Latest / The Steve Harvey Morning Show / Patrice Covington and Rebecca Naomi Jones are co-starring as Aretha Franklin's sisters on "Genius: Aretha" as Erma and Carolyn Franklin

Transcript

Patrice Covington and Rebecca Naomi Jones are co-starring as Aretha Franklin's sisters on "Genius: Aretha" as Erma and Carolyn Franklin · The Steve Harvey Morning Show

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  Speaker 1: CEOs entrepreneurs as an industry decision makers. My next guests.
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  Speaker 1: Two dynamic people are Patrice Covington and Rebecca Naomi Jones.
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  Speaker 1: They acclaimed actresses and singers co starring the cast of
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  Speaker 1: Genius Aretha as Irma and Caroline Franklin. My older sister's
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  Speaker 1: name is Carolin, so I love Carolin. Patrice Covington is
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  Speaker 1: an Emmy Award winning actress, singer, teacher Arthur and model
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  Speaker 1: Rebecca Naomi Jones, and is currently featuring in those Niecks
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  Speaker 1: un Road one national campaign. You've seen that tearing up stuff.
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  Speaker 1: She has also performing in solo concerts at Lincoln Center,
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  Speaker 1: American Soul Book, and Apollo Cafe. They're dynamic in this
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  Speaker 1: series Genius. I saw it in this compelling and I've
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: lived that lifestyle from a musical set. And let's tell
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: you about a little background what the Genius series is
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: all about. It's an Emmy or War when the anthology
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  Speaker 1: series where they dramatized the fascinating stories behind brilliant innovators
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  Speaker 1: in this case was Aretha Franklin and h These two
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  Speaker 1: young ladies. I won't say they're young because they you're
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  Speaker 1: going to meet and hope they are another offended by
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  Speaker 1: the term young ladies as they're being cast in the
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  Speaker 1: role of planning Aretha's sisters, which can be very frustrated
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  Speaker 1: in life. You know, it's like being the sister brother
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  Speaker 1: to Tiger Woods or lebron Ja and still participating in
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: that sport. So because both of them are talented singers,
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  Speaker 1: and in a sense it was to me as I
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: introduced them, and there were many layers of stories that
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  Speaker 1: I can love to go back and just hear their story.
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  Speaker 1: I can go back and just see a story about
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  Speaker 1: c L Aretha's father, But this story is about Rita
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  Speaker 1: and her genius. Please working the money making conversations, Patrice
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  Speaker 1: Covington and Rebecca Naomi Jones, thank you, thank you for
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  Speaker 1: having us. Well, you know, first of all, um, this
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  Speaker 1: first time we talked. But but when you see seven episodes, uh,
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: in the serious is eight episodes, you tend to see
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: and and and and and first of all, be engaged
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: by the talent, the singing talent. Let's let's start there,
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: because that's a gift God gave you. And in this series,
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: you know, I'm trying to figure out are they singing
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: or they live singing? You know, were they really single?
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: When you stand I felt when you were in that
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  Speaker 1: scene where y'all were standing next to the piano and
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: you were playing it and you were singing. I felt
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: that you guys are actually singing that moment. It was
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: I right or wrong, You're right sing So so in
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: a series where there is so driven by singing, how
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: did these audition opportunities come up to you? Guys? You
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: can answer separately because it's it's it's a it's all
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: you have to say when you start building your resume.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: This is a resume builder. This is a resume you
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: put up and go okay, wow. I was part of that.
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  Speaker 1: Because it is an amazing anthology series and it plays
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: out over a series of time, you have to age
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  Speaker 1: a little bit, you have to be a little younger
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  Speaker 1: than what you really are. So starting with you, Rebecca,
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: talk about the whole process of coming on board. Sure,
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  Speaker 1: I remember that the audition came to my table at
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  Speaker 1: a time when I had a whole lot of other
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: auditions showing up as well. It was must have been
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: pilot season because it was a really busy time and
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  Speaker 1: this was the only one that I had this particular
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  Speaker 1: week that was a taped audition instead of a live
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  Speaker 1: in person audition with casting, and I remember I felt
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  Speaker 1: really swamped, and my boyfriend said, maybe you shouldn't do
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: this one because it says Caroline as tall. But you know,
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  Speaker 1: something told me that I should make the tape happen
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  Speaker 1: because I saw that Susan Laurie Parks was attached to it,
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  Speaker 1: and she I've known for many years in theater, and
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  Speaker 1: because I knew that the role required somebody who could
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: sing um, and so I thought, there are a couple
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: of things that are not my height that could potentially
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: give me a leg up into this work. And um,
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: you know I actually said this to someone earlier today.
