scriptgirl
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Credit NY Times Style Magazine-it's actually going to be a new publication called TStyle!
April 15 2007
Late Bloomer
By LYNN HIRSCHBERG
Published: April 15, 2007
Although you starred opposite Denzel Washington in “Déjà Vu,” you did not begin your career as an actress.
I got my first big acting job when I was 28! I always wanted to be an actress — I was in all the school plays at my high school in Los Angeles — but I was shy, and acting did not seem like a solid profession.
So, I decided to become a filmmaker instead. When I graduated from high school, I was chosen to be part of this PBS documentary program called “The Ride.” It was four young aspiring directors, and we traveled around the country filming portraits of young Americans.
But even then, I still wanted to do film. I ended up at USC film school.
Did you ever act in any of your colleagues’ films? you ever act in any of your colleagues’ films?
No, I was very serious at that time of my life. I was painfully shy — no keggers or parties for me. Later in life, I decided to pursue the keggers. In college, I was a little old. Very serious.
There was another thing that kept me from acting — I had terrible skin all through college. I kept my hair in my face. I wouldn’t take a photo, and I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. Finally, my mom took me to a dermatologist. My skin condition must have been psychological — by the time I graduated, my face had cleared up.
After graduation, you worked as a producer on the television show “Medical Diaries.”
We did segments on heartbreaking stories — a man who had cancer of the cheek, a person who was going blind and so on. The two years that I worked on that show taught me that health is important, life is short and it was time to do what I loved, which is act. Of course, it wasn’t that simple: after “Medical Diaries” was canceled, I spent a year not doing anything at all. That was my kegger moment. I finally had to admit to myself that I was undisciplined and lazy. After that epiphany, I started taking acting lessons, and after a year of intensive studying, I began to audition.
You had success almost immediately — you were chosen as the female lead in “Idlewild,” the musical co-created by the hip-hop duo OutKast. Do you have any audition techniques?
For auditions, I will always dress the part — it helps me to get into character. For “Idlewild,” my thing was a little bit of sexy, but classy. Most actors are short and I’m tall, so I’m always looking for flat shoes that are cute. I don’t want to look like an amazon next to the guy. And keep me away from pasta — I can blow up. André Benjamin [of OutKast] has a smaller waist than I do!
For the first “Idlewild” audition, I wore a diva-ish red dress, and the director, Bryan Barber, asked me to come back the next day in full costume. So I called Western Costume and found a beautiful gold silk ’30s gown with fur trim. The next day, around 2 p.m., I arrived at the Chateau Marmont for the scheduled appointment. People in the lobby stared at me — they must have thought I was a prostitute.
Did the costume help to define the character?
Oh, yes — I put on that gown, and I started to have her affectations. Instantly, I was the center of attention! I thought, Why did I deny this feeling for all these years?
Your part in “Déjà Vu” was not initially written for a woman of color.
No. I’ve found that many of the big movies do not make race an issue in their casting. Hollywood knows that you can’t do all these white films anymore — diversity is more interesting. Frankly, people initially seemed to be more worried about my age than the color of my skin. In this business, there are just too many boundaries and boxes. You have to not listen — that’s the only way to achieve what others view as impossible.
After “Déjà Vu,” you’ve turned a lot of roles down.
I’m trying to be particular, but it’s hard. Acting is an addiction: my regular life is kind of dull. I have a great husband [the singer Robin Thicke], but I thrive when I’m working. To enter a different environment, time, person is thrilling. When I’m acting, I’m on top of the world: you’re completely living this thing. When I’m not working, I get scared. Acting is my escape: I can’t wait to get back and lose myself.
April 15 2007
Late Bloomer
By LYNN HIRSCHBERG
Published: April 15, 2007
Although you starred opposite Denzel Washington in “Déjà Vu,” you did not begin your career as an actress.
I got my first big acting job when I was 28! I always wanted to be an actress — I was in all the school plays at my high school in Los Angeles — but I was shy, and acting did not seem like a solid profession.
So, I decided to become a filmmaker instead. When I graduated from high school, I was chosen to be part of this PBS documentary program called “The Ride.” It was four young aspiring directors, and we traveled around the country filming portraits of young Americans.
But even then, I still wanted to do film. I ended up at USC film school.
Did you ever act in any of your colleagues’ films? you ever act in any of your colleagues’ films?
No, I was very serious at that time of my life. I was painfully shy — no keggers or parties for me. Later in life, I decided to pursue the keggers. In college, I was a little old. Very serious.
There was another thing that kept me from acting — I had terrible skin all through college. I kept my hair in my face. I wouldn’t take a photo, and I couldn’t look anyone in the eye. Finally, my mom took me to a dermatologist. My skin condition must have been psychological — by the time I graduated, my face had cleared up.
After graduation, you worked as a producer on the television show “Medical Diaries.”
We did segments on heartbreaking stories — a man who had cancer of the cheek, a person who was going blind and so on. The two years that I worked on that show taught me that health is important, life is short and it was time to do what I loved, which is act. Of course, it wasn’t that simple: after “Medical Diaries” was canceled, I spent a year not doing anything at all. That was my kegger moment. I finally had to admit to myself that I was undisciplined and lazy. After that epiphany, I started taking acting lessons, and after a year of intensive studying, I began to audition.
You had success almost immediately — you were chosen as the female lead in “Idlewild,” the musical co-created by the hip-hop duo OutKast. Do you have any audition techniques?
For auditions, I will always dress the part — it helps me to get into character. For “Idlewild,” my thing was a little bit of sexy, but classy. Most actors are short and I’m tall, so I’m always looking for flat shoes that are cute. I don’t want to look like an amazon next to the guy. And keep me away from pasta — I can blow up. André Benjamin [of OutKast] has a smaller waist than I do!
For the first “Idlewild” audition, I wore a diva-ish red dress, and the director, Bryan Barber, asked me to come back the next day in full costume. So I called Western Costume and found a beautiful gold silk ’30s gown with fur trim. The next day, around 2 p.m., I arrived at the Chateau Marmont for the scheduled appointment. People in the lobby stared at me — they must have thought I was a prostitute.
Did the costume help to define the character?
Oh, yes — I put on that gown, and I started to have her affectations. Instantly, I was the center of attention! I thought, Why did I deny this feeling for all these years?
Your part in “Déjà Vu” was not initially written for a woman of color.
No. I’ve found that many of the big movies do not make race an issue in their casting. Hollywood knows that you can’t do all these white films anymore — diversity is more interesting. Frankly, people initially seemed to be more worried about my age than the color of my skin. In this business, there are just too many boundaries and boxes. You have to not listen — that’s the only way to achieve what others view as impossible.
After “Déjà Vu,” you’ve turned a lot of roles down.
I’m trying to be particular, but it’s hard. Acting is an addiction: my regular life is kind of dull. I have a great husband [the singer Robin Thicke], but I thrive when I’m working. To enter a different environment, time, person is thrilling. When I’m acting, I’m on top of the world: you’re completely living this thing. When I’m not working, I get scared. Acting is my escape: I can’t wait to get back and lose myself.
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