Latest / The Steve Harvey Morning Show / Lynn Whitfield Full Interview

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Lynn Whitfield Full Interview · The Steve Harvey Morning Show

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  Speaker 1: But next guest is the third generation Bachelor of Fine
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  Speaker 1: Arts graduate of Washington d c. S Howard University. You
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  Speaker 1: know the resume, said the bodio said, Washington DC's Howard Universe.
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  Speaker 1: You don't need to put Washington d C's in front
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  Speaker 1: of Howard University. You just say Howard University and we
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  Speaker 1: all know what you're talking about. And she's a member
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  Speaker 1: of the legendary Afa Kafa Alpha sorority you're talking to,
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  Speaker 1: and you're listening to a member of the Make a
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  Speaker 1: Side five fraternity Incorporated. She became only the second black
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  Speaker 1: actress to win the prime time I mean it's outstanding
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  Speaker 1: Lee actress in the miniseries are especial at the time
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  Speaker 1: for the Josephine Baker story. That's when she just just
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  Speaker 1: was on the face of everybody's mind as an incredible actress.
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  Speaker 1: I believe that age range she had the act was
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  Speaker 1: from eighteen to seventy in that in that particular casting,
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  Speaker 1: she was truly outstanding. She has worked steadily in film
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  Speaker 1: and television since her arrival in Hollywood, and she's on
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  Speaker 1: the show today that discussed the fourth season on owned
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  Speaker 1: hit drama series Green Lee. You can watch the show
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  Speaker 1: every Wednesday at ten p m. Eastern and Pacific time,
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  Speaker 1: nine pm Central Time on the own Network. That's Oprah's Network,
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  Speaker 1: but cheaper, cheaper trays. Lady Maid Greeley, the first Lady
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  Speaker 1: of the Megachurch Calvary Fellowship World Ministries. Please welcome to
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  Speaker 1: Money Making Conversations Lynn with Phil Oh, Good morning, beautiful introduction. Well,
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  Speaker 1: thank you. You know something I I worked on it
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  Speaker 1: this morning. I was saying, because because you don't want
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  Speaker 1: to give too much, because it's just because I missed
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  Speaker 1: the stuff. So I wanted to be general in certain
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  Speaker 1: areas just but also let people know the power of
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  Speaker 1: your success, the power of your journey. And Josephine Baker,
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  Speaker 1: you know, put you out there as a as an
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  Speaker 1: as a true actress. From my standpoint, this is just
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  Speaker 1: Roshan saying this because of the fact you, as I say,
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  Speaker 1: play such a huge age range in that in that
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  Speaker 1: in that casting and now today when I see you
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  Speaker 1: on on the Green Leaf and we're got to talk
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  Speaker 1: about that, it shows that your body of work just
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  Speaker 1: continues to grow. Can we talk about that a little
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  Speaker 1: bit before we really get into the interview about your
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  Speaker 1: body of work? Well, I just called myself a storyteller,
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  Speaker 1: and I enjoy it so much. I have such a
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  Speaker 1: passion for it. And uh, you know, often, you know,
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  Speaker 1: people will talk about color blind casting and all of that,
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  Speaker 1: and anybody can play any role, and that's true, but
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  Speaker 1: anybody can't play a black woman. So you know, we
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  Speaker 1: can go, yeah, we can go and do it. Of
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  Speaker 1: course I'm biased, you know, But the thing is is
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  Speaker 1: that it brings me such joy, and it's such an
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  Speaker 1: honor for me to be a mirror to the souls
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  Speaker 1: and to the just beings of of of black women,
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  Speaker 1: you know. So with Josephine Baker, it was I mean
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  Speaker 1: they screen tested and looked at everyone, and it was
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  Speaker 1: so exciting to me that I got that, you know,
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  Speaker 1: to be a black woman in every frame of a film,
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  Speaker 1: like carrying the movie, you know, that was just so exciting.
