Latest / The Steve Harvey Morning Show / Wendy Raquel Robinson (2nd Appearance) Full Interview
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: My next guest. She's on the phone. Wow, longtime friend. Um,
- 0:04Speaker 1: you know, it's just just just really an amazing person.
- 0:07Speaker 1: She's an actress, philanthropis, co founder and artistic director director
- 0:11Speaker 1: of Amazing Grace Conservatory. She's well known for her role
- 0:15Speaker 1: as Devisti sports manager Tasha Mack on the c W
- 0:19Speaker 1: n b t s The Game for nine seasons, winning
- 0:22Speaker 1: an n ac Image Award for Best Actress in the
- 0:25Speaker 1: Comedy Series, and as They No Nonsense Principal Regina Grill
- 0:30Speaker 1: on The Famous Steve Harvey Show. She's now on the
- 0:32Speaker 1: show to talk about her new ABC series ABC That
- 0:37Speaker 1: Grand Hotel, and she's hosted the African Pride Gospel super
- 0:41Speaker 1: Fast TV. The is the Upcadings, the Nati Dannual Show.
- 0:44Speaker 1: She's a multi hosting person means that she's been doing
- 0:47Speaker 1: this before because she understands understands the value of multiple
- 0:52Speaker 1: strings of income. Please welcome to my show, Wendy Raquel
- 0:56Speaker 1: Robertson on Fire. You gotta put that with you all fire.
- 1:05Speaker 1: And how's my best friend doing? How's my best friend? Oh? Buddy,
- 1:10Speaker 1: I am great, I am great. I'm blessed, I am blessed.
- 1:14Speaker 1: I'm excited for you. I was just listening to your
- 1:16Speaker 1: podcasts and everything, and I'm about to enable it because
- 1:20Speaker 1: we all need those conversations. I'm so good. Well, you
- 1:23Speaker 1: know the thing about it is that the only bad
- 1:26Speaker 1: point about our relationship is that I cannot get down
- 1:29Speaker 1: to l A or get over to l A to
- 1:30Speaker 1: see one of your shows that you put over the
- 1:32Speaker 1: kid and she just in me videos of them going
- 1:37Speaker 1: please come, Mr McDonald. But you you have been so
- 1:43Speaker 1: supportive and you have poured into so many trains of
- 1:46Speaker 1: the young people at amazing Grace Conservatory, and I just
- 1:50Speaker 1: want you to be there just to see the harvest season,
- 1:53Speaker 1: you know, And that's what I call it. I feel
- 1:55Speaker 1: like it's the harvest season right now because it's been
- 1:57Speaker 1: twenty two years and you know, the kids are doing
- 2:01Speaker 1: phenomenal facings. I'm like, are you freaking kidding? Man? Really? Yeah,
- 2:06Speaker 1: I have been there. We have been there, and and
- 2:09Speaker 1: you know how I feel about what you do for
- 2:12Speaker 1: those young people or what I feel or my wife
- 2:16Speaker 1: always has been a firm believer and be writing those checks.
- 2:20Speaker 1: There's never any hesitation and because we just believe, and
- 2:24Speaker 1: it's an amazing just telling a little people tell everybody
- 2:27Speaker 1: about the amazing Grace Conservatory. Wow. Well, twenty two years ago,
- 2:32Speaker 1: my best friend and nine, Tracy Coley. He's an Atlanta native,
- 2:37Speaker 1: but we co founded a performing arts that is now
- 2:40Speaker 1: evolved into Digital and Media Arts Conservatory for youth and
- 2:45Speaker 1: young adults at ages five to eighteen to come in
- 2:47Speaker 1: and express themselves to music, dance, acting. Uh, we're doing
- 2:52Speaker 1: our podcast now, we're starting podcasting, video blogs and um,
- 2:57Speaker 1: we're doing short films and we are just giving is
- 3:00Speaker 1: a platform to have a voice, to express themselves in
- 3:03Speaker 1: a non judgmental environment. And we use the arts as
- 3:06Speaker 1: a life changing platform because it's saving lives. You know,
- 3:11Speaker 1: we're in South Central and there's so much that's going on,
- 3:13Speaker 1: but we have so much talent that's out there and
- 3:16Speaker 1: we're giving them the visibility and the you know, a
- 3:20Speaker 1: way where they could just beat themselves. So many of
- 3:22Speaker 1: them are getting bullied and ostracized and you know, we've
- 3:25Speaker 1: got gang crosses were going crazy, losing their minds. So
- 3:29Speaker 1: it's just it's a safe space where artists that are
- 3:32Speaker 1: at risk or emerging artists that have a platform. You know,
- 3:37Speaker 1: we do independent nights where you know, they cover jam
- 3:40Speaker 1: together with their music. So it's like the Black Mickey
- 3:43Speaker 1: Mouse Club. It really is. And it's not just limited
- 3:49Speaker 1: to black, you know, we're we're expanding that as well.
