- 2 days ago
"PANEL
Actors, actresses, writers, directors, and producers making a new name and amplified stamp on the entertainment industry through their current work on and behind the screen.
Description: Black Hollywood's new group of people to watch will gather at Essence Film Festival for a
discussion about their career, what they want for the future, and how they hope to make an impact on the industry."
Actors, actresses, writers, directors, and producers making a new name and amplified stamp on the entertainment industry through their current work on and behind the screen.
Description: Black Hollywood's new group of people to watch will gather at Essence Film Festival for a
discussion about their career, what they want for the future, and how they hope to make an impact on the industry."
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hi everybody, thank you for coming out to see First.
00:29I have with me the director and producers, give them a round of applause.
00:36Thank you, thank you, thank you.
00:37Go ahead and introduce yourselves.
00:38My name is Brandon Yarbrough, I am the co-director of First, my wife Jamila, who is the actress
00:46that you saw, she could not be here because we are having a child within the next week
00:52or so.
00:53And this is, do you want me to introduce you, or you can do it.
00:57Alright.
00:58She lost her voice.
00:59Hi, I'm Laniece, I am a co-producer of First.
01:04Hi, I'm KJ, I am an actor who played young Charles.
01:11Well, I'm so glad that we could program this film.
01:16When I first saw it, I was like, oh, that's a great idea, whole group of firsts.
01:20So, where did that idea come from for you?
01:23I didn't come up with the idea, Jamila did.
01:25Oh, she should be here, but I know she's...
01:27So, this was based on a series that she wrote and created over seven years ago on Issa Rae's
01:34YouTube channel.
01:36And she wrote it because she wasn't seeing roles and stories like this, and she wanted
01:42to, it just came to her, it was a download.
01:46And she wanted to see love on the screen, especially black love.
01:51Okay.
01:52You know, and create a role for herself that she hadn't seen before.
01:56Wow.
01:57And what made you want to screen here at Essence?
01:59Um, Laniece.
02:01We actually didn't know about Essence until our wonderful producer here, Laniece, said,
02:06hey, but Essence really, um, it's about love and beauty and blackness.
02:14And I think that's what our film really stands for and represents.
02:18I agree.
02:19Well, thank you all for coming.
02:21Thank you everyone here for coming.
02:23Give another round of applause for firsts.
02:25Thank you so much.
02:27And if anyone wants to give any feedback or anything, I'll be outside with a camera.
02:32Oh, and vote.
02:33Vote.
02:34All right.
02:35Vote.
02:36Thank you so much.
02:37All right.
02:38So now we, um, we have a panel that we're going to have.
02:41It's called Who's Next and What's Now?
02:43And we're going to bring out some of your favorite actors that we want you to keep watching
02:48and some people creating new content.
02:50So I, and they're all going to be on this stage.
02:53So I'm going to call them out one by one.
02:57So first person I want to bring to the stage is Gabaret Sidibe.
03:03Daniel Ezra from All-American.
03:15Hi.
03:16Good.
03:17Sit wherever you want.
03:18Hi.
03:19Good.
03:20Sit wherever you want.
03:21I also want to bring up Corbin Reed.
03:30I said Gabaret's coming y'all.
03:31Give Gabaret a hand.
03:33I'm messing with you.
03:34Give everyone a hand.
03:35That's enough, I thought I wanted to bring up a door that must make them anytime a day
03:36big hand.
03:37Thanks.
03:38Thanks, let's bring up.
03:39Hi Corbin.
03:40Give her a hand.
03:41How are you?
03:42Next let's bring up Cassandra Freeman.
03:43Next let's bring up Cassandra Freeman, hi Cassandra, hi, say hi to everybody, Celia
03:56Rose Gooding, big hand, big hand, big hand, Greg Tarzan Davis and he's actually from New
04:08Orleans, the always gorgeous Isis King, also from New Orleans, we met her when she
04:33was four, Quavanjanae Wallace and also we have Isaiah Hill, am I missing anyone, let's see,
04:58where is Shinola Hampton, okay, big hand for Shinola Hampton, and where is my glitter girl,
05:09Burgundy Baker, from the shy, come on Burgundy, give her a big hand,
05:19we love you Burgundy, yes, yes, hi, thank you everybody, y'all don't have to look at me,
05:30I'm going to be over here, there is no, we don't have enough chairs to accommodate all the great
05:35actors that we have, so I'm going to stand, but thank you all for coming, so I just want to go down
05:43the row and talk about what drives you to stay in this business, let's start with Gabourey since you
05:48have the mic and then pass it to Daniel and we'll just go around, okay, what drives me to stay in
05:55this business, the rent, I'm kidding, it's a mortgage, but you know, I kind of fell into this business real
06:06weird, like I accidentally became an actress and I'm, I think I'm still here because I love it so
06:12much, because I love seeing people like me on film and giving opportunities to people like me, I just
06:19shot a pilot and got to hire a bunch of people that look like us and so that's why I'm still in this
06:24business because I love us.
