00:00One more.
00:09Now in the industry, more black women are taking control of our own narratives
00:14and, you know, pushing to get our stories told in an authentic way that just hasn't been done.
00:20So especially in this time, it feels very special to be a black woman in Hollywood.
00:24Okay, so I had the collector's edition from last year.
00:30And on my coffee table, I have all the magazines that I've been in so far.
00:34And I put that one on top. And I was like, I want to be in that one.
00:37Especially because it's all the black women that have been nominated or won an Oscar.
00:41So I think it was maybe a few weeks later after I did that,
00:44I had the email that I was going to be on the 2019 black women in Hollywood.
00:49So it means a lot.
00:54I was asked to help one of my friends be a reader for his audition for the role of Fonny.
01:00And that's how I found out that the movie was even being cast.
01:03So I'm helping him out and I realized I need to be auditioning for this.
01:07And, I mean, I knew just seeing James Baldwin and Barry Jenkins that it was going to be something special.
01:12But then once I read the book itself, I just, I had never seen like black love, young black love, a story told like that.
01:22And I just knew I needed to be a part of it.
01:25It was a Monday morning because I was asleep and I get a call from some number I don't recognize.
01:31So, of course, I, what, don't answer.
01:33But then that number calls me again and I just felt something was like, girl, you better pick up that phone.
01:38And I did.
01:39And it's Barry, but he doesn't even introduce himself.
01:42He just gets to talk and he's like, girl, you sleep?
01:44Did you sleep?
01:45It's too late to be asleep.
01:46I'm like, it's 9 o'clock in the morning, it ain't that late.
01:48He's like, nah, it's 12 o'clock.
01:50I said, oh, so this person is on East Coast time.
01:52I said, oh my goodness, this is Barry.
01:54And then he says, girl, do you even know who you're talking to?
01:56I said, I think I'm talking to Barry Jenkins right now and I'm just trying to be chill.
02:01And then he just says, yep, this is me, it's Barry.
02:04I just had to call you myself and let you know that you're our tish girl.
02:07Like you're it, you got it.
02:08I just remember, you know, being so thankful and everything, but also kind of wanting to get him off the phone so that I could really go crazy and call my mama and cry and scream and praise God and just all of that.
02:22So much of Tish's strength comes from her vulnerability and her commitment to love and being loved and making room for that in her life.
02:33And I think coming into the project, that was something that I saw as more of a weakness.
02:39Like I saw strength in being able to do everything yourself, which I think is a common way of thinking about strength.
02:46And so what I learned, you know, from playing Tish and watching how her family just comes around her and just loves her, I realized there's so much strength in that, that it's not about being able to do everything on your own, especially when you have these people that are willing to be there for you and to help you navigate, you know, these really difficult things.
03:05So I really learned how to tap more into my own vulnerability in doing that.
03:10And then as an actor, I feel like I just learned to trust myself more, trust that what I was bringing was enough because this is my first feature and I definitely had a lot to learn very fast and definitely had moments on set of just being unsure.
03:26And so I had to be reminded sometimes, you know, by the cast members very like, you got it, you know, and so I had to learn that as an actor.
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