like I can't I don't think I can speak for the next hour and I haven't I am such a big fan of yours you
00:58:19are so dynamic and when you talked about being a joy administrator yes administrator yeah I was like yes you
00:58:27are you make me feel like alive when I watch you act I am such a fan you don't make me cry
00:58:38Amy who makes you starstruck I get starstruck even from the manager of bigalows I mean I get starstruck
00:58:44by people's mothers um any guests we have on the show I'm starstruck I'm so scared to work with them
00:58:50I can't believe they said yes you know and then I'm working with them and I'm like oh my god I'm working
00:58:56with David Allen Greer or Ann Dowd I mean what am I gonna say to you know it's hard I'm very shy that
00:59:02way I mean I can be out sometimes but I just get starstruck by I mean everybody I love watching
00:59:11famous people like I kind of like I like I've got to go to the Met Ball and I'm just like looking around
00:59:18at everyone like crazy and what popped into my head was J-Lo and A-Rod were behind me sitting
00:59:26and like A-Rod was like videoing everything and like J-Lo was dancing to Cher I was just like what
00:59:33is going on but like I kept I was observing them very hard that night I was just like what are they
00:59:39doing I'm starstruck man two big moments for me uh when I when I met uh Oprah Winfrey uh I did pee on
00:59:49myself just a little bit and um yeah that was on tv for everybody to see that was embarrassing but it was
00:59:56it was the most wonderful thing in the world and to hear her validate like all the hard work that I
01:00:03put in here it was just made my heart melt and then when I met barbara streisand
01:00:15she gave you about minutes she uh she gave me a diamond necklace
01:00:28wait a minute now why did she give you a diamond necklace and diamond why did she give you a present
01:00:33because I taught her about Cardi B and oh we we talking stuff and I just want her I want to I want
01:00:43to redo uh Funny Girl like I would love it for her to be my mommy like I've been taking vocal classes
01:00:50well not real vocal classes just stuff from YouTube University but I'm working on it and like that to me
01:00:57was because she's one of the first women to direct star produce write her own movies like I to to be
01:01:05able to tap into that knowledge into the to the way things were then and how difficult it was it's a lot
01:01:11easier now as opposed to what it was then and for her to be able to give me her advice and knowledge on
01:01:17stuff and her opinion and who does her nails and like ah that would blow me away that would blow
01:01:24me away both of them everyone who worked on The Good Place all of the different guest stars that we
01:01:29had in it was just I was so creepy throughout the whole of filming I just like I lost it because I've
01:01:33loved tv and film my whole life so much it was sort of it's been my best friend and taking me through
01:01:37the hardest moments so seeing all these people in 3d was just wild but I think Maya Rudolph and Lisa
01:01:44Kudrow getting to act opposite them and share scenes I'm done I retire I'm actually using this
01:01:49interview right now to announce that I'm retiring I have nothing left to achieve but now that no none
01:01:55of them gave me any diamond necklaces now I feel I feel empty I'm pissed you gotta teach them something
01:02:02new every time you meet one that's what you gotta do yeah Robin what about you oh same as everyone I
01:02:09mean Amy I can relate so much I definitely love having a show where we get to have amazing
01:02:14guest stars on the show I mean I got to act in a sketch with Angela Bassett and we had Patti LaBelle
01:02:20on the show and we had yeah I mean the list goes on and on and on I mean like I said 55 guest stars in
01:02:25six episodes it's insane and actually when I sold the show so Issa Rae a dear friend of mine executive
01:02:32produces the show with me and when we uh she said bring the show to HBO and we went and had dinner with
01:02:37the executive and I said this is the show I want to make and Issa was like I support this I want to
01:02:42produce this with Robin and they said great we're gonna buy it and the waitress came over and said
01:02:49the gentleman is actually paid for your bill and we looked over and it was Denzel Washington
01:02:56and that to me was like what like like my auntie came out I was like yeah like for me that was the good
01:03:07luck charm this show needed as if all the other things didn't already fall into place but like that to me
01:03:10like he knew he could tell like we were doing something big and like that was crazy to me like
01:03:17that just blew me away that blew me away I love that and that's a perfect place to end thank you all for
01:03:22being part of this conversation and joining us albeit virtually today thank you
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