- 3:53Speaker 1: So um, it's it's so much to define Amazing Grace Conservatory.
- 3:59Speaker 1: But I'll just start the The thing about it is
- 4:03Speaker 1: that just just me, champion, just me talk about just
- 4:08Speaker 1: the changing lives a part, the part about and she
- 4:11Speaker 1: knows it's all love. She knows that for twenty two years,
- 4:16Speaker 1: I've yet to be to an event but this yet
- 4:19Speaker 1: yet it has not made me hesitating, no right in
- 4:22Speaker 1: the check. So that means that I believe and what
- 4:25Speaker 1: she does, and she knows. You know, you know what
- 4:28Speaker 1: Shan make goal Na for Sean back then it really
- 4:31Speaker 1: when they were the right check but I wrote them. Okay,
- 4:36Speaker 1: she knows my wife. My wife gotta love us Windy here,
- 4:39Speaker 1: you know, because of the fact that you know, we
- 4:41Speaker 1: we know, we go through life and you know, we're
- 4:43Speaker 1: still trying to figure out just a writer. But I
- 4:46Speaker 1: met her when Steve Harper's first sitcom with Me and
- 4:49Speaker 1: the Boys on ABC. That's how we met. And uh,
- 4:51Speaker 1: and so that a long time ago, and so up
- 5:00Speaker 1: here that was a long time time. That's a long
- 5:02Speaker 1: time ago. And so with that being said that that
- 5:04Speaker 1: means that the passion of what we have and changing
- 5:07Speaker 1: people's lives, you know, resonates in her personally. Now let's
- 5:11Speaker 1: talk about because you said it's kind of like the
- 5:13Speaker 1: Disney you know, the mouse Mickey Mouse Club. Tell us
- 5:16Speaker 1: about something that talent that and walked through them doors uow.
- 5:20Speaker 1: You know, we've we've been fortunate to afford into lives
- 5:23Speaker 1: of um. Well, Easa Rai is the big one right now,
- 5:27Speaker 1: you know, and she's doing all kinds of things and
- 5:29Speaker 1: developing and producing and acting and and all of that.
- 5:33Speaker 1: But but what was interesting when was there Joe sas
- 5:36Speaker 1: walk she um she was one of the quiet ones,
- 5:40Speaker 1: you know, that was the background, you know, and I
- 5:43Speaker 1: guess what's just taking it all in and you know, wow,
- 5:46Speaker 1: to see what she is doing now and to have
- 5:49Speaker 1: been a part of that. We can't take all the credits,
- 5:52Speaker 1: but she raised our doors. You know. Aston Sanders he
- 5:56Speaker 1: was in Moonlight and Equalizer too, and now he's maintaining
- 6:00Speaker 1: planned series and shooting in New York and he's poured
- 6:03Speaker 1: back into a GC and he's given us the first scholarship.
- 6:06Speaker 1: Fun that's going to be in his name. Talking about
- 6:08Speaker 1: that young man, that young man that played the Young
- 6:11Speaker 1: Teenager and Equalize. There's always pulling up his pants, never shows.
- 6:20Speaker 1: And he was also his a Native Fun he played
- 6:23Speaker 1: Bigger Thomas and HBO. He is so hot, He's on fire.
- 6:27Speaker 1: He's he is on fire fire. He was at the
- 6:33Speaker 1: Medal of the Year. Yeah, your fire to make Gala.
- 6:36Speaker 1: I'm just telling every every every show he does, he's
- 6:39Speaker 1: pulled up his pants because you know, his skin is
- 6:41Speaker 1: a to pick, you know, so if you put pants
- 6:43Speaker 1: on him right, they're gonna fall. He got a naturally
- 6:47Speaker 1: sagging booty. You know what I'm saying. He ain't got
- 6:48Speaker 1: no but you know what I will give to him.
