00:00The quickest story to explain why I'm here, instead of fantastically saying Walter, one, I am black.
00:08So, no, but I was supposed to be out of town actually during this time when I was asked to present for this.
00:15And what happened was, it was a two-day period where I was supposed to be somewhere else.
00:20And I found out that I would be missing Essence's Black Women in Hollywood event.
00:26And I said, I can't miss that.
00:28This event is very important to me.
00:31The first time I came, I was inspired.
00:34I wasn't anyone yet.
00:37You know how that, whatever, how we look at that.
00:40The first time I came.
00:41And then the second time I came, I was being honored.
00:44And so, to go from, you know, just this girl invited to being honored, it was incredible.
00:51But the feeling remained the same at the first one as at the second one.
00:55I felt recharged when I left here.
00:58We go through a crazy award cycle.
01:01We go through a crazy year just to come back to this room and feel recharged.
01:07And so, this year I'm here and the wonderful Cheryl Lee Ralph is being honored.
01:17And so, I said, I went up to Cheryl, I said, Cheryl, why didn't you ask me to present to you?
01:25And she was like, girl, what the, where were you?
01:28And I was like, I wasn't, so I realized what happened.
01:31I was supposed to be somewhere else.
01:33And when I found out what was happening this weekend, I said I need to be here.
01:37And I want to talk about Cheryl.
01:40So, I have this show that I'm creating in the middle of the pandemic.
01:46And we don't know anything.
01:48We don't know if it's going to be made.
01:51We don't know if it's going to see the light of day.
01:54We don't know if after it sees the light of day, if it's going to actually see your eyes.
01:58We don't know if you're going to like it.
01:59We don't know that we're going to wind up winning awards and all that good stuff.
02:03So, all I have is a script and, you know, a small team to support me.
02:09And we're trying to cast the Barbara Howard character.
02:12It was the hardest character to cast in my show.
02:15We needed someone who embodied grace, who embodied honesty, who embodied strength,
02:22someone familiar yet brand new, someone who we trusted, someone who we loved.
02:29And we're getting casting sheets.
02:31We're seeing people and I'm being really meticulous.
02:35I'm like, it's just not, it's just not it.
02:37And if it's not it, I can't do it.
02:39And I felt that way about the whole cast, but Barbara Howard was a pinnacle of the show.
02:44And so, we get a sheet and I see that Cheryl Lee Ralph is available.
02:50And I said, really?
02:54Even though she said to me multiple times that she's had this drought of work,
02:58I considered her one of the hardest working people in this industry.
03:01I never saw her not working.
03:05So, I said, we should try to get Cheryl Lee Ralph.
03:10We should really try.
03:12And my co-producers, two very white nerds, went, oh, man, that's the mom from Moesha.
03:18It is.
03:18She is the mom from Moesha.
03:20She is.
03:22The other white nerd goes, oh, man, she was in Sister Act.
03:26She was the mom.
03:27She was the mom and sister act.
03:29She was, wasn't she?
03:30But to me, I'm saying, but I also need you guys to understand that she is Cheryl Lee Ralph.
03:39Which means a lot more to me.
03:41So, Cheryl met with us and I talked with her and I said, Cheryl, I really, I got to meet her via her daughter on a set of a show she was on years prior when I was developing a multicam for CBS.
03:53Didn't go, thank God.
03:54And I saw, I met Cheryl there, though, while she was filming a multicam and her daughter, Coco, and I talked and I was like, I love your mom.
04:03The Philly connection was born.
04:06We're Philly, Philly people, Philly strong.
04:08I knew her son at TN from, you know, throwing the parties and being at the parties of the people.
04:13It's true.
04:14And I talked to Cheryl and I said, hey, would you consider this show?
04:21And she said, I would.
04:24And I was like, here's the crazy part.
04:25I'm actually going to, I'm going to need you to read, to read for it.
04:31She said, baby, I don't read.
04:35I said, I hear you, but the thing is, this is a mockumentary and I just, I just, even if you could just be like, hey, what's up, Jenny?
04:43That would just, and so, I want to talk about this specific moment because this moment is Cheryl Lee Ralph.
04:52And I feel like everybody in the room should embrace what this moment means.
04:58Cheryl is a legend.
04:59She is incredible.
05:02Cheryl has been in our homes, in our hearts for years.
05:06She said in that moment, you know what?
05:10Yeah.
05:11I'm going to take a moment to come into your vision.
05:16You're a young creative.
05:17I'm going to collaborate with you.
05:20I'm going to read with you.
05:22I'm not too big of an actor to come into somebody else's vision, to collaborate, to learn.
05:31That moment was defining.
05:33We casted Cheryl, clearly.
05:35I remember the first day on the pilot when Cheryl turned to me and said, this is so exciting.
05:42This is a new choreography.
05:44This is a new way of acting.
05:46I'm so excited.
05:47I'm having fun.
05:48I'm learning.
05:50I'm new.
05:50I'm bright.
05:51I watched her beam even brighter than she already beams in real time.
05:56And Tyler and I, my co-star, watched this woman, who we've not only looked up to, worked with Tyler, honor, love, decide to learn again, decide to start over.
06:12And I thought about the beauty of deciding to learn again, no matter what age we are, no matter how long we've been in this business, it doesn't matter how long we've been doing it.
06:26Cheryl taught me to never forget the importance of deciding to learn again.
06:32And I just think that's so important for everybody in this industry, in this world, to say, I'm always open to learning.
06:41It's what keeps, people are like, why does Cheryl look like she's 25?
06:44Because she makes the choice every day to be young, to be childlike, to learn.
06:51And that's who she is to me.
06:53She holds me down.
06:54Sometimes I come and talk to her.
06:56And I say, Cheryl, our dressing rooms are next to each other.
06:59And Cheryl starts in the morning singing.
07:02And I can hear her.
07:04And I love it.
07:06And sometimes I come and talk to her.
07:07And I say, Cheryl, here's what's going on today.
07:10And she will tell me, Quinta, this is what you were meant to do.
07:14I'm proud of you.
07:15I'm here by your side.
07:17I love you.
07:18And I'm honored.
07:19And all I can think is, I already have one wonderful mother.
07:23And somehow God blessed me with two.
07:26Cheryl sends me scriptures sometimes.
07:29I don't know if I'm an atheist or not.
07:31But I'm not quite sure.
07:34It's a lot happening.
07:36But Cheryl will send me a Bible scripture.
07:38And I'm like, you know what?
07:39God is real.
07:43He's real.
07:44And that's what someone like Cheryl Lee Ralph can do for you.
07:50Sometimes my set, my set is wonderful.
07:52I'm so proud of my set.
07:54I'm so proud of my cast.
07:55But sometimes Cheryl walks in in the morning.
07:59And when I tell you the morning, I'm talking 6 o'clock in the morning.
08:03Everyone comes in at 5.30.
08:05And Cheryl walks in and says, good morning.
08:09And guess what?
08:11It's a good morning.
08:13Cheryl decided.
08:14And guess what?
08:14Now the morning is good.
08:15And those are the things that make me believe God is real.
08:20And that's important.
08:21That's important for me to believe that God is real and present on my set.
08:26And I'll see you next time.
08:43Bye.
08:44Bye.
08:45Dude.
08:45Bye.
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