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  Speaker 1: What I loved was that I didn't know anything about
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  Speaker 1: Caroline Franklin or Irma Franklin before getting to work on
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  Speaker 1: this material. And um, I loved the audition scene because it, um,
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  Speaker 1: it was a long scene that took place, uh during
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  Speaker 1: Aretha Franklin's fiftieth birthday, and it's between the two sisters,
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  Speaker 1: and just this scene between the two of them gives
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  Speaker 1: you so much information about these sisters, but also their
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  Speaker 1: relationship with Aretha and their relationship with their father and
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  Speaker 1: their family as a whole, and you get a sense
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  Speaker 1: in this material of how much they love each other
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  Speaker 1: and love their sister, but also um that there is
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: a lot of resentment and business and complexity that is
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: present in all relationships and all families. Um, so yeah,
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  Speaker 1: it was. It was a really fun audition to do.
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  Speaker 1: And I got to do an acapella version of rock Steady,
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: which is one of my favorite reasons. And yes, yes, yes,
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: and yeah. So it was a great time. And then
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: I got to do my screen test in person, and
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  Speaker 1: it was a lot of fun, and you know, I was,
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  Speaker 1: I was hoping I got the job, but of course
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  Speaker 1: I felt like, um, the audition experience itself was actually
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  Speaker 1: so satisfying that if I didn't, I did my best
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: and I would let it go. But I left out portreats. Now,
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: you know, let's not be casual about this. When you
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: say singing. Now, see, you had to sing the same
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: thing as they say in the in the Black Household.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: You could sang girl or sang because because at point,
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: you know, like I said, this movie wasn't based on
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: lip sinking. You know, you had to deliver and then
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  Speaker 1: also you had to deliver a level as to why
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: these ladies could be somewhat jealous of not getting the
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: same opportunities that Areta was getting. Okay, you know, y'all
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  Speaker 1: equally attractive, you know, but but she had a certain
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: extra in her. So talk about your audition practice and
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: bringing that character of Irma to the to the stage. Yeah,
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: sure so. Um. I also loved that audition scene, Rebecca.
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  Speaker 1: It was such a good one, um, and it really
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: pulled me in, pulled in my interest. Well. I was
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: also interested in all jobs at the time. There was
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: I wasn't interested in, but I was particularly interested in
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: this one because at the time I was actually on
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: tour singing background for Christina Aguilera. Were in Vegas and
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: I was in the Las Vegas hotel room. It was
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: a very hectic time, much like Rebecca. Um mine was
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: just that we were her so much, um, and we
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: were traveling so much. I had no time, like zero
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: time at all to get this done. I had no idea.
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: And I'm also on the road with band guys. How
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: am I going to get this done? You know, like
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: they don't know how to do a self taped audition,
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: you know. So Thankfully, one of my background singing partners,
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  Speaker 1: he has a wife who was an actress and she
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: had trained him up to know how to do a
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  Speaker 1: self tape, so I was like, please help me, and
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: he helped me. We did it. It's probably the quickest
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  Speaker 1: audition I've ever done because I just simply didn't have
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: the time to analyze and critique, like why did I
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: do that? And I wish I wouldn't have looked that
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: way and all my guy, my hair looks dumb or whatever.
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: I didn't have time to do those things because I
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: was so busy. And so with all that being said,
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: it was the most evident and most clear time that
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: I've ever had something be what's for me? It's just
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: for me. It would never have passed me by because
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: I didn't have to, you know, analyze and do the
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: most with this tape. So, um, you know, I am
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: forever grateful. This is my very first time on TV period.