- 6:52Speaker 1: Why is he the Louis Batton Stella Accartney? He is
- 6:55Speaker 1: the Yeah, he is the model for all of those lines, yes,
- 7:01Speaker 1: the headlines. So yeah, don't put up your pants. And
- 7:06Speaker 1: I love him. I love him, Yeah, I love him.
- 7:09Speaker 1: You know you know he's again again. You mentioned two
- 7:12Speaker 1: names that are just natural naturally talented people that uh
- 7:16Speaker 1: that that I think that is popular because you know,
- 7:19Speaker 1: when you start trying to get an authentic look, they
- 7:21Speaker 1: have it. You know, because I'm saying that that Hollywood
- 7:23Speaker 1: has always been like to look a certain way, you know,
- 7:25Speaker 1: won't overly handsome people, only well built people or people
- 7:30Speaker 1: feels should be on calendars and stuff. And now they're
- 7:33Speaker 1: going to people who are just regular everyday people that
- 7:35Speaker 1: we work with, that we go to if we're going
- 7:38Speaker 1: to fast food restaurants. And these are the people who,
- 7:41Speaker 1: guess what are resonating with the viewers right exactly because
- 7:46Speaker 1: they can see themselves, you know what I mean. So
- 7:49Speaker 1: there's something that I guess it's not only relatable, but
- 7:52Speaker 1: it's like wow, okay, it's three dimensionality. You know, It's
- 7:56Speaker 1: like you know what I mean, carry Howard Miniversity. You know,
- 8:02Speaker 1: she go through that Howard University degree out there. You
- 8:05Speaker 1: know what? The dimensionality what she just saying, I ain't
- 8:07Speaker 1: never heard that word. I don't know that hold the
- 8:14Speaker 1: gospel show that would have been holding the hosting gospel shows.
- 8:17Speaker 1: You know, dimensionality. I I'm just I got a mad three.
- 8:21Speaker 1: I never came close to dimensionality until I heard this
- 8:24Speaker 1: show here with this young lady. But we're gonna be
- 8:26Speaker 1: back with more m girl. When did with Carl Robinson.
- 8:29Speaker 1: We're gonna talk about a new show on ABC, also
- 8:32Speaker 1: talking about her hosting African Pride Gospel super Fast TV.
- 8:37Speaker 1: Uh and again you know I always you know, I'm
- 8:40Speaker 1: a fan of what she does. And we'll be racked
- 8:43Speaker 1: with more Windy with Call robertson. I just shot mcgon,
- 8:48Speaker 1: we're off and we were just talking so much Windy
- 8:50Speaker 1: and I said, I gotta get back on Eric because
- 8:52Speaker 1: we were talking another thirty minutes and won't have nothing
- 8:54Speaker 1: of this great information on tape. And I was telling
- 8:57Speaker 1: about a young actress was on my RADI your show
- 9:00Speaker 1: called Kimry Lewis and uh and now and she starts
- 9:04Speaker 1: on the ABC sitcom right now. And it was funny
- 9:07Speaker 1: because her personality, her style reminded me so much of
- 9:12Speaker 1: a good friend of mine. I said, I said, are
- 9:14Speaker 1: you familiar with Kimrie. Are you familiar with Windy Rick
- 9:18Speaker 1: Carol Robinson? She went, oh, my god, that's my mentor.
- 9:20Speaker 1: She taught me how to act. It was like wow,
- 9:24Speaker 1: I said wow. I said, why. My staff looked at
- 9:26Speaker 1: me like I was like some gifted dude, because they
- 9:29Speaker 1: I was there. I was mad at me because I
- 9:30Speaker 1: can just pull rabbits out of the hat when I'm
- 9:32Speaker 1: talking to people and uh, and it was just it
- 9:35Speaker 1: was just the beauty of how you're starting, you know,
- 9:38Speaker 1: like you know, if it's pro sports, they have you know,
- 9:41Speaker 1: these coaching trees, you know, and you started to develop
- 9:44Speaker 1: this acting actor's treat actress treet and and they really
- 9:49Speaker 1: have to make you feel good about something that you
- 9:51Speaker 1: know in the hood. And it was in the hood, okay.
