00:00It's hard to step away from being the center of a narrative
00:06to then be asked to, you know,
00:09just support this real strong man over here.
00:15Thanks so much for taking the time to speak to me today.
00:17I'm Revee Ruff from Essence.
00:19All Rise, super popular show, of course,
00:22even though it did have some issues
00:24and ended up getting canceled as a fan favorite
00:26and now it's coming back.
00:27So how does it feel to have your show
00:28be brought back just because it was such a high demand for it?
00:33It is such a blessing.
00:37You know, I've certainly seen those petitions on Twitter,
00:42you know, with people saying, save our show.
00:45And it doesn't always happen.
00:47And so the fact that, you know,
00:50Warner Brothers was passionate about our show
00:52and tried to find us a new home
00:53and Oprah was excited to get the opportunity,
00:58but also the fans tweeting and writing letters
01:02and petitions and signing them daily.
01:05It was, it's such a gift.
01:08You know, you do what you love
01:10and you hope that other people,
01:12that it resonates with them,
01:13but that's not always the case.
01:15And television is like a microwave.
01:18You know, so many shows come and go.
01:20And so to have something that people are excited to see back,
01:24it's a blessing.
01:26Absolutely.
01:27Now, as far as your character,
01:29what do you feel like now that you have a second win
01:31and you're able to go back
01:33and revisit things with Judge Lola,
01:34what do you feel like, well,
01:36as much as you can spoil for us,
01:37what's coming up for her now?
01:38So my desire for this third season
01:44was definitely for Lola to be a little messier.
01:48You know, she's so admirable
01:51in her judicial rulings and professionally.
01:55I mean, this woman has become a judge
01:57at such a young age
01:59and, you know, she cares about the person in front of her.
02:02And there are so few things
02:04that I find fault with Lola professionally.
02:08And so in her personal life,
02:10I just wanted to see her have some ups and downs.
02:14And this season definitely gives that to you.
02:17You know, we have Christian Keys
02:19stepping into the role of Robin.
02:22And so this, having a different actor
02:25to explore this relationship with
02:27has infused a, you know, a new wind,
02:32a second wind underneath that marriage.
02:35But then also seeing them
02:38trying to navigate him being at home.
02:41And then there's someone from Lola's past
02:43who comes in and kind of messes and mixes
02:46and spices things up.
02:48And so, you know, I don't know
02:50if the fans are going to love Lola
02:52when this is done.
02:54You know, I'm personally worried,
02:56but at least they will take the ride
03:00and it's going to be a ride.
03:03And they may love her more.
03:04You know, we do love a flawed character.
03:06You know, we do.
03:08We do.
03:09We love to live by characters with people.
03:11You know, I think that this season,
03:14we definitely get to see Lola
03:16be a little bit messy.
03:19So you play a lot of very strong characters,
03:21a lot of women with strong will.
03:23And it's just a through line,
03:24I've just noticed.
03:25And it may not necessarily be
03:27what's drawing you to them.
03:28What is the current through line
03:29that you look for
03:30when you're going through scripts
03:31and you're looking for
03:32the next role to take on?
03:33What is it that you're looking for
03:34in these characters
03:35that you want to represent?
03:37A challenge.
03:40You know, I think that
03:42sometimes the challenge is physical.
03:45You know, Luke Cage
03:45was a very physical role.
03:47Alter Carbon was a very physical role.
03:50The challenge with Lola,
03:52I felt like she speaks
03:55to who I am as a person
03:57in terms of the humor
03:58and the seriousness
04:00about herself professionally.
04:02But then I get to play
04:03all these different colors
04:04that I had never been asked
04:07to play within a character.
04:10So for me,
04:11whether it's on stage,
04:13you know, in a play,
04:14or if it's on screen,
04:16I want to be asked
04:18to do something
04:19that I have never been asked to do.
04:22And I think that
04:24so often in our industry,
04:26people get typecast
04:28and they get,
04:29you know, locked into
04:31if you played a cop on this show,
04:32you're going to play a cop on that show
04:34and you're going to play a cop over here.
04:36And before the show got picked up,
04:40I was in talks
04:42with a couple of other people
04:44about, you know, joining projects.
04:46And my, you know,
04:50my desire is that
04:52I am not
04:53an addendum to someone else's story.
04:57I think it's hard
04:58to step away from being
05:01the center of a narrative
05:03to then be asked to,
05:06you know, just support
05:07this real strong man over here.
05:09And I find that
05:11the women whose careers I admire,
05:15you know, Regina King,
05:17who is a friend
05:17and Viola Davis
05:19and Kerry Washington,
05:20these women that I have long,
05:22you know, admired
05:23and just been blown away
05:27by where their careers
05:28have taken them.
05:29I think it's so exciting
05:31to watch them continue
05:33to try to lead projects
05:36in ways that you wouldn't question
05:38for a man to do.
05:40You wouldn't question
05:41for a white woman to do,
05:44you know,
05:45but you have in the past
05:47seen Black women
05:48be the lead in projects
05:50and then they're off
05:52being somebody's mama,
05:54third character from the left.