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: I had to row. I've done other things, uh like
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: you know, promos for Broadway shows and such, but uh,
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: this is my first time on camera and I'm for
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: ever grateful for this moment. And you're stepped out there girl,
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: not the beautiful smile, you stepped out there now and
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: in the in this series, now, Carolyn, your character really
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: wanted to be a reader. I like to believe you
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: you really challenge the norm because the dad who was
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: c All, who was known as the million dollar vos
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: Uh in Detroit, saw her as the the prodigy. He
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: saw as the one and the legacy builder. Now in
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: the building that these characters, because you have to kind
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: of have a sense of background information and where you're
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: gonna take the character, not overstep with the characters, is
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: to deliver what you wanted to compete naturally. Talk about
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: that process and making it real, well, I think, um,
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: you know, as an actress of a certain level who
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: has um, you know, done a lot of exciting roles
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: on Broadway, UM, and done some versions of some some
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: levels of roles on TV and film. UM, but it's
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: still in the process of, you know, building a career.
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: I think a lot of what both Patrise and I
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: were tasked to portray is something that comes naturally for
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: us because it is such a journey when you believe
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: you have something inside of you to offer, and in
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: some ways that dream is um, you know, that dream
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: is happening for you, it's it's coming true, and in
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: some ways you're still sort of building it and UM,
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: and and manifesting it and dreaming it and UM, and
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: I think that these characters really have that. I don't
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: think they necessarily wanted to be Aretha, but I think
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: they wanted. I think they wanted to be Irma. They
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: wanted to be Caroline, and they wanted to have all
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: of the opportunity that Aretha had. And I think, um,
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: I think that desire and that deep yearning UM, you know,
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: for your potential to be realized and for your um
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: star power to be realized is something that we can
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: sort of easily, you know, dig into and to to
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: on UM. But yeah, I think, uh, you know, I
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: think it's also very natural for me to want to
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: dig into this role. But my father was also a
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: musician who passed away before realizing all his dreams, and
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: so it's it was, it was something that just felt
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: right now, we're not going to listen to this. Patrice's like,
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: just you're talking about this series of an anthology series
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: eight episodes. You know that from forty five minutes, I
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: think the longest episode maybe fifty something minutes. But never
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: never did I feel tax and watching this series. Why
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: would you think someone would want to watch an anthology
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: series Want to reach your Franklin. There's so much to
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: uncover about this woman. Her music is truly embedded in
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: the fabric of our lives. And we know that we
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: love her music. We know she was the Queen and
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: that there's no one better. But her story is so complex,
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: it's so multifaceted, it's so beautiful, it's so sad at times.
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: It's full of overcoming and conquering. It's full of sisterhood,
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: all things that we all need encouragement with all the time. Um,
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: what we get to unfold a lot of it is
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: about her, how active her activism was. Right now, everybody's
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: trying to figure out how to be an activist in
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: their own right and whatever it is that they can do,
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: and so it's encouraging in your real life right now.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: Is so much to learn and so much to apply
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: to your life. You know, it's really amazing because I
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: want to get into some of the Cash members because
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: they were a serious like this great has to be
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: carried by talent. You are two very talented individuals that
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: stood out in this series. Then you go to my
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: Man Court to be Vans who played cl whoa Okay,
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: that's a that's a whole. They could have done an
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: eight episode doc on on his behind because he I'm
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: gonna tell yourself, just watch the series to see the
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: dad just what just wants to see it for the dad,
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: because the dad gonna mess you up. Seal Franklin is
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: gonna mess you up as a preacher. He breaks all
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: the preacher rules. He breaks all of the preacher rules.
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: If they has the rules for preachers and your p K.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: He gonna he go make you want to just be
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: a drug addict. He gonna make you want to just
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: go into detox for life. This man's yeah, I ain't
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: never met a preacher like giving my life. He was
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: part uh womanizer, he was a part of I'd say
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: he was all part womanizer. He was somewhat of a
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: drug he uh he spent the parishioner's money at will.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: He was he was special. Now that's that's courting to
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: be fair and my wrong, ladies, did I tell you
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: are correct? If I TV, y'all feel free to Sean.
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: Now you lying, you're stretching the twoth Okay, Now, Wexler,
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: you know Wexler was that you know, the always a
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: white man. That was his character. I tell telling black
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: folks what to do pushing, you know, I don't think
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: that's a good move. You might always think about their pocketbook,
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: but not worrying about the cause. That was my man
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: playing the Wexler character. He was he was incredible, his talents,
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: he was He's an original test. It was really interesting
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: when I saw the because I saw their reader special
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: when she the documentary, I saw that it was just
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: so amazing. And I'm gonna ask you guys at the
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: other one you can answer this, would you? You know,
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: I've seen history, I've lived the history of Frankly through
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: you know, Jet magazine, Ebony songs. When you guys were
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: going through the process and and certain information was being
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: revealed to you, how did you react to it? Um? Well,
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: I think that you know, some things we still don't
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: really know the answers to. You know, there's a lot
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: that is still just left to the healer. Uh, you know,
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: there's some things that will just never know. Um. And
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: I mean I've heard rumors of certain things all my
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: life now my life of my adult life. Um, you know.
