Latest / The Steve Harvey Morning Show / Rushion Interviews All American: Homecoming star Kelly Jenrette discusses her family, role as Amara, and acting career!

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Rushion Interviews All American: Homecoming star Kelly Jenrette discusses her family, role as Amara, and acting career! · The Steve Harvey Morning Show

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: My guest is Kelly Jenrette. She's an Emmy nominated actress
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: currently starting the seed up your hit series All American Homecoming.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: In twenty eight teams, she and her husband became the
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: first African American married couple to be nominated for Emmies.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: In the same year, as we know how, Emmy was
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: on the hit series Handmad's Tale, which I another one
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: of my great series that I love as well. She's
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: based in Atlanta, so she took time to come on
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: when I showed the talk about to spend off and
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: her character she's the president. We have a president on
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: the show. Please welcome money making Conversations master class, Kelly Jinnrette.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: How are you doing, Kelly? I don't do well. How
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: are you you know? Um uh some own character. She
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: was on the show when it was show premiered, so
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: I got to watch the first season as well as that,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: so I really am immersed into the series. So so
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: he said, this guy really knows the series. So because
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: so I, you know, I tried to do my prep work, Kelly,
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: and I was trying to jump on the show and
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: like and me even asked Eason every question because when
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: you have a series as a complex. I want to
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: say that complimentary character complex is yours. How do you
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: how do you slide in and out of this whole
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: process in the script development? Well, uh, I think the
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: thing that I focused on is just telling the truth
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: of the character of the story. It's just so well
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: written it's easy to kind of slide into it. And
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: I feel like the character of Mara is very close
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: to me Kelly as an individual, and so that makes
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: it easy as well. We know we said that the
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: fictitious HBCU school. Um, you know, here's my oholy thing.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Like I said, I watching Netflix a lot and the
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: All American series. It trends on Netflix as a TV
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: series and so and so it's it's to the top
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: shows on c W. What is encompassing the popularity of
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: this show. I'm not trying to put you on the spot,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: but obviously you're starting in the series so that I'm
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: sure people on the street stop you. I'm sure they
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: make comments of why they watch the show. Well in
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: your character as well, what is the driving force to
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: the fan viewership? I think because it's something that is relatable.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: I think that people see themselves, especially black people, they
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: can see themselves on the TV screen and not just
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: see themselves, but see their lives, see the complex aspects
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: of their lives, the successes, the trials, and the community.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: You know, seeing a group of people come together to
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: support one another. Even if that's something that people don't
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: have in their lives, it's something that they aspire to have.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: It's something that they desire to have. And so I
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: feel like the family aspect of the show, the relatability
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: of the characters on the show is something that really
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: resonates with people, um and not just black people. You know,
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: we've we've had people of all races talk to us
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: about how much they love the show. So that's that's
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: something that's humbling and exciting. We know, Kelly jen right,
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: That's what I'm speaking to. She's one of the stars
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: of the c W hits. There's all American homecoming. I
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: know I'm older than you, Kelly, and that's a good
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: thing because I feel that everybody lives their life and
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: their paths. But we grew up on a Different World,
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: and Different World was a sitcom and so but it
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: inspired a lot of traffic to HBC. Use. Some people
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: say that watching that series change their lives and so
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: but that was that was a sitcom. This is a drama,
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: so it lends itself for a lot more serious and
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: I think socially conscious storylines. One of the one of
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: the storylines is mental health, and I think that's important
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: because in the Africa, in the American community, we are
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: always to last to uh. We try to live in
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: perfect life where we don't want to admit that we
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: have gay in the community. Gave people in the community
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: one of the lists we have mental health issues in
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: the community, we don't make. We have high blood pressure,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: all the things that that they may deem as negative.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: It's about learning the truth and then being able to
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: live with it. Those diverse story lines, I think really
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: engage makes a serious popular That's just my side of
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: the conversation. But you live in it. You live in
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: the script. You're living with these actors who have to
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: make these storylines come to life. And then you are
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: like the president, which follows all this drama back to
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: you and and and the mass decision making. So let's
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: talk about that. And I also want to talk to
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: other other characters. But I wanted to get that holistic
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: statement out about your show, which is really positive, but
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: it also is a statement about the black community because