- 9:55Speaker 1: And I went to the very first ones, you know,
- 9:57Speaker 1: you know, when the air condition wasn't coming on, you're
- 10:00Speaker 1: supposed to come on, you know what I'm saying, right
- 10:02Speaker 1: exactly right, right, right, right right. Everybody looked like they
- 10:07Speaker 1: were if they were working too hard. Okay, right, everybody jobs,
- 10:12Speaker 1: we're taking out the class the floor. Also the parents
- 10:16Speaker 1: are taking the tuition and so and so just just
- 10:20Speaker 1: for just for just let everybody to know that when
- 10:22Speaker 1: you when you going through that, that's like a balance
- 10:25Speaker 1: part of you your life. Let's say, now you've got
- 10:27Speaker 1: this new show on ABC. Tell us about the new
- 10:30Speaker 1: show on the ABC, because ABC, you know, you've done
- 10:33Speaker 1: the c W, the w B S, you done up
- 10:36Speaker 1: NS all this stuff. And I was just I was
- 10:38Speaker 1: just talking to Cedric. He was on the show last month,
- 10:40Speaker 1: you know his shows on CBS. Uh. And I was
- 10:43Speaker 1: just telling I said, that's that. I said, I said,
- 10:46Speaker 1: you've done at all. But when you when you want
- 10:48Speaker 1: on one of the top three you know Foxes there too,
- 10:52Speaker 1: you five, ABC, NBC, CB, that's a different conversation. That's
- 10:58Speaker 1: a different conversation. That's that that that really is And
- 11:01Speaker 1: there's no insult to anybody, but those are the are
- 11:04Speaker 1: the legacy channels. The challenge that when you start going
- 11:07Speaker 1: back to black and white TV, you know, okay, when
- 11:10Speaker 1: you know they were there, they were there at midnight
- 11:13Speaker 1: television went off, they were there you know before right right,
- 11:17Speaker 1: So tell me about yes, and so tell me about
- 11:21Speaker 1: getting on this show and what's your what's your character? So, um,
- 11:26Speaker 1: I didn't want to peep you back on the Kimry
- 11:28Speaker 1: Lewis okay though. That was so funny because, um, when
- 11:32Speaker 1: I booked the ABC show, you know, they had to
- 11:34Speaker 1: zen but it's called the upfront, So that's where they
- 11:37Speaker 1: send everybody out, you know that on these new ABC shows.
- 11:41Speaker 1: And we're in New York and we're at one of
- 11:43Speaker 1: the ABC parties and she's like swooky and I was like, uh, yes,
- 11:48Speaker 1: and she's like it's Kimry Kimry Lewis, and I was like,
- 11:51Speaker 1: oh my god, Kimfrey. And I had seen her, you know,
- 11:55Speaker 1: in almost twenty years since she graduated, but she's on
- 11:58Speaker 1: the show that it's seen parents. But I thought the
- 12:01Speaker 1: funny thing was that I had auditioned for it so
- 12:03Speaker 1: many times and it was like, oh, now I feel
- 12:06Speaker 1: why I didn't get it because it won't. I just
- 12:10Speaker 1: thought it was just it was amazing. She's such a
- 12:12Speaker 1: huge talent and so deserving. But um, God always has
- 12:17Speaker 1: something for you, you know, And that was there was
- 12:20Speaker 1: a hard one for me because it was like I
- 12:22Speaker 1: wanted to get back and said comments all of that,
- 12:24Speaker 1: and God was like, no, I got you. So what
- 12:27Speaker 1: do you have for me? Unbeknownst to me was a
- 12:29Speaker 1: one hour and it's it's called Grand Hotel and it's
- 12:33Speaker 1: produced by Eva Longoria. It's about the last standing hotel
- 12:38Speaker 1: in Miami, in Miami that his family owned. So it's
- 12:41Speaker 1: owned by this Spanish family that comes from all this
- 12:45Speaker 1: wealth and you know, given you sexy and they're giving you, um,
- 12:49Speaker 1: you know, money ritten using of bad but at the
- 12:52Speaker 1: end of the day, it's also about the upstairs of them.
- 12:55Speaker 1: And then the downstairs story of how the underbelly of
- 12:59Speaker 1: the hotel works. And that's me and that's Mrs p.