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  Speaker 1: And and to carry a movie with the story of
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  Speaker 1: such a trailblazer, such an icon, such a full human
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  Speaker 1: being who made her mistakes, made her financial mistakes, which
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure if she could talk to you today or Sean,
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  Speaker 1: she would have done something completely different. But but so
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  Speaker 1: that and you know, on through the you know, the
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  Speaker 1: women of Ruth Place and thin line between love and hate,
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  Speaker 1: talking about you know the importance of human beings, hearts
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  Speaker 1: and love all and you know what happens when you
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  Speaker 1: filter that in the wrong way and it turns your
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  Speaker 1: heart dark and hard. You know that was exciting and
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  Speaker 1: now today with so many things in between, you know,
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  Speaker 1: to bring this, uh, lady maid make to life. You
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  Speaker 1: know that we in the black community, we know her.
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  Speaker 1: She hasn't had much time on television before. This kind
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  Speaker 1: of woman, Lady May. Let's talk about this sound. You
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  Speaker 1: know this uh, this setup that they have over here.
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  Speaker 1: You got Bob coming in with his church. Basically he's
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  Speaker 1: taken over believe it, bow Bridges played by both and
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  Speaker 1: then you couldn't have cast a better man than bow Bridges.
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  Speaker 1: White beings into this and introduced his culture into the
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  Speaker 1: African Americas. Basically, what he's doing is he wants to
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  Speaker 1: envision the ministry is like McDonald's. He wants by different
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  Speaker 1: churches around the country. So you go on this website
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  Speaker 1: and go if your Dallas, just go to you know
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  Speaker 1: his church there. If you go to New York, go
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  Speaker 1: to his church there. That's how his philosophy, it's called
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  Speaker 1: the saving of Souls as a franchise. Yes, you know,
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  Speaker 1: and and and and I think it's an important storyline
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  Speaker 1: because it's happening. I mean, it's happening all over the country.
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  Speaker 1: It's happening all over the world. You know, people with
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  Speaker 1: you know, five six campuses and all of that. And
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  Speaker 1: so the thing is is, you know, I'm all for
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  Speaker 1: you know, all the numbers. But you know when we
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  Speaker 1: when one loses the purpose of helping people find their
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  Speaker 1: pathway to God, that that's a problem. You know, let's
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  Speaker 1: go back on you not a little bit now, Okay, Now, okay, Grace, Now, okay, Grace,
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  Speaker 1: he's out there doing something before. You know when when
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  Speaker 1: we say that character was all straight. Now okay, now
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  Speaker 1: you know we shut out there and uh had a
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  Speaker 1: little fair you say, one time only. But the boy,
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  Speaker 1: the beautiful Grace who is now at the front of
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  Speaker 1: the church and it's the only person that can save
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  Speaker 1: the church. But she has her own issues with just
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  Speaker 1: saw name a Jack. Okay, yes, this show got to
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  Speaker 1: deal with her other crazy sister, Charity, you know what
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  Speaker 1: I'm saying, and her brother Jacob, who's a loser too.
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  Speaker 1: But everybody's sitting around the table and sitting around the
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  Speaker 1: table because her husband, her husband, they live in the
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  Speaker 1: same house, and he mad, no more, that's the funny part.
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  Speaker 1: But don't tell your something. I'm you watched this show here.
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  Speaker 1: I couldn't wait. I turned, I couldn't wait on this show.
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  Speaker 1: I could not wait to talk about this show. We
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  Speaker 1: I mean, and then the boy feel Phil he is
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  Speaker 1: the character's gonna hate on the show because he's the
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  Speaker 1: lackey God, isn't it. I mean that Bob Whitmore, you know,
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  Speaker 1: so condescending to this black man. It is embarrassing. But
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  Speaker 1: you know, it's driving home a point because you know,
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  Speaker 1: I saw doing you know, some campaign there. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: you know, when you have a president talking about uh,
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  Speaker 1: you know, and and there's my African Americans. Yes, you
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  Speaker 1: know it, it makes it completely believable, right, And I'm
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  Speaker 1: not mad at him because he has a mission. He
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  Speaker 1: has a mission. He will grace his job. And that's
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  Speaker 1: why when I look at this, the church is kind
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  Speaker 1: of litera different than IBM, is no different than a
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  Speaker 1: corporate business or non corporate business or small business. Is
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  Speaker 1: about people, opportunity, people trying to take advantage of opportunities
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  Speaker 1: and using whatever skills said that's available to them to
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  Speaker 1: do it. Now we're talking about the upcoming season. It
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  Speaker 1: started Labor Day weekend. I believe the fourth season of
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  Speaker 1: Green Leaf. I'm talking to the amazing, incredible Lindwidville about
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  Speaker 1: her character Lady May. Now we're gonna we gotta go
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  Speaker 1: to break here. I want to come back and we
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  Speaker 1: won't get more details because see, I finally got Lady
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  Speaker 1: May on the phone and we're gonna talk about this
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  Speaker 1: show because I watched this show and Charity is crazy.