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: And and at that point it was quite shocking to
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: me to learn that everything had a baby at twelve
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: years old. Um, those types of stories are always going
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: to be shocking to someone who's like the queen of soul.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: Like you know, I grew up with her music. I
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: knew it was gospel music, and you know, I know
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: her foundation was was church. So it's definitely shocking. I
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: think that there's so much more to her life, though,
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: and what's more important is how she overcame and continued
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: to overcome until she got out of here, like always overcoming.
• 15:36
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  Speaker 1: see I saw I fell in love Withood and Harriet.
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: I saw that booby Harriet when she started Harriet Tubman,
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: and I got the opportunity to see how she effortlessly
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: um played this role. You know, you know when you
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: see a talent like that, and you know, because we
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: all compare ourselves and say, wow, how does that work?
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: How did I give me some feedback on watching the
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: talent like that because we all have aspirations to be
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: that lead and then seeing her go through the process
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: of aging, going through she was she was physically abused
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: she was, you know, she was she was you know,
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: it was her relationship with Dr Martin Luther King. She
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: had that in that process, being a spiritual leader, being
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: a physical leader, being a being, uh, you know, dealing
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: with what happened to her mom in real life she
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: had She had a see that emotion through the process
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: as well as overall you know, disconnect with her dad.
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: It was a disconnect, you know. Then her grandmother, played
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: by the incredible Paul at of Washington. I can't forget
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: not giving her compliments because she was awesome, knowna for
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: many years. So give me, give me some feedback and
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: you know your take on it as well. You know,
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: one thing that I loved watching Cynthia was that I
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: think she really was able to dig into um, sort
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: of the quiet self protection that Areta had. I think, Um,
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: you know, we were also lucky to receive um Aretha's
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: you know, Aretha's sort of entire soul through her voice,
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: her singing voice and her music in general and her genius.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: But um, you know, as we all know, she's she
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: was a very private person by design and UM, and
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: I think Cynthia really locked into that aspect of her.
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: I think she was really smart about how she was
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: on set and how she dug into this character because
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: she was very quiet about it. She didn't she didn't
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: overly um talk too much about it. I think she
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: kept a lot of her work um internal and um.
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: And then we got to see it sort of slowly
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: unravel out of her the way Aretha was in terms
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: of her allowing people to slowly, um, you know, be
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: let in to who she was. And so the same
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: thing happens with Cynthia where suddenly she's singing and this
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: voice opens up and we're getting a real sense of
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: who she is right now, you know, And I can't
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: forget t I T tip. Was that boy right there
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: and that he does comedy? Well he I know he
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: could wrapped, but he was. He was you know, I
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: was just he was six. He was six. I'm coming there.
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: Look at that the little mustache and little afro. He
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: was working it. He was working it with that little
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: deep voice. I was off the T. I was on
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: Bartan in this series, and my boy Luke James, he
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: dipped in that. And then and then a guy gonna
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: tell y'all know character. I'm just gonna let y'all know
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: T eyes in the Bad Boy, he clouds Luke James
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: coming there, super sexy. No chocolate drop, chocolate drop. We
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: had a very fun day with him, you know. And
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: you guys, your characters are you know, there's let's let's
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: talk about that stepping back and win and those uh
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: those time you know, complyiant clothes. You know, the bathing
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: suit that you're wearing there, you know, at the pool
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: side with a Wretha and your character. You know you're
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: up there, that nice little outfit singing them songs. I'm
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: looking at Caroline. They fine. Maybe you know I'm going
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: back because I was. I was active in those years.
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: I going like, oh they could work, and they could work.
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: So how much fun did you guys have out going
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: into the wardrobe? Most fun, the most fun. Jennifer Briant,
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: our costume designer. I just you know, every time I
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: went into a fitting, it was my whole thing was
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: a going joke because I would say, okay, no, this
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: is my favorite. Every time it was my favorite outfit. Um.
