00:00I am not like anybody else. I'm an angel. I can see and do things that other people can't do.
00:09What are you talking about? Your mom has a message for you.
00:18I just want to talk to you quickly about Highway to Heaven and your involvement in it.
00:23Okay.
00:23So what drew you to this project? What made you want to get involved in Highway to Heaven?
00:29A couple of things. One was definitely my grandma. This was a show that we would watch together on her bed, which is a very special place. Not everybody was allowed in my grandmother's bed, but I could get in the bed and watch Highway to Heaven with her. That was good times, sweet times.
00:51And then two, that was the first thing and most important. And then when the script hit my desk, I was like, wow.
01:02I remember the feeling of being connected to my grandmother in this way. And I thought, man, we could really use something a little more kind and maybe even a little slow.
01:19Something that doesn't have a single negative intention, you know, something completely positive.
01:31So, yeah, I said, yeah, I didn't even read the script. I just jumped, leapt off the mountain.
01:39So, I know you're executive producing this as well as acting in it. Can you tell me more about your character?
01:48It took me a while to figure this out because I'm, you know, literally no angel.
01:52But maybe, maybe, maybe I am too. I decided because I don't know what it's like to be flawless.
02:05I decided that I would want the character of Angela Stewart to be someone that is relatable, that isn't too polished, that is unassuming to a certain degree.
02:25But you notice her, that it's her energy that you notice most, and that she would be a beacon of kindness and patience,
02:39that, that she would follow the lead of her boss, follow the lead without necessarily understanding why, you know, because I, who understands?
03:01Like, really, really, we, we are led places. This is my opinion now.
03:06We are led places, and we don't understand why until maybe the next year or 10 years or 20 years from then, maybe not even 40 years till later,
03:16that we, you know, that we actually understand why we were led to do the things that we were, you know.
03:23So, yeah, she doesn't have to understand. She's led by faith.
03:28Why do you feel that message of faith and kindness is so pertinent in the current climate?
03:33Because it's been dark. It's been dark, and there's a lot of separation in people.
03:41We're still dealing with frivolous separations, like, you know, like darks and lights and, and, and 4C and whatever.
03:52Like, we're still dealing with those, those superficial differences that don't matter to anyone, truly.
04:00We're still dealing with, um, a society that is, is angry about wearing a mask.
04:08We're, we're still dealing with a society that, um, has a hard time even grasping that Black lives matter.
04:15Like, we're, we're still in a place. Um, we're seeing a lot of divorces.
04:21Like, it's, it's just so, it, it can feel like, um, there's no light.
04:28It can feel, very much feel that way.
04:30Um, and when this script came across my desk, I was like, you know what?
04:36I would love to, just for an hour or so, you know, just, um, wash it, not necessarily wash it away,
04:44but remind people that we can all be angels in our own way to somebody else, you know,
04:50that we can all help and lift other people, you know?
04:56Um, so hopefully it will inspire people to do just that.
05:01It's not about the money they have or, you know, the, the position that they're in or whatever.
05:10It's really, truly about kindness.
05:16Makes sense.
05:17Now I know in the original television show, the angel you're playing was played by a white man.
05:23How does it feel to update those images for the modern era and kind of like step into shoes that
05:30were maybe not necessarily originally meant for a black woman?
05:36Um, I can't imagine that they weren't meant for a black woman.
05:40Like, I just don't see that.
05:42So like, they're, they're like, oh, with a twist.
05:44I've heard that several times with like, oh, it's highway to heaven with a twist.
05:48I'm like, I don't see the twist.
05:50You know, I, the, the creator that I believe in the creator that I love and cherish so much.
05:58I'm like, ah, I, I, I think that the angels will come in, in dog form and in insect form and in
06:09every possible color of the spectrum of human being that they'd come in bird form.
06:16You know what I mean?
06:17Like you ever wonder why, you know, you were at the zoo and the bird poop on you and you got to
06:22stop for a minute and try to get the poop off your shoulder and be like, uh, maybe you weren't
06:27supposed to take those next five steps.
06:29You know what I'm saying?
06:31Like it's all divine intervention.
06:34And I just don't think that it has anything to do with race.