06:26Um, I just really like, love actually telling stories, you know, that's what it's always been
06:36about, I love people and studying humans, I think if, if I could do school, if I was academically
06:43minded, I would have done psychology and this is like the closest thing I can get to studying
06:47psychology in a way that, you know, I can handle because I can't sit still, I struggle with that, so
06:52yeah, that's what drives me.
06:56Um, what drives me to stay in this industry, a child, my childhood self of living a dream, I used
07:05to be a school teacher and I said that I was going to become an actor and I told my kids that I'm a
07:12firm believer of following your dreams, manifestation, and I say, yo, Mr. Davis is going to leave to pursue
07:17his dream, a dream that I had since I was a little child their age. And, um, now I do it to show everybody that it's possible because people think that things aren't possible and I mean, we're all here living proof of like, yo, if you follow your dream, really put your feet forward and don't get tired, then anything is possible.
07:35So, we out here doing it and shout out to everybody sitting up here, you hear me?
07:38Shout out to everybody sitting on here.
07:40Isis, we first met you on America's Next Top Model and now you've become an amazing actress, so talk about what drove you to stay in the business and just keep going and keep going.
07:50Well, thank you for that intro. Um, for me, it's been like when I came out on Top Model, that was 15 years ago. Um, there were not many, if at all, any trans roles out there. So for me, being a part of that change that happens has been a big part of me wanting more. Um, I, we deserve to see ourselves be loved and have love and be those superheroes and those crime fighters like trans
08:20people deserve to see that too. And, um, um, for me just continuing to go so I can be one of those people kicking butts on screen. That's why, that's what keeps me going.
08:32Hi, Khovanchene. Hi, my love. We're so happy to have you back. Thank you. I'm home, so I can't help myself. Um, but for me, what keeps me going is my family, specifically my mom. Um, she used to teach before I started acting and she quit and just,
08:50did everything with me, traveled with me, traveled the world with me. And so without her, I wouldn't be here. So I'm very thankful for her. And she always pushed, pushes me, you know, I love my mom. She's my everything.
09:07Um, I like to think I'm the voice of the inner city kids that don't really know what it takes to be up here and stand amongst these people. Um, I'm an athlete turned actor.
09:20And a lot of athletes and, you know, people in different industries, it's a, it's a stigma around acting that it doesn't take gut. It's a grit. But this acting is not for the weak. And I'm here, you know, to show that I'm here to stay and be a voice
09:38for those inner city kids and athletes. Oh, I'm so sorry.
09:46When I was a little girl, a minister prophesied over my life and said, this is where I would be.
09:51And so I was about seven years old. It's all I've ever wanted to do since I was five. So what keeps me going when I am crying about not getting a role or someone says something real, real not cool is remembering Reverend Green prophesizing this over my life.
10:10So I'm living my purpose. And that's what keeps me in this business and keeps me going.
10:17Hi, hi, Burgundy.
10:19Um, I am driven by the responsibility of representation. I love standing in the gap for young women and specifically deep complected young women. And so that drives me.
10:30Hi, um, similarly, I'm, I wasn't incredibly academically inclined and I knew that there was nothing else that spoke to me and drove me like acting like theater.
10:48Uh, I was singing before I could talk. And so, uh, I think something in me divinely knew that I was going to be, if not an actor, at least some form of entertainment and entertainer, excuse me.
11:02Um, and yeah, growing up in a lot of predominantly white institutions, the thing that made me feel safe and seen and worthy of the space that I deserved was storytelling and making people laugh and smile.
11:18And giving them an opportunity to see life outside of their limited world view.
11:23And so the thing that drives me is continuing to just showcase one of the many multifaceted parts of being a black person on screen.
11:32It's, it's really fulfilling for me. So that's why I do it. Cause I literally couldn't do anything else.
11:38Right. Got you. Cassandra.
11:41Hey y'all. Uh, many things drive me at this point in my life and my career, but the main thing is that,
11:48we're on the precipice right now of telling stories that have never been told.
11:53It's so nice that we're not starting at the bottom of storytelling.