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: I loved her designs. I felt comfortable, I felt cute,
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: I felt sexy. I loved how we grew, you know,
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: our fashions grew with us um but still was appropriate,
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: you know, and making us still fly all throughout the years.
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: You know, we weren't we weren't poor people, so we
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: had good fancy, very sexy. We loved it. We loved it.
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, we know. That's why. I just you know
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: when I when they do time pieces, right, you know
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: that they spent the money on this top piece. You
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: know that the FLDS looked like they were right. You
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: see no little pieces falling off ourself. They're working there.
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: They got the budget for the half up on this
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: show here the clothes field. I get mad time when
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: I see time black people time period pieces and you
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: can see the little hay on the edge kind of
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: popping off the sides A side or right. They did
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: the money right, They did the same discovery right. Talk
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: about being involved with a production that said, you know something,
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: we're gonna spend the money and you can leave for
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: treata Rebecca, either one you can take lead on this
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: question because it's it's and both of them respond after
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: other response as well, it's really great to be treated
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: special and allowed to tell your story with a budget
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: that allows you to tell the story. Correct. You're absolutely right,
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: I think It makes such a difference in how you
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: feel like you can do your job because you know
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: that other people are being given the access to do
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: their job right, and so it just makes what you
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: have to do that much easier. It made what we
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: had to do so much easier because Jennifer Bryant had
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: our backs with these beautiful costumes that fit us perfectly,
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: and Miss Louisa was making these wigs that were so
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: stunning but also really fit our natural hair textures of
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: our face shapes. And you know, we had Marietta in
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: the makeup department and her entire team just you know,
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: making our faces look beautiful, but also like we made
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: our faces look that way, not like a makeup team
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: made our Facebook that way. I mean everything was taken
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: care of so we could take care of these characters. Yeah,
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: I would agree with that one. And also, you know,
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: every all these people who lead these departments were black women.
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: Come on, all of the department heads were black women.
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: They were black women, and they lead they led their
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: teams with just the most esteemed They were so distinguished
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: and they were very clear. Um, they made us I
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: just keep using the word comfortable because I never I
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: never worried about my hair. I never worried about my makeup. Um,
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: I definitely never worried about clothes. Like we were comfortable
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: all the time. And if they if there ever were
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: a concerned a question, I would just be like, hey,
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: um my pants are too tight. It would give me
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: figgers fans like it was. It was never anything. It
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: was just always because work work in in that scene long,
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: we're going out with the type and none of that
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: at all uncomfortable. I'll with you, let me change these pants.
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: They showing it tight riding up on me. But that's
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: but you know the beauty of watching we were talking.
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: I'm talking to Patrice Comington and Rebecca Naomi Jones and
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: goings to the anthology series UH called Genius and premiers
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: National Geo. Um this uh Sunday March. Not only am
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: I recommending this, and I'm just so fortunate to be
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: talk to tu talented people because when I get to
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: see something like that and I and I, and it
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: takes me to a level of imagination because you guys gifted,
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: You have gifts, and those gifts that you allowed me
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: to share with like seeing you like like like I
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: knew when you were really singing that going wow. You
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: know that's that's a blessing. And so I have to
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: believe that you guys understand your blessing and you feel
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: very fortunate to be able to sharing them in the
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: entertainment form like I know, this your first television series
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: and applause, and but again, it's gonna be more. It's
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: gonna be movies. And I know you know you have
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: there doing your thing, you know, miss thing, you know,
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: But but how how is life? What's the future for
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: each one of you? Don't go first, Pecca, The future
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: is fabulous, uh you know, fabu the fabulous, the fabulous.
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: I can assure you that, um yeah, they're they're a
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: little little projects coming coming up more uh here and
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: there that I'm not sure if I'm allowed to speak
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: about yet, but you know, I'm I'm still waiting for
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: that next big thing. But I'll let you know and
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: and guess what, feel free to come on my show.
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: I'd like to believe that I'll developed a relationship with
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: you to that allows to I trust the opportunities. And
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: I've been an entertainment business, you know, started writing no
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: TV shows in ninety two. I know how this thing works.
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: Sometimes all the auditions come on the same day, and
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: then they go months and there's no audition, and you'll
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: be going, God, what's going on. I've been broke for
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: six months now. The day I ain't broke, I got
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: five auditions and didn't get none of them. So what what? What?