06:38You know, I think that a lot of that is a culture is one thing, but, you know, it's a human race.
06:45And then this, the, the construct, um, has been created, created by people, um, for their
06:52own purposes, for their own purposes.
06:55I think, I think the creator is bigger than, than skin color.
06:59Just clever, just real clever and creative, you know, kill that.
07:06Like, I have to admit, like, I just think what he's, what the creator has done with black
07:13people is just like, really, you're going to make somebody with, with freckles and red
07:20hair and green eyes, but they're brown.
07:23Like my grandmother, like, stop playing.
07:26That's awesome.
07:28Like, like, you've got to love that.
07:31The whole idiosyncrasy of our people like this, you know, and a gap, you got a gap tooth
07:36and one dimple stop playing.
07:39And I just, you know, I don't want to get too excited about those things, but they, that's
07:44what excites me too.
07:46So this is a series of, of, uh, several.
07:50So, so as we go, um, our character, Angela, she has no idea why she's going to help this
07:58person or that, but that's her task.
08:00So that's what she's going to do.
08:01And then we'll move on to the next place in the next city, the next country, the next state,
08:06whatever, a small town, big city, whatever may be.
08:10And, and that's exactly what she's going to do.
08:12She doesn't need to know why.
08:15Awesome.
08:15Uh, quick question, since you have such an angelic voice, do you end up singing at
08:19all on the show?
08:21Um, not that I know of, I haven't, no, that's a different, um, that's a different check.
08:29I get that.
08:31So are you, are you more attracted to acting or singing?
08:35Are you just kind of flowing between the two at the current moment?
08:39I don't really see any, I don't see any place for boxes for me.
08:44Um, so, you know, tomorrow I'm a writer, you know, the, the next day I'm an actor, the next
08:53day I'm a singer, you know, I, I, I enjoy that life because I don't get bored.
09:00And then I also don't take any of the things for granted.
09:04You know what I mean?
09:05Anything can get old, you know?
09:09So I, I, I just keep it, I just keep it really, um, wide open for myself and, and kind of just
09:16enjoy the ride.
09:17It's been nice.
09:20I understand that.
09:21Is there anything else you want to make sure that your fans know about this show and anything
09:24else you have coming up?
09:28Oh, um, I do have J.L, the podcast, um, with my, with my sister friends, Laia St.
09:35Claire and Aja Graydon-Dantzler.
09:37And we have really, really been enjoying ourselves being the aunties and, um, sharing insight and
09:45learning things along the way, um, for all the folks, male and female, um, and everybody
09:51in between who hasn't learned, um, but would like to learn some, some life, some good old
09:58life lessons coming from a place of common sense and experience.
10:02Um, that's what J.L, the podcast is.
10:06And, uh, first wives club, we're back.
10:09We're going back into our, our second, third season.
10:13Third.
10:13Yep.
10:14Yeah.
10:14With third season.
10:15And, um, I'm executive producing that as well.
10:18So, and then, um, music is, is, is back.
10:23It disappeared for me for a moment, but it's showing his face in the best way I could imagine.
10:31Very excited.
10:36Awesome.
10:36Well, I'm excited for that.
10:37I definitely want to hear some more music AFAP.
10:39Me too.
10:40Keep us posted on that as well.
10:42For certain.
10:43For certain.
10:48For certain.
10:48For certain.
10:48For certain.
10:49For certain.
10:49For certain.
10:49For certain.
10:49For certain.
10:49For certain.
10:49For certain.
10:50For certain.
10:50For certain.
10:50For certain.
10:51For certain.
10:51For certain.
10:51For certain.
10:51For certain.
10:52For certain.
10:52For certain.
10:52For certain.
10:53For certain.
10:53For certain.
10:53For certain.
10:53For certain.
10:54For certain.
10:54For certain.
10:54For certain.
10:54For certain.
10:55For certain.
10:55For certain.
10:55For certain.
10:55For certain.
10:56For certain.
10:56For certain.
10:57For certain.
10:57For certain.
10:57For certain.
10:58For certain.
10:58For certain.
10:59For certain.
10:59For certain.
11:00.
11:01For certain.
11:01For certain.
11:02For certain.
Comments