11:56And now we are creating new stories that people didn't even know that we could be a part of the narrative,
12:02whether it's from Star Trek or to the blackening or to Bel Air, my show and everything in between.
12:08I was telling Craig, Greg Tarzan up here that, you know,
12:11mission impossible top gun was only on my radar because I saw his face on the screen.
12:16So a big part that drives me is to know that honey, right?
12:19So a big part that drives me is that it's so exciting to tell new expansive stories.
12:24And the other thing that drives me is that I have a startup called creatricity.
12:28It's like the electricity of when creative people come together.
12:31And I like to say, it's like IMDB meets LinkedIn meets Yelp.
12:36And what drives me is the collaboration of bringing together the entire creative ecosystem
12:43so we can open up opportunities for each other in the same room.
12:47So whether you're an actor, a writer, an entertainment lawyer, a publicist, or a sponsor from Disney,
12:53wherever you are, it should just be one quick conversation and your life can change with a click of a button.
12:58So that's the thing that's really driving me.
13:00That's amazing.
13:01I love that.
13:04What drives me, you know, I'm on a show called Run the World on Starz.
13:09Yes!
13:10My people's in the house!
13:11And it's amazing because both in front of the camera and behind the camera, we have black women, you know,
13:19writing the show, directing the show, producing the show, show running the show.
13:23And it's given me an opportunity to hear from you guys that you feel seen and you feel represented.
13:31And that has been so rewarding for me.
13:35And it has set a precedent for myself now moving forward that, like, that is going to be a goal in everything that I do.
13:43That when I have the opportunity that I want to make sure that the story I am telling is being told authentically to represent us,
13:52to represent so that you guys feel reflected in what you're seeing because I think that is so powerful.
13:59You know, I went to go see The Little Mermaid, the new one that just came out.
14:04And I was sitting in the audience weeping.
14:07And then I was looking around at, like, these little black kids, you know, little boys and girls watching this movie.
14:14And I was thinking to myself, what would it have been like if I would have been able to see myself in that character as a child?
14:20What would that have done for my confidence?
14:22What would that have done for my dreams, you know?
14:24I feel like I turned out okay, but it's such a powerful thing to see yourself in stories that inspire people and inspire the viewers.
14:34So that's what drives me to keep going.
14:37That's amazing.
14:38But staying right there, what have been some of the obstacles you faced in your career?
14:44I'm staying with you, Corbin.
14:45And it's going to come around to everybody.
14:46I mean, I think to the point that I just made about feeling seen and reflected on accurately and represented accurately and authentically, a challenge, a huge challenge I faced in my career is feeling like there aren't roles out there that cater to my experience, to my blackness, to my humanity.
15:06Humanity, you know, because we aren't oftentimes on the other side of the camera from top to bottom or in ways that really matter, like directing, writing, show running, you know, the people who are pulling the strings, the people who are presenting the story first, we get reduced to tropes and stereotypes a lot of the time.
15:27It can feel very one note, you know?
15:29We've all seen ourselves turned into caricatures in movies or we only get to be the best friend or we only get to be, you know, somebody's mama or somebody's nanny or whatever.
15:40And now because we're actually getting the opportunities, you know, and making the opportunities for ourself, forget getting them.
15:47We're also making them for ourself.
15:49And you can't, that's, when you put something out there that people are thirsty for and they're, it's undeniable, like we're going to keep getting those opportunities.
16:00Wakanda forever sold out that box office.
16:02These people are going to keep giving money for a movie that is being consumed and making hundreds of millions of dollars.
16:09So I think that's a challenge I face is finding those parts, but I feel very inspired by what you said too.
16:15It's like, we're on the precipice of seeing parts for ourselves that feel like us.
16:23Pass the mic to Gaviray.
16:24I want to hear your obstacles.
16:27As far as sort of blockades go in the career, I think it's easy to say, well, my body and my blackness, but I've never been anything but exactly what you see.
16:40So I wouldn't really know.
16:41But, but I have, I remember auditioning for some project to play like a 20 year old, like pharmacist student or something who was a slacker.
16:51And the note I got after auditioning was, well, you know, she did great, but there were no other African Americans in the movie.
16:57And so we thought she would take people out of it.
17:00And it's like, oh, I didn't realize y'all were casting an all white utopia, which is strange.
17:05And it's like, also, I can't do anything about it.
17:07And also, I super love being black, so I'm not going to do anything about it.
17:11But I think that, well, yeah, but I think that maybe the blockades have been sort of put there in my brain.
17:22If I, I don't like going places I'm not invited.