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: we don't talk about these things. Yeah, I think I
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: think the show does a really good job of highlighting,
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: like you said, at things that we don't discuss in
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: in the African American community, mental health being one of them.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: You know, I think it is important for us to
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: have those conversations to rid ourselves of the shame and
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: the guilt that comes with not having it all together, um,
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: and making sure we are careful with the people we
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: trust to help us walk through those situations as well.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: You know. It's it's a beautiful thing to be a
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: part of a show that isn't afraid to kind of
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: go in and dig deep into those things that may
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: be taboo in our community, right and and when you
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: say taboo, and it shouldn't be, you know it, because
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: this should be conversations and and the word therapy. And
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: I really like the way that storyline is working itself
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: out for the for the head coach. But also when
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: I look at the series, the fact that the two
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: sports that we're talking about at HBCU that don't get
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: talked about ever because we're always talking about the marching band,
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: We're always talking about the football teams we're all talking about.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: The basketball team is tennis and baseball. And I find
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: that really really cool because I would be personal about
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: my daughter, you know, before she shot at and she
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: played tennis and was on the on the pro circuit
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: and shot out the need eighteen eventually went to college.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: So I'm very fond of that storyline and then seeing
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: baseball being a very interesting and engaging storyline. It's really
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: a testament to not say anything else football because we
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: do talk about football in that but those are the
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: two primary sterline do when you see these things, because
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: you kind of laugh when I brought it up in
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: a good laugh that they go, this is different and
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: it's a good thing for the series. Oh absolutely. So
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: growing up, I have four brothers, they all played baseball.
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: My mom tried to get me and my sister into tennis.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: So we always joke about how we could have been
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: Venus and Arena. But my mom, my mom still plays
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: tennis to this day, and so those sports were very
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: prevalent in my life and still are, you know, with
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: my mom still playing tennis and my brother uh a
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: huge baseball fan, and so I think it is yet
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: something else that is very unique to our show that
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: we are highlighting sports that people wouldn't necessarily think like
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: HBCU Tennis, HBC baseball, you know, and and it just
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: opens up our eyes to the diversity that we can
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: find at these hpc us. We'll be right back with
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: more Money Making Conversations Masterclass with Rushan McDonald. Now, let's
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: return to Money Making Conversations Masterclass with Rushan McDonald. Well,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: I was happy to see that because it broke stereotypes
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: for a story storylines. You know, this is not about
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: the marching band, This is not about the football team
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: and halftime that side of the story I think everybody knows.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: But HBCUs do have golf teams. You know, species have
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: started gymnastic teams. A species have always had baseball teams
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: as well as tennis teams. And so when you look
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: at that storyline development, then you say, when we shine,
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: you know, you know, we we thought we're gonna be
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: you know, we're supposed to be Serena and Venus before
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: Serena and Venus. Now, why did you your mom play tennis? Now?
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: How did you get around a mom who plays tennis
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: and not play tennis? You know, she there's there's debate
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: around this story, but she said, you know, she she
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: had us out there and growing up in Atlanta, Uh,
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: it's hot, and I think we were just a little
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: too prissy and didn't want to be out there in
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: the sun, you know. And I was like, listen, you
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: should have like toughened up, and then like, no, you're
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: gonna be out here, You're gonna play. So yeah, I'm
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: gonna take you in front on this now. Handmaid's Tail, Now,
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: that's a pretty rough series. Now, I'm trying to find
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: out when you say the word prissy now and that
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: character you played, that handmade tail, what nothing pressy about
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: that whole set up over it? So please help your
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: boy here to understand why that was prissy and Handmade's
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: Tail wasn't prissy. Well, see, I think you have real
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: life and acting life, and so I can act like
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: tennis play, I can act like a scorn wife. You know.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: Those things are are a little easy to do. So yeah,
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: I love it. I love it because because your resume
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: is amazing, you know, and you know, because because I
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: if you get a little history of me, you know,
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: I started my career as a stand up comedian, went
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: to college math degree sociology with the IBM if IBM
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: thought I'd be the next Eddie Murphy and the Scholarger's Countryside.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: And when I look back at my life now, I realized, how,
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: you know, where the fortunate or or driven I was
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: to have the career I have, Because having success at
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: twenty and thirty, you still gotta get