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: What are we going with this? And that's the really Patricia,
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: you can expound just just life and just tell people
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: who try to make this business work for themselves, what
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: enthusiastic what points of support can you give them? Advice
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: when you hit those low points, because the highs are
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: incredible and it's worth it, but when you hit those
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: low points you gotta dig out of and realize that's
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: part of the process. Yeah, well, in this business we
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: have way more nose than yes. I mean we audition.
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: Sometimes you can audition four or five seven times a
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: week and get nothing. When I booked this job, it
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: was the only job I booked that year outside of
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: you know, background singing and doing other things. You know.
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: But I think what's important is creating and not waiting.
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: That's one, speaking things as if they already are and
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: then just always being generous with light. So I have
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: this um, this saying this model that is trademarks, I
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: don't try to steal it. Russian McDonald's it's don't be
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: a star via Galaxy. Now I saw that now, yes,
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: so that means it's means so many things. When I
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: first created it, it it was about you know, just being
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: being sparkly and you know, being a star. But as
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: as the years have gone on, it has gone on
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: to me and just sharing, like you know, if Rebecca
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: and not see an audition that we think is right
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: for the other, I'm gonna tell Rebecca I know that
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: what's mine is mine. It will never pass me by.
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: I'm always gonna shine light on her talent because I
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: think she's an amazing talent. No star shines bright without
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: the next star next to it shining. There's so much more.
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: There's enough for everybody. So I just think, when what
• 29:33
  Speaker 1: you give out is what you get in, what you are,
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: what you will receive. So um, just keep being nice,
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: believed that karma is a real thing and create don't wait.
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: Okay has spoken your pockets and give me all your offer.
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: If you sel, we'll be asking for Franklin. We'll be
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: asking for according to be fast and I be reef
• 29:58
  Speaker 1: remiss not to talk about the very talented young actress
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: who played the role of the young Aretha Franklin who
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: carries her, because you know this this is an anthology,
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: so they do a lot of flashbacks. So just because
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: you see a character in the first episode, you're gonna
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: see him throughout the hoax episode because you're doing because
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: it allows you to see what makes Areta at this
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: point of her life, what happened in her life at
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: that age that made her either hard, made a sophomore,
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: the emotional maybe made her not trust anybody, because that
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: was a big thing about trust in her life. You know,
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: that came up with Ted, and it came up with
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: her father. Cl so enclosed, Rebecca. You know, you know,
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: you know Deacon Deacon Deacon treats and spoke now uh
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: much just to day. You know she's passed to play.
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: But ain't nobody putting no money in it yet? Okay, Rebecca,
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: they're looking at the plate. They're gonna sit. We bring
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: us on home. This is Aretha the Genius series. They're
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: gonna premier on National g O March in. The first
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: starring Patrice Coverington, Rebecca Nailmi Jones, bring me on home, girl.
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: I'm at the altar. I just want to join the church.
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: Come on, you know think you guys are amazing the
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: heck with all these compliments. I watched all seven episodes
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: on Sunday. Okay, I'm just telling you. I I started
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: at one o'clock in the middle of March madness, and
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: I didn't stop. I forgot watching basketball. You watch one episode,
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: you know, you know Netflix at you all wired up,
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: you know, into binge watching, and I go, okay, I'm
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: going okay, okay. Episode two, Episode three, Okay. I look
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: at the minute forty five and I got forty five minutes.
• 31:45
  Speaker 1: I didn't not finished till nine thirty last night, and
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: I was mad because they only sent me seven episode
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: and it's the episode serious because I gotta wait till
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: the end and it's gonna be worth it. I'm passing
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: the passing the information line about how great this seriously,
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: More importantly, I got to introduce America and my fan
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: base to YouTube fantastic actresses and singers, and the blessings
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: are going to continue. And know I'm a fan. And
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: when I say I'm a fan, your boy, I got
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: six systems. Okay, I got six tis of our oldest
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: name is Caroline, so you know there's some love in
• 32:17
  Speaker 1: this conversation and what y'all brought to the series area
• 32:20
  Speaker 1: the Genius series and anthology series About to reata frankly,
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: thank you for coming on Money Making Conversations. If you
• 32:29
  Speaker 1: want to hear more interviewers and money making conversations, please
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: go to money Making Conversation dot com. I'm Rashan McDonald.
• 32:34
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