17:24I don't like going to places that are unwelcoming to me.
17:27So if you don't want me, you don't want me.
17:28And I don't want to be there either.
17:29And so I tend to go where I find love and joy and acceptance.
17:34And I have been very lucky in my career to be able to take on roles that feel familiar to me in one way or another.
17:43And I think that's been lucky.
17:44If there are blockades out there, I'm ignoring them.
17:46I'm blocking them.
17:47I would say the biggest blockade for me is myself.
17:57It's just believing I can do it.
18:00You know, when a project comes my way or I get the opportunity to chase something, the scarier it is, the more I want to do it now.
18:08Whereas before, the scarier it was, the more my mind would come up with the reasons to not do it or not pursue it.
18:15But those are usually the most rewarding things, is the things that scare you the most.
18:20So that's kind of the obstacle I pay attention to and try to deal with is the self-imposed one.
18:30Okay.
18:31Burgundy, let's hear from you.
18:33I would say an obstacle I face is standing up for myself and making myself heard.
18:38When I started the first season of The Chi, my character was 15, and she's grown so much since then.
18:46But when you're introduced as a 15-year-old on TV, sometimes people see you as just that.
18:52And so it's a work in progress.
18:55But it's definitely a life lesson just speaking up, whether it's, no, I'm not going to say that line.
19:00No, I don't like my makeup today.
19:02Just standing up for yourself.
19:03Perfect.
19:04Quavine, Janae, I think you want to talk, right?
19:06I've been doing this since I was five, and I'm 19 now.
19:12So I definitely have come across puberty being a thing, being that I went from being a cute little black girl to a teenage black girl.
19:24And I also grew very fast.
19:27So that was hard for me to hear any yeses.
19:31Like, no one wanted me.
19:32I was a black young teenager that was, like, 5'6", and I had a chest.
19:38Like, it was all these things that were wrong.
19:41So for about six years, I didn't do anything.
19:45I was just living life.
19:48And that was hard for me.
19:49You mean because you weren't auditioning, or you're saying you weren't auditioning?
19:51No, I was auditioning, but no one wanted me because I was developing, I guess you could say.
19:58Yeah, so they wanted me to be older, or I looked too old for what they wanted me for.
20:04So that definitely was something that I had to learn to love myself in those six years because I started to hate myself.
20:11I started to hate the way I looked.
20:13I started to get really hard on myself.
20:16But thankfully for the show that I did now in blackish, those two saved my life because talking to the directors and the writers, they really believed in me.
20:26And it was a lot of black excellence that I was surrounded by.
20:29So once I had that love and that support, it was all that I needed to get my confidence back.
20:35Well, we've always loved seeing you on stage, so always know that.
20:41Well, I mean, I think everyone on this panel, we would be able to say a lot of black blockades from the makeup artists that don't know how to match your skin color to being told you're too dark.
20:56I've had, my voice is too deep.
20:59Way before dreadlocks were in, I had my dreadlocks when I was on Shameless.
21:05I was one of the first and the only black person on that show.
21:08And for 11 years and now natural hair, I'm happy to say is more normalized.
21:14So I had that.
21:16But I think the biggest thing for me that has come up in my career is making sure that longevity happens.
21:27And that meant not letting anyone tell me I'm only one thing and to hyphenate myself, not just for the sake of being hyphenated, but because I have a voice.
21:38And so realizing that I was able to break a lot of barriers and make sure that the things that I used to see as blocks, I kind of slammed through those doors and made a way for myself.
21:51And a lot of that had to do because of the success of being on a long running show.
21:56You have more freedom because you're paying your mortgage.
22:00So you're able to speak a lot differently.
22:03So I think that for me, that's been the biggest thing.
22:07Nice.
22:08Cassandra, same question.
22:11You know, one of the biggest challenges I think for a lot of us in this industry has been money about really asserting like what you feel like your value is when you come in.
22:23And, you know, the reason why black people make a lot of money in sports is that no one can tell you you didn't put it in a basket.
22:30No one can tell you you didn't make it to that field line.
22:32But in our industry, meritocracy does not really exist like that.
22:36So you can be in this.
22:38I've been doing this for over 20 years.
22:39And there's a reason why you hear Viola Davis and so many people talk about where's the money if I've done this, where is the money?
22:46Right. So money has been a big challenge because what people don't tell you is that they will keep paying you the same rate over and over and then tell you to be happy about it.
22:56I mean, and Vanna White is white.
22:58And Vanna White just came out talking about she ain't had a raise in 18 years.