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  Speaker 1: She's really crazy. But we're gonna learn why I'm saying
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  Speaker 1: she's crazy because I'm gonna hear from the show's mama.
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  Speaker 1: I want making conversations to be right back. Hi, this
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  Speaker 1: Rashan McDonald. You're listening to money making conversations. Having a
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  Speaker 1: great interview with the incredible actress Lynn win Phil. She
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  Speaker 1: stars as the character Lady May on the Megachurch drama
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  Speaker 1: that's only the Own Network that you can see every
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  Speaker 1: Wednesday on the Own Network, which is the Oprah Network. Uh.
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  Speaker 1: Landing back on the show, let's talk about Let's talk
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  Speaker 1: about your character, because you were telling me about it,
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  Speaker 1: but I had to dive in on your little bit
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  Speaker 1: and bring up that little at, a little at a
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  Speaker 1: little moment that you had when you had a little affair.
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  Speaker 1: But and the board the lead character at the church, Grace,
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  Speaker 1: But Grace got some issues because let's talk about your development,
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  Speaker 1: and let's span to all the other characters, from Jacobs
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  Speaker 1: to your former husband. He's trying to reconcile. But that's
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  Speaker 1: another storyline, all these things going on to both Bridges.
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  Speaker 1: Whose character, Bob is trying to macdonaldize religion in America. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: you have the Florid Lynn, Well, you know, the whole family,
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  Speaker 1: including Sophia and Zora, Jacob, uh Grace, Charity. Everybody is
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  Speaker 1: character driven. Everybody is trying to get something that they want,
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  Speaker 1: which is rare. It's usually you know, one or two
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  Speaker 1: characters that but this entire family is extremely ambitious and
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  Speaker 1: extremely passionate. So lady May having become an incredible first
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  Speaker 1: lady of a church, supporting the church, supporting her husband,
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  Speaker 1: controlling all of her children, building this beautiful home that
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  Speaker 1: they have, you know, creating this whole environment of like
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  Speaker 1: a that should be like a paradise. So she's done
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  Speaker 1: all that, but she wakes up and realizes when the
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  Speaker 1: Bishop gave her divorce papers last season, and she went
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  Speaker 1: to a lawyer and the lawyer said, well, Lady May,
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  Speaker 1: you know, when the divorce is final, you are out
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  Speaker 1: of the church. So she realized, as so many women
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  Speaker 1: who are maturing and who spent their lives supporting, you know,
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  Speaker 1: things that they thought were important, she realizes that she
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  Speaker 1: has not stepped into her own purpose, her very own
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  Speaker 1: purpose that she went to um, you know, study the
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  Speaker 1: Bible and to be a preacher herself, a theologian herself,
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  Speaker 1: and so all of that comes back to her and
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  Speaker 1: she is now, you know, first of all, wanting to
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  Speaker 1: save the church, but and get it back from Bob
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  Speaker 1: Whitmore first and foremost. But in her deepest heart of heart,
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  Speaker 1: she really feels that she can make a difference as
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  Speaker 1: a spiritual leader on her own. And so she's there.