05:56And so I think that for me,
05:59it, I definitely love
06:02playing strong characters,
06:03but I love the possibility
06:05to play flawed
06:05and weaker willed characters as well,
06:09because those stories
06:11need to be told,
06:12but also just to give credence
06:14to being at the center
06:15of these stories
06:17because it's just more exciting
06:18to watch people live a full life.
06:22Absolutely.
06:23And actually kind of
06:23speaks to something.
06:25I've spoken with several actresses
06:27about this
06:27in the past couple of months,
06:28but it seems like
06:30in recent years
06:31or at least the recent year,
06:33there's been an expansion
06:35of more roles
06:35with more nuance
06:36that are written
06:37for Black people,
06:39Black women specifically,
06:41but for a long time,
06:42it kind of seemed like
06:43in the industry,
06:44it wasn't necessarily like that.
06:45And a lot of people
06:46had to go out,
06:47you know,
06:47you all had to vie
06:47for one role to be,
06:49somebody might have,
06:50you know, two lines.
06:52What do you feel
06:53has been the spring?
06:55I guess the word
06:56looking for is like
06:57the jumping off point
06:58for that to happen
06:59and how do you feel
07:00about this expansion
07:01that's been happening
07:02in the recent years
07:03and the expansion
07:04in front of the camera
07:05and behind the camera
07:06as it's been happening
07:07throughout the years,
07:08more roles,
07:09more meatiness
07:10for Black women
07:11in the industry?
07:12I think that it is
07:13because there is
07:14so much content
07:16out there to be made,
07:17but there are so many
07:18storytellers behind the camera
07:20who have said,
07:22listen,
07:22I have been sitting
07:23on this for decades
07:24and nobody wanted
07:25to see it
07:26and nobody wanted
07:27to hear it.
07:27And now they are
07:28getting these opportunities.
07:30I can tell you
07:30how hard it is
07:31to hire
07:32a Black female director
07:34on our show
07:35because they're all working.
07:36Like the Black women
07:37who we worked with
07:39in the first two seasons
07:40are off doing
07:41their own shows now.
07:43They're off EP'ing
07:44their own shows.
07:45A friend of ours,
07:47Pete Chapman,
07:48who I started working
07:49with Pete
07:50on a short film
07:50called Black Car,
07:51but he and my husband
07:52have worked together
07:53on film after film
07:54after film
07:55from premium on up.
07:57Pete directed
07:57two episodes
07:58last season.
08:00Pete's,
08:01the producing director,
08:02and EP'ing
08:03over on Reasonable Doubt,
08:04which is going
08:05to premiere on Onyx
08:06with Kerry Washington
08:07EP'ing
08:08and Imiatsi
08:09being the lead.
08:10Like,
08:11this is such
08:12an exciting time
08:13to be a Black storyteller
08:15and I am thankful
08:16to be a part
08:17of that conversation.
08:19Well said.
08:21They pretty much
08:22answered all
08:22of my questions.
08:23And listen,
08:24and now EP'ing
08:25I can actually hire
08:26more Black women
08:27and Black people.
08:29It's,
08:29I mean,
08:29I'm so thankful
08:31to be in this situation.
08:32So what is like that?
08:33What is that like
08:34for you wearing
08:35all those hats
08:36for this show?
08:37I was always
08:39trying to put
08:40those hats on
08:40before this season
08:42and now I'm getting
08:43paid for it
08:43and people are
08:44actually listening
08:45to me.
08:47No,
08:47I mean,
08:48I have worked
08:49with some great
08:50creatives,
08:51you know,
08:52led by Dee,
08:53Harris Lawrence,
08:54who is our showrunner
08:55and,
08:55you know,
08:56they have always
08:57been welcoming
08:59of my perspective
09:00and it doesn't,
09:02it hasn't changed
09:03now that I am an EP.
09:04There are a ton
09:05more emails
09:06and a lot more
09:08things to do,
09:09but it certainly
09:09makes going to work
09:11every day
09:11that much more
09:12exciting
09:12to look across
09:14and see an actor
09:15that you single-handedly
09:16fought for
09:17to get the job
09:18now being on set
09:20and doing what you
09:21knew that they could do,
09:22but maybe everybody
09:23else looking at
09:24that audition
09:24didn't see what you
09:25saw or getting
09:27to finally work
09:28with a director
09:29who you love,
09:30Nigella Moumen,
09:31who I worked with
09:32on her first feature,
09:33Jen,
09:34I was able to
09:35be a producer
09:36on that project
09:37and lead that project
09:38and now she's coming
09:39over and directing
09:40an episode on our show,
09:41which is,
09:42you know,
09:42that was important
09:43for me to have
09:44her over here
09:46and so it is,
09:49it's a blessing,
09:51man.
09:52I,
09:52you know,
09:53so often as actors
09:54we just get asked
09:55to show up on time
09:56and to say our lines
09:57and to be able
09:59to help shape story
10:00and character
10:01not just for myself
10:02but for my other
10:03castmates,
10:04it's,
10:05it's a,
10:05it's an amazing gift.
10:08Well,
10:09thank you so much
10:09for your time today.
10:11I really appreciate
10:11your answer.
10:13Thank you so much.
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