23:02I'm like, dang.
23:04So money is a big thing.
23:05And actually, my career changed quite a bit when I started to tell people, you know what, I don't even want to do that project.
23:11I'll just sit this one out.
23:13And people were shocked to hear that I would turn down a role.
23:17And I remember a director calling me up and he's like, you know, I'm a big fan of yours.
23:21And I was like, oh, yeah, I'm a big fan of yours.
23:23But my stomach will hurt if I don't get paid what I believe I should get paid.
23:28And what they'll do to black women in Hollywood is pay you the bare minimum.
23:32But my life really changed when I started to just tell people, no, I'd like this number.
23:38Can we get closer to this number?
23:39And then guess what?
23:40People would find the number.
23:42But first, they would try to find someone else to be me.
23:45And when they couldn't find me, then they'd be like, all right, so how much did you say?
23:51So, I mean, I think us as a collective have to start saying no.
23:54And then they'll realize that we're not a population that will take less.
23:59Great advice.
24:00Great advice.
24:02Your turn, Tarzan.
24:07Greg Tarzan Davis, it's your turn.
24:10Oh, you don't have the mic?
24:10Oh, I'm so sorry.
24:14You know, I don't want to sound naive or anything like that, but I don't see obstacles.
24:20I don't see roadblocks because to look at that, and this is how I look at it, to look at that would be, you know, holding me back.
24:30And I say there's always solutions to everything.
24:32So I try to look at it in that way.
24:34And I feel my life is a big manifestation.
24:36And I always say, no, this is going to happen regardless of whether it's getting the money.
24:40Like you say, which are real issues.
24:42I don't sit there and say, hey, this isn't the problem.
24:43This is the problem.
24:44I'm like, well, we're going to get that money.
24:46Like, I used to work at the Essence Festival, and I worked it for years.
24:50And when I quit, I told myself, I will never work Essence again.
24:54I will not come back until I'm invited.
24:56And now I'm invited.
24:57I'm sitting on this panel with these lovely actors and actresses.
25:01And that's just the power of the manifestation as well as, you know, like me seeing myself as this actor on a red carpet, you know, signing autographs, taking pictures.
25:09And now I've been in one blockbuster movie and then the next blockbuster movie.
25:12So this is just the power of, you know, speaking into an existence and understanding that, yeah, it might be bad, but we're not going to look at it as being bad.
25:22We're going to find a solution for everything because there is going to be a solution, and we are here now today.
25:27And it's a blessing.
25:29So, yeah.
25:36Isis?
25:36For me, at the beginning of my career, I will say, a big obstacle was being taken serious, considering I come from reality TV.
25:48And also, I was a model.
25:51Those are two separate things.
25:53And then also, I was coming in as a trans actor.
25:56So, at the beginning, when I first came out, I had three things going against me.
26:00And I think the thing that really shifted it was getting When They See Us with Ava DuVernay.
26:06I keep saying, like, I was working for 10, 11 years, like, with the minimum roles they were giving trans people at the time.
26:15Because usually it's prostitute number one, prostitute number two.
26:20Like, that's all the roles they were really giving trans people pretty much for most of my career.
26:25And then, you know, slowly and surely, like, with Orange is the New Black and Pose, you know, you'll get characters starting to get some meaty roles.
26:34But for me, when I got When They See Us with Ava DuVernay, that was really when it shifted for me.
26:39And then people are like, oh, you're an actor.
26:40I'm like, yeah, I've been an actor for, like, over a decade, you know.
26:44So, I'm just glad I didn't give up because it still is a journey to get these things.
26:50But a lot of times people look at where you come from and let that determine where you're going.
26:57And you have to just keep fighting and saying, like, no, I'm going to, like you said, I'm really big with manifesting.
27:03And this is what I wanted.
27:05Anonymous Essence.
27:06Hey.
27:06Yeah.
27:11Celia.
27:12I think for me personally, it was trusting the universe and my spirit team to have my back when there are things that I thought were right for me that I really, really wanted that ended up passing me by and going to somebody else and realizing that there is no such thing as rejection.
27:32It's always protection, protection from an environment that wasn't prepared for me or an environment that I wasn't prepared for and recognizing the fact that my path isn't going to look like everybody else's path.
27:45I feel like comparison, we all know, comparison is the thief of joy.
27:50But when we walk into these rooms and we're seeing the same five people who look just like you, who've been going in for the same sort of roles, you can't help but wonder, well, why not me?
27:59But that is a destructive and self-harming thought process that only blocks you from your blessings.
