Paula Patton

[crow_watcher]

She's a ballerina for sure!

 

[scriptgirl]

allurbanhoopla.com

Her inside pic in Essence along with a quote from the article

Paula Patton on changing the industry: If I can open the door for more Black actors and actresses to make this film industry a little bit more color-blind, that's really my goal in this business. I want people to learn from one another, have more compassion for one another, and tell human stories with actors of all ethnicities - not the homogeneous way it is right now.

 

[crow_watcher]

^ How classy of her to think that way.

 

[scriptgirl]

Paula's complete Essence Interview
aula Patton: Shining Star
The ingénue talks about her four upcoming films and
By Regina R. Robertson
Essence.com:You have four films coming up – This Wednesday, Push, Mirrors and Swing Vote, right?
Paula Patton: Well, This Wednesday is yet to be shot – it's in the process of development. But those three movies you mentioned, besides This Wednesday, are movies that I've been working on. I don't know which one will come first, to be honest with you.

Essence.com:You worked with Lee Daniels on Push. Tell me about who you're playing.
P.P.: Ah, it was incredible. Lee Daniels is truly a brilliant director who thinks outside of the box and challenges you at every turn. I play a character named Ms. Rain – you remember, Precious Jones is the lead, the protagonist in the film – and I play the teacher that pushes her to a better life. It was difficult, it was really difficult, and I had to challenge myself every day to be the best I could be.

Essence.com: What was your first Hollywood job?
P.P.: My first Hollywood job was a small role in Hitch. I played a girl at the bar – when Will Smith is talking to Michael Rappaport's character about how to get women. He says, “I see you looking at those girls over there,” and Will Smith comes over to me with a $20 bill and I say, "Excuse me, I don't work here..."

Essence.com:It seems like you're taking your time with your roles. What are you basing your choices on?
P.P.: I base them on a couple of things. One is if I love the script. Two, I ask is the character complex and three-dimensional and will it challenge me as an actress. Third would be the director and also, the other actors in the film, and hopefully surrounding yourself with people who will make you better.

Essence.com:I read that you lived across the street from Fox, is that true?
P.P.: That is true, but not across the street. I lived within walking distance of Fox Studios. I had dreams of walking on the lot and being able to work there. I also thought about sneaking on the lot and then being discovered, but I never had the balls to do it. [laughs]

Essence.com:How did you make it to Hitch? Tell me about your journey to becoming an actress.
P.P.: It was an interesting journey. I knew I wanted to be an actress since I was a little girl. I did all of the school plays and I went to a performing arts high school and then…the year before my senior year in high school, I went to USC Film School and made three short films – directed them and wrote them – and I thought, “I really want to be a filmmaker.” I thought I was going to be a filmmaker. I was supposed to go to Berkeley in the fall, but I delayed my enrollment to do a filmmaking. I went straight to Berkeley the next semester, then transferred to USC Film when I graduated. And by this point, I had become kind of introverted and definitely not wanting to be an actress, I wanted to be a filmmaker. I did all the kind of jobs that you do when you graduate from film school – PA work, assistant work – and then, I was a PA on this show called “Medical Diaries” for the Discovery Health Channel. I had a really great boss there that let me work my way up and I was able to produce segments for them and all.

Essence.com: So how did you get to the point where acting became your love?
P.P.: When the show ended, I found myself kind of confused and a bit lost because I didn't love it – I liked it. I liked filmmaking. I decided to take off a year to write and to think about what I was doing and during that year, I did really nothing. [laughs] I watched a lot of daytime television, I went out a lot – I did not do anything. I was very lazy and I remember trying to write and I said, “Something's wrong with you! I thought maybe I didn't have that passion anymore. And I asked myself, truly, “What did you want to do when you were a little girl?” and it was ‘act.'

So, I figured, what do I have to lose? Nothing. I'm not doing anything anyways, so I started taking acting lessons and from the moment I started taking acting lessons, I knew that's what I wanted to do. I studied for about a year and then my husband, Robin [Thicke], was managed by Miguel Melendez at Overbrook Entertainment, which is Will Smith and James Lassiter's company, and they took me on, to manage me. Somehow, they just believed in my personality, and they sent me on auditions.

I went on auditions for about a year – I got callbacks, but I never got a role. And then I auditioned for Hitch a couple of times and I got it. That was my first entrée into the business. And then, after I did Hitch, I had an audition for Idlewild and I didn't think I had a chance in hell to get that role, so I figured, “Let me just go in and have a good time. I went in and the director Bryan Barber liked me. It was a long process to get HBO, who was financing the project, to agree to me, but they finally did. And that was really the beginning for me.

Essence.com: And then you ended up withDenzel!
P.P.: Wow. I couldn't have been more blessed, it was incredible. I went out and auditioned for Déjà Vu. Again, it was a long, arduous process, but eventually I got it and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

To work with Denzel…he's a genius, one the best actors of our time and perhaps, of all time. What I learned from him you can't get in school. To watch him just changed me as an actress and I keep aspiring to be like him every day.

Essence.com:Having said that, how do you hope your story will unfold?
P.P.: You know, I try to just live each day in the moment. I hope that I can continue to challenge myself and push myself to do great work and work with great people. But also, if I can help the door to be open for more Black actors and Black actresses – not only with my presence – but to do the work to make that happen and to make this film industry a little bit more colorblind. And by that I don't mean to not acknowledge what is special about us, but that we are all human beings and we're trying to tell stories, using all different sorts of ethnicities. That's really my goal in this business.

Essence.com:I know this is Hollywood, but we are going to print everyone's age…I think you're 32, right?
P.P.: Yeah, and proud of it. There are absolutely no lies for me. I can't live with the lies. [laughs] You know what? I lived my 20s and I'm happy to have all of that knowledge inside of me now and I really am proud to be 32.

 

[crow_watcher]

^Not only beautiful outside, it appears she has inner beauty - thats more important for a person to have. Love to read more about her.

 

[scriptgirl]

Paula @ First Annual Essence Black Women In Hollywood Luncheon

Getty

 

[crow_watcher]

^She looks like an old fashion dress up doll. She's so cute in poka dots!

 

[christina126]

She looks cute. Is it true she recently had a baby? If so damn she looks good!

 

[scriptgirl]

Paula has not had a baby and she is not pregnant
More from the luncheon

Getty

 

[crow_watcher]

^The first word that comes to mind is: buttercup

 

[MicheleIman]

She looked amazing in that dress!

 

[scriptgirl]

art and commerce

 

[crow_watcher]

^I love the dress but I think she's wearing the wrong style of shoes with it.

 

[Aby]

Paula's complete Essence Interview
Paula Patton: Shining Star
The ingénue talks about her four upcoming films and
By Regina R. Robertson

Essence.com:You worked with Lee Daniels on Push. Tell me about who you're playing.

P.P.: Ah, it was incredible. Lee Daniels is truly a brilliant director who thinks outside of the box and challenges you at every turn. I play a character named Ms. Rain – you remember, Precious Jones is the lead, the protagonist in the film – and I play the teacher that pushes her to a better life. It was difficult, it was really difficult, and I had to challenge myself every day to be the best I could be.

I can't wait to see the result!! I read the book ages ago and was really impressed by it.

Thanks for the posts Scriptgirl.

 

[scriptgirl]

art and commerce

 

[crow_watcher]

^If she flaps her arms she might be able to fly.

 

[Aby]

^
And yet she still looks cute!

 

[MicheleIman]

That's all that matters!

 

[scriptgirl]

essence

 

[crow_watcher]

^From "bombshells to legends" Paula has all of my attention!