- 13:03Speaker 1: And I'm running the entire staff and the entire show
- 13:06Speaker 1: underneath the hotel, you know what I mean. So it's
- 13:09Speaker 1: all of the inner workings of this hotel. So you
- 13:12Speaker 1: have the drama between you know, there's the guests, there's
- 13:15Speaker 1: the management, there's the staff, there's the mystery, there's the intrigue,
- 13:19Speaker 1: there's this, you know, it's so many things that go
- 13:22Speaker 1: on with this hotel. This is kind of like soap opera, right,
- 13:27Speaker 1: but it's just that Spanish soap opera style. So but
- 13:30Speaker 1: it's not but it's not in that style. Present day
- 13:34Speaker 1: it's very Miami. It's very hot. You know, we're actually
- 13:38Speaker 1: going back to Miami now to do some press on it.
- 13:40Speaker 1: But it's very present day, which not in that vein
- 13:44Speaker 1: at all. They've taken elements of that and have really
- 13:48Speaker 1: modernized it and brought it to a circle and you know,
- 13:54Speaker 1: made it something for the people. You know, got to
- 13:55Speaker 1: get the people what they want. Now, let me ask
- 13:57Speaker 1: you this. So this premiere is on Monday on ABC
- 14:00Speaker 1: JUNIEH seventeen at ten pm. Nine Central ten a p m.
- 14:03Speaker 1: Eastern ninth Central on ABC called the Grand Hotel Now,
- 14:07Speaker 1: but there still is an acting style, correct that they
- 14:11Speaker 1: want from you, right because you know you you you
- 14:14Speaker 1: know you have you have a versatile platform or different
- 14:18Speaker 1: roles you play. So you come in and and that's
- 14:21Speaker 1: that's that's an incredible testament to why you keep working,
- 14:24Speaker 1: you keep working for a region and so so now
- 14:27Speaker 1: you have this role and you know it's kind of
- 14:29Speaker 1: like a soap opera, not not to dated format, but
- 14:32Speaker 1: it's still a style because I've seen her work and
- 14:34Speaker 1: I love the way she sells a lot of projects
- 14:37Speaker 1: on this this type of style. Or you just was
- 14:40Speaker 1: just you and you just built your character based on
- 14:43Speaker 1: being a seasoned actress. Wow, thank you. You know, I
- 14:48Speaker 1: don't want to say it's it's not a soap opera
- 14:51Speaker 1: or a soap opera style. What it is. It goes
- 14:54Speaker 1: back to that three dimensionality. And I was talking about
- 14:57Speaker 1: these characters being so crafted for real, they're really crafted,
- 15:02Speaker 1: like we would get a script because we wouldn't know,
- 15:04Speaker 1: and then you show up a table reading it's like,
- 15:06Speaker 1: oh my god, Okay, this is where I gotta go.
- 15:09Speaker 1: So it really made us a call on every single
- 15:12Speaker 1: emotion into the core of who we are and to
- 15:17Speaker 1: representing people because we all have a past, and the
- 15:21Speaker 1: show was sot in a lot of flashbacks, he becomes
- 15:25Speaker 1: her character. Um it's a recurring character, so it's kind
- 15:29Speaker 1: of told through her eyes and flashbacks. But how it
- 15:32Speaker 1: brings us all to get there, or how it brings
- 15:36Speaker 1: us all apart. So it's an evolving, it's an unraveling,
- 15:40Speaker 1: it's an unlayering, but it's also holding it together, putting
- 15:44Speaker 1: on that face because I guess, well, we're the you know,
- 15:46Speaker 1: we're the Bomb Hotel. You know, I've got guests, We're
- 15:48Speaker 1: doing this, that and the other. But you know, internally
- 15:51Speaker 1: we're kind of falling apart in a lot of ways,
- 15:53Speaker 1: but keeping it together. So it's that inner struggle, it's
- 15:56Speaker 1: that outer struggle to hold it together and keep up
- 15:59Speaker 1: that aside. So it's a lot of moving pieces that
- 16:02Speaker 1: I mean, it really prove with the heart strength, but
- 16:05Speaker 1: at the same time, it's kind of you know, it's funny,
- 16:08Speaker 1: it's sexy, it's it's a little you know, all over