28:09And so the obstacle that I'm still working through is reminding myself that my path is mine and only mine and there is no such thing as competition, only community, only love.
28:21Because when one of us wins, we all win.
28:24And so, yeah, when one of us wins, we all win.
28:28And so just reminding myself that the universe has my back.
28:36And as long as I continue to move through this with the proper intention, this being this crazy labyrinth of an industry, as long as I continue to move through it with confidence in myself and gratefulness for the place that I am and gratefulness for the places that I know I'm going to be,
28:51continuing to manifest, continuing to speak life into my dreams, and just knowing that if I can dream it, I can do it.
29:02That's always been the way my brain works.
29:04So just trusting the universe and being kind to myself because people aren't kind to black folks.
29:11Like, nice, maybe, when we're doing something that someone has asked of us, but kindness is scarce.
29:19And so being the force of that within the self is important.
29:24Perfect.
29:26And Isaiah, of course, we want to hear from you.
29:29What obstacles have you faced?
29:31Well, I like to think I've just got started, but in this first two years of becoming an actor, it's been extremely tough because I haven't been working as long as, you know, a lot of the people I've worked with.
29:50And I play Jace Carson, and the thing about Jace Carson, he's his best and his worst critic, you know, and I'm just like Jace.
30:00And I like to think that my life has been just a big manifestation.
30:06People have always underestimated me and thought, like, nah, he ain't going to do that.
30:13He ain't going to do that.
30:13And you know what I do?
30:14You know what I've done since I was little?
30:15I've turned the camera on, and I've watched myself, and I've gone back every time and tried to impress myself.
30:23And that's been one of the biggest things because in getting here, I realized that my conversation has changed.
30:31And I've had to really watch my conversation, and I don't want my words to contradict what I'm doing.
30:40You know what I'm saying?
30:40You have to really watch as people, you know, we're all blessed, but that social media, these comparisons, you know, everybody putting their life out there, and you've got to watch how you talk to yourself.
30:54And that's been one of the biggest things for me, just watching how I talk to myself and impressing myself because that's where I come from.
31:03I love asking this question because all of your answers can be applied to your, you know, your work, but it also applies just in life in general, right?
31:17So it's great advice for anyone in the audience, everything that all 11 of you have said.
31:22Thank you so much.
31:24And so I do want to stay with you, Isaiah, since you have been, you said you've been working only about two years.
31:29What are you planning on doing to sustain your career?
31:33Same thing.
31:35I mean, right now, I've been open to all these, you know, beautiful people, some of the most inspiring, amazing people on the planet.
31:47Two of them are in the crowd.
31:49Reggie Rock and Gina Bythewood are in the building.
31:52Like, you know, those are 24-hour people.
31:58You know, that's one of our mission statements on our show, to be a 24-hour person, someone that you can rely on 24 hours of the day.
32:06And, you know, having them, people like Mack Wiles, O'Shea Jackson, like O'Shea Jackson Jr., convention A. Wallace next to me, these are all 24-hour people that I plan to just grow with in the game and elevate my craft.
32:23And just impress myself, you know, got to go back.
32:29Shinola, pass the mic to Shinola.
32:32Well, one of the things that I touched on is, I think it's, I don't want to sustain.
32:36I want to continue to evolve, and I want to continue to grow, and I want the longevity to mean something.
32:43One of the biggest things that I am doing is finding projects with purpose, which is why I chose to do Found, which will be on NBC in the fall, because it is a show that is relevant,
32:58and it is a show that is going to do something, not just to entertain, but also to hopefully touch and change and bridge a gap that is in the world.
33:09We find missing people who are underserved and who do not get the media attention.
33:14I have a wonderful showrunner.
33:15Actually, Daniel and I share her.
33:18And Kaji Carol, who has put her whole heart and soul.
33:22So one of the things that I want to do is really choose projects with purpose.
33:26And the other thing is, I know that I have a voice.
33:30I know I'm a really good director.
33:32I know I can put my thumbprint on that.
33:34So if any of this fades, I just do behind the camera the whole time, and producing, which I am fortunate to do on Found as well.
33:44All of those things will help me to evolve and to continue as I age to grow and sustain in this business.
33:55Perfect.
33:55I'm going to rephrase the question.
33:58What are you going to do to sustain your career without talking about any shows that you're on now or want to be on later?
34:07I'm rephrasing that question, starting with Burgundy.
34:08I plan to sustain my career by creating, creating my own work, writing, choreographing, recording in the studio.
34:20I plan to be particular about the roles that I take.