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  Speaker 1: She's so that's going on with Lady May, and then
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  Speaker 1: she is trying to decide whether she wants to go
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  Speaker 1: back into the whole world of whifery a wife with
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  Speaker 1: huh to to to Bishop and she wants him to
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  Speaker 1: earn her love. She said, you know, when she said, uh,
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  Speaker 1: you know, I want you to sweep me off my
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  Speaker 1: painting ways I can't even imagine. But like you told him,
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  Speaker 1: remember I am a woman now that has done everything,
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  Speaker 1: and it has everything. Yes, I've seen every is not
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  Speaker 1: my third time at the picture. Said let's put let's
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  Speaker 1: puts a man in perspective. No, you just can't walking
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  Speaker 1: there with a dozen roses, really, walking there with a
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  Speaker 1: big house, really walking Really, it's too late, you know
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  Speaker 1: when you get to this aide, you know, and people
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  Speaker 1: don't just have luggage, you know, baggage that they care, know,
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  Speaker 1: they have trunks of history. You know. No, you've got to,
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  Speaker 1: you know, come with your best game. She says. So
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  Speaker 1: it's right now, that's where Lady May is and she's
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  Speaker 1: having to work behind the scenes through Grace to strategize
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  Speaker 1: to get the church back. But she's no longer in
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  Speaker 1: her principled skirts and stilettos, you know, you know, prancing through,
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  Speaker 1: strutting through. Uh, now you got a swagger. Now let's
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  Speaker 1: going back later. Man, you still got the swagger because
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  Speaker 1: of the fact that let's talk about your character, because
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  Speaker 1: I think it's it's so strong and it is about
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  Speaker 1: there's always a strong woman behind her successful man. And
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  Speaker 1: that's the bishop and then this this show allows your
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  Speaker 1: character to come to the forefront, especially this season, because
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  Speaker 1: you are guiding Grace, who is the leading bars and
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  Speaker 1: there's so much pressure is being put on the Grace
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  Speaker 1: as her daughter that's played in the series Green Lift,
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  Speaker 1: which is this fourth season coming up, and she's so
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  Speaker 1: much pressure, pressially her siblings are especially I love Charity,
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  Speaker 1: that Charity character. We talked about that in a minute.
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  Speaker 1: But the fact that everybody is saying that only she
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  Speaker 1: can say the church. Only she can put her foot
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  Speaker 1: down to put us all back in power. Only she
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  Speaker 1: can stand up against Bob, that's bow Bridges character. That's
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  Speaker 1: a lot of pressure to put on one person. And
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  Speaker 1: then when she doesn't do it perfectly, then guess what
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  Speaker 1: somebody complaints? Well, you know, oft times you have to
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  Speaker 1: work through operatives, and so Grace is the opperture right now.
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  Speaker 1: But thank god, at this point, Grace is finally realized
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  Speaker 1: that there are other people in the family with a
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  Speaker 1: little bit of sin because for a while, you know,
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  Speaker 1: which is so interesting because if families have that person
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  Speaker 1: who you know wants to find the truth and wants
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  Speaker 1: to rectify and wants everybody to suss up to you
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  Speaker 1: know what they've done and change their ways immediately and um,
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  Speaker 1: and that's what the gracest thing. So now, uh, we're
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  Speaker 1: in a collaboration, which is great because you see a
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  Speaker 1: family working together to try to achieve what they need.
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  Speaker 1: You know, now that your character, that's just my observation
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  Speaker 1: is that your character is about you know, really you're
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  Speaker 1: about the people. You're about the people. That's your character
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  Speaker 1: because I'm talking about the lady behind the man, which
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  Speaker 1: is the bishop. Okay, who's to the forefront. Then you
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  Speaker 1: have Jacob and his wife Carrissa. Now Carissa has the
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  Speaker 1: same energy that you have, but it's all about her though.
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  Speaker 1: It's all about what she wants. It's all about what
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  Speaker 1: she's done and how she wants to benefit from what
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  Speaker 1: she has, you know, put into the basket. And that
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  Speaker 1: forces Jacob's character to kind of be all over the
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  Speaker 1: place because he's not a man making any decisions correct,
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  Speaker 1: right right? Well, you know when you I think that
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  Speaker 1: Carissa plays uh, you know, played by Camp beautifully. Each
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  Speaker 1: all of all of the actors and actresses that I'll show,
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  Speaker 1: it's so strong and so clear on who they are
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  Speaker 1: and so um Carissa, it's constantly feels like, you know,
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  Speaker 1: she's on the outside of everything, you know, a bit
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  Speaker 1: of a striver strainer. And I don't know what it
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  Speaker 1: would feel like to live in your mother in law's
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  Speaker 1: house for your entire marriage would have to be pretty bad.