- 16:12Speaker 1: the place. I really haven't seen anything like that on
- 16:15Speaker 1: t V in a minute, so you know, how it
- 16:20Speaker 1: is going to be the hotel setting. It's beautiful. It's beautiful,
- 16:27Speaker 1: you know, just how it shot. Now it's in that
- 16:30Speaker 1: hotel setting. And so with that being is in that
- 16:32Speaker 1: hotel setting, we're getting a celebrity, you know, kind of
- 16:35Speaker 1: like checking into the hotel being themselves or it's just
- 16:39Speaker 1: keep scripted. Uh, It's it's pretty scripted. They didn't do
- 16:44Speaker 1: the stunt casting, which I'm really excited about, which makes
- 16:47Speaker 1: it even more believable because it doesn't take you out
- 16:50Speaker 1: of that round. Right. It's in Miami. Now, everybody go
- 16:53Speaker 1: to Miami. We do have no go ahead, everybody come
- 16:57Speaker 1: to Miami. So it's it's believable that your hotel can
- 17:00Speaker 1: and have a d Wade show up, can't have a
- 17:02Speaker 1: you know, any anybody of credibility show up down the
- 17:05Speaker 1: shooting the movie or television show or down there on
- 17:08Speaker 1: vacation of getting the way. So it's interesting. I just
- 17:11Speaker 1: think that long term. First of all, it's a great concept.
- 17:14Speaker 1: Congratulations of being a part of this series. It's called
- 17:17Speaker 1: The Grand Hotel. UH premiers January seven. In June seventeenth,
- 17:22Speaker 1: on a Monday seventeen, now five days later on June two,
- 17:26Speaker 1: You're gonna be hosting the African Pride by African Pride
- 17:30Speaker 1: Gospel super Fast TV. And they they got you back,
- 17:37Speaker 1: got you coming back? Now come on that Praise the Lord.
- 17:40Speaker 1: Praise the Lord. You're coming back. Come on now we
- 17:42Speaker 1: praise them to song music and dance, the blow the
- 17:45Speaker 1: trumpet and the horn. No, no, no, but I'm really excited.
- 17:48Speaker 1: This has been like my seventh year, not consistently, but
- 17:54Speaker 1: throughout the time and I just really really really developed
- 17:58Speaker 1: a connection not only with UM, this particular audience, but
- 18:01Speaker 1: this particular genre. Music has always been, you know, an
- 18:05Speaker 1: affinitative for me, and gospel music has really always fed
- 18:09Speaker 1: my soul completely. So we have a good time and
- 18:12Speaker 1: we turned up and when I say, some of the
- 18:15Speaker 1: best in the hottest gospel artists UM around the nation
- 18:20Speaker 1: and the world, UH take the stage. And this year
- 18:23Speaker 1: it is sponsored by Asking Pride and UM. It was
- 18:27Speaker 1: formerly the All State Gospel Past. So we've been in Chicago,
- 18:31Speaker 1: we've been in Atlanta, but Daton, Ohio is the home
- 18:34Speaker 1: of Dr Cartwright, who was in the executive producer. I
- 18:38Speaker 1: just talked to him today. I talked to you. I'm
- 18:40Speaker 1: just telling you need to stop talking to me. I
- 18:42Speaker 1: know here everybody doing this show. Now, Remember I first started,
- 18:44Speaker 1: I was asking for a favor. When can you come
- 18:46Speaker 1: on my show? I needed celebrity twenty seventhing. Everybody will
- 18:50Speaker 1: show that Dr Boba Cattwright. Please tell him a loo.
- 18:53Speaker 1: He gonna go. That's my maid, that's my may You
- 18:58Speaker 1: getting them, you got all that get I just want
- 19:01Speaker 1: to let you know before I let you go. Here's
- 19:03Speaker 1: a deal, my dear. You're on a ride. You're on
- 19:06Speaker 1: a ride your own fire. Please understand that. Get in
- 19:12Speaker 1: front of all that. Let everybody know that it doesn't
- 19:16Speaker 1: matter this journey. Did you own the success story that
- 19:19Speaker 1: you're telling? This changing lives, That that happens for people
- 19:23Speaker 1: who work hard for it, who deserve it, and should
- 19:27Speaker 1: be blessed to tell the world about it.