34:24And I plan to give back.
34:27I think when you have the spotlight on you, that is a part of your purpose is to give back, and it always comes back to you.
34:33And it's just a cycle, back and forth, back and forth.
34:36So I plan to create, be particular about my role, and give back.
34:40Okay.
34:41Okay.
34:42Celia, what about you?
34:46I plan.
34:49Plans are funny, because I think if we've learned anything these past couple years, that plans are wonderful if the universe is also on that plan.
34:58Because I think what I would love to do in order to aid me in sustaining my career is just, without sounding naive, it's maintaining happiness.
35:12I feel like this industry, if you let it, it can drain you, and it can take the most precious parts of you and turn them into something you can monetize.
35:23And I think the kindest thing I can do to myself is try and maintain a sense of peace and joy, and that is done by being particular about what I sign up for, making sure I know everyone in the room who is charged and tasked with taking care of my characters, because I'm very protective of the people I have an opportunity to step into.
35:48And so sustaining to me and growing to me looks like making sure that my vessel and my person and my spirit and my mind are all on the right track, so that I can show up as the best version of myself, so I can continue to grow.
36:06Great.
36:07Passing on.
36:10Rest is real.
36:12Okay.
36:12So first, you need a lot of rest.
36:14So that's where I'm going to sustain myself.
36:16The second is, I hate to be the one who keeps talking about money, but also to invest in assets that shall work and grow in my favor, even when I do not want to go to set.
36:27The third thing is my company, Creatricity, which I hope is my actual legacy, which is about connecting us so we can do what we want at a faster rate.
36:37And finally, the other thing that I'm really excited about is that I'm producing things in the unscripted world that's really about expanding who we are and letting our generation of BIPOC people see us in spaces that they say that we are not in, but we are dominating in, whether that's in countries or in professions.
36:58I plan to sustain by continuing to be curious, continuing to grow.
37:09I think there's this idea sometimes when you get into Hollywood that it's like, what can I do now to be relevant?
37:16And what I have found is the more I learn and continue to get better, like I'm still in class.
37:24I've been acting since I was six, Broadway, TV, film.
37:28I'm still in acting class because I love to get better.
37:32I love to work.
37:33I love to improve.
37:35And the better I get and the more I know about myself and what I want, the more I attract it to myself.
37:40You know, the more I'm around stories, the more I want to get involved in now I want to direct.
37:46You know, I've been shadowing directors.
37:48I ask the question and then they let me come to set.
37:52I shadowed on my own show.
37:54You know, so that curiosity that I have leads me in new directions and it allows me to have new opportunities and it allows me to not only sustain but to grow.
38:05My first ever job, I was the lead of the film and I didn't think I'd ever work again.
38:15And so I asked the co-star, do you think like some company would let me be a receptionist?
38:20Like I really thought it was kind of over.
38:22Like I thought it would just be that.
38:24And I'm very glad that that's not what happened, though being a receptionist was a really great job.
38:28I did once.
38:29I was actually a receptionist for a phone sex company.
38:32I'll get to that.
38:33So let me explain.
38:36That's what I did before I was an actor.
38:39And being an actor gave me the opportunity to write a book.
38:43And writing a book gave me the opportunity to then take one of the chapters of my book and create a television show about it.
38:52And so it's really important to make your own work, especially we can all tell stories for days about auditions that we went on that were terrible
39:00or auditions that we were perfect for, but it made us feel small.
39:03You know, that's because someone else is in charge.
39:06When we can be in charge, and there are lots and lots of ways of telling a story, scripted, unscripted, written, short films, directing, producing.
39:15There are lots of ways to tell stories.
39:17And so you can do more than just audition for the story to tell.
39:21You can create it on your own way.
39:23And so that is what I'm doing.
39:24That is what I will continue to do.
39:26And also, I became a director.
39:28I've directed two episodes of television so far.
39:31I directed two episodes of Empire, which was easy because I'm...
39:35They had to.
39:36I worked there.
39:37But I did really love it, and it opened up a new channel of creating my own work for myself.
39:44And so I always tell other people who are acting, I go, oh, so what else do you want to do, though?
39:49Like, what else?
39:50What else?
39:50Because you can look around.
39:51You can do anything else on a set.
39:53And so that's how I intend on keeping my career going, moving into other genres of storytelling.
40:01That's amazing.
40:03Daniel.
40:03Daniel.
40:04Just by keeping it about the work, it's very easy to be distracted in our line of work.
40:10You know, the parties and money and fame and all that stuff.