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  Speaker 1: Well that you never get to be, you know, style
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  Speaker 1: a home the way you want, or you know, you're
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  Speaker 1: always in the shadow of another woman. And so you know,
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  Speaker 1: you can understand. I do understand her position, you know,
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  Speaker 1: so she has a lot that she wants as a woman,
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  Speaker 1: you know, not to mention that, you know, Jacob had
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  Speaker 1: been pretty badly behaved with his impelitude, all the evil.
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  Speaker 1: I can't tell all the story, but Jacob needs is
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  Speaker 1: behind whooped a little bit too. Now let's go over
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  Speaker 1: to my favorite character on the show. That's your daughter Charity.
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  Speaker 1: She is a miss Lady May. Your daughter Charity is
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  Speaker 1: a hot mess on Green Leaf. Well she is, she is.
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  Speaker 1: She's just trying to find her footing. And you know,
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  Speaker 1: a lot of times the baby and the family is
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  Speaker 1: like that, babies and middle kids, you know, like where
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  Speaker 1: do I fit in? Why is everybody? Because you figure,
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  Speaker 1: you know, Grace Jacob had, you know, and space when
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  Speaker 1: she was still alive because remember this family is missing
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  Speaker 1: one of their family members who committed two side. But
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  Speaker 1: you know, it's like by the time charity came along,
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  Speaker 1: I would imagine, because you know, actors have to have
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  Speaker 1: their backstories, the backstory of what it is. The audience
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  Speaker 1: never sees, but what you have in your mind and
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  Speaker 1: your spirit and your motivation well for how you play
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  Speaker 1: a scene. And I would imagine that charity. By the
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  Speaker 1: time charity came along, you know, the church was starting
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  Speaker 1: to get a little bit more on and popping, and
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  Speaker 1: they were busy, so she didn't get the same kind
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  Speaker 1: of nurturing that she got spoiled because they were made
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: and things to help take care of her, but she
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: didn't have the best and most highly um important character
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  Speaker 1: traits from her from her parents. That's the other kids got.
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  Speaker 1: So that's why she's kind of lost it before charities,
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  Speaker 1: he said this the husband who figured out that he
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: was gay, and then the music producer who was kind
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  Speaker 1: of a philander himself, and now she wants to preach.
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  Speaker 1: But isn't that something how offsprings of spiritual leaders or
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: offsprings of you know, in in many churches, how often
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  Speaker 1: you do see the children to step into like it,
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  Speaker 1: you know, just a regular corporation. Absolutely. Absolutely, That's why
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  Speaker 1: I feel deserving to to to to inherit the business.
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  Speaker 1: That's why it's so important to listen to this. Look
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: at this show this season, because I felt that I
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: was just gon let you know this, you know, this
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  Speaker 1: season to meet Lyn. When I look at the characters
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  Speaker 1: are fully developed. Now you know, Grace got issues with
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  Speaker 1: a J. Nor now knows that a J is his
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  Speaker 1: son and he knew nothing about that, you know, dealing
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  Speaker 1: with that you now, you know now the bishop trying
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: to get back with you because you're living in the
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: same mansion. Charis are trying to get our house so
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  Speaker 1: they can sell some land. Charity now she's she's spying.
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: She's the spy because Phil has assured her. Once she
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  Speaker 1: gets once they kicked Grace out, he's gonna be head
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  Speaker 1: pas stuff and he's gonna move up to a p
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  Speaker 1: I know. So now Charity has this Jezebel flash Judi
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  Speaker 1: spirit all over. I don't know. Oh Lord, these children,
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  Speaker 1: I love it. I tell you, Lady May, I want
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: to thank you for coming on my show. You know,
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  Speaker 1: I am a fan of you, and I'm a fan
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  Speaker 1: of Green Leaf. So tell everybody to watch this show
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: along with me when you when you're on Instagram, because
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna tell everybody. Tell everybody that this show this season.
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: If you're not watching it at all, watching this season
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: because boy it got the soap proper soap proper working
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: on this show this season. Linn, thank you for coming
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: on my show Money Making Conversations.