40:15And so, and although all that stuff has its place and can be fun, I don't get any more joy than being on a set, working through a scene.
40:23And so my goal is to keep that as unchanged as possible.
40:28Wonderful.
40:28Yeah.
40:29Wonderful.
40:31Provangene.
40:33Sustaining.
40:35Oh, gosh.
40:36Let's see.
40:38I live by three principles.
40:41Be great at your job.
40:43Always be on time.
40:46And communicate.
40:47So those are the three principles that I live by, and I make sure to have that within my team.
40:51Make sure that we always communicate.
40:52Make sure that we're always on time with something to just be the best person and work as hard as you can at what you do.
40:57I also received some great advice with the actor I'm working with right now, and he said, make sure that you select good movies, not just good roles.
41:08When you read a script, make sure that it's a great script that you're really willing to tell, that you want to tell, and give your all to it.
41:14So that's just making great decisions when it comes down to selecting my next project and not picking it for the money.
41:20The money is going to come as a byproduct of doing the great work.
41:24So never, never, never do anything for money.
41:26If that's the case, then you can go do anything.
41:28You know, there's other jobs, there's, somebody said something I can't say, but there's other jobs where you can make a lot of money in.
41:36But another thing that I feel that's going to sustain me is I understand that this is bigger than me.
41:42All this, like the fame, like you said, this fame and stuff, the money, the clothes and all that stuff.
41:47This really doesn't matter, but just showing that you can accomplish something and make it like this is what I want, and this is what I'm going to achieve.
41:55I have my students that I used to teach, and it feels good to have these movies come out every summer and put a premiere on in my city of New Orleans
42:03and say, hey, y'all come on and see Mr. Davis on the big screen and see that I said I was going to do it, and I'm going to do it.
42:09And I have these goals, and I'm going to win all of these different awards and stuff like that.
42:13But it's not just to say I'm the greatest, although I want to be the greatest, you know what I mean?
42:16But it's also to say, like, yo, I did it, I'm here, and anybody else can do it.
42:20So if anybody, you know, I'm from New Orleans, and there's a lot of things that we in New Orleans aren't, we don't have access to.
42:29We have a certain type of mindset, and we're stuck in this location.
42:32And I'm always preaching, like, yo, it's possible because I come from where you come from.
42:36I look like how you look.
42:37I speak how you speak.
42:38And look at where I've come in such a short time.
42:42And God willing, I'll have a long career that spans 90, 50, 100, however many years.
42:49Yeah.
42:50Great.
42:51Isis?
42:52I want to kind of piggyback off of that.
42:58I have this moment right now.
43:00Black trans women have the life expectancy of about 35 years old.
43:04So for me, I want to be of service to my community.
43:08You know, a lot of times people don't know someone who's trans, so why not do a role that's going to help elevate and uplift my community?
43:18Because if you've never met someone who's trans before, maybe you'll think about this character who's positive, who has a career, who has love, who's supported, who's a normal, well-rounded person.
43:30That's what we need to see more of.
43:31You know, so I want to be more of service to my community.
43:35And I always think about it for so many years now.
43:38How can this positively impact my community?
43:42And hopefully people out there watching might see that we are also people who deserve to be protected and loved and especially to be here with all of you.
43:52I hope that you guys hear that message because it's a lot going on in this world right now and it's a lot going on, this happening, this impact in a queer community.
44:02And we are you, you know, and we're all in this together.
44:04So, you know, yeah, that's my mission.
44:07What's gotten me this far is my support system and making sure I focus on my mental health.
44:22That's a really big thing for me.
44:26I have anxiety, you know, all the stuff.
44:29So it's very important to make sure that you keep people around you who actually have the best interest and heart for you, like that actually care if you need a break, that actually care if you need to sit down and get some water and get some food.
44:41Like, make sure you're taking care of not only your body, but your mind, your soul.
44:47And growing up, I've been spending a lot of time with myself.
44:53So that's just really important to me and also to stay grounded and humble and know where I came from.
45:00Like, I'm from New Orleans.
45:02Like, I'm not Hollywood.
45:04Like, my friends are always like, hey, Hollywood.
45:07And I'm like, none of that, please.
45:08Like, I am still me at the end of the day.
45:12And that's something I've spent a long time working on to get to where I'm at now.
45:17That's perfect.
45:18Thank you for that.
45:20And that is the perfect place to end with our New Orleans girl.
45:23Give everybody a round of applause for spending time with us today.
45:28We're going to take one group photo and then we're going to watch horror shorts.
45:33So thank you all.
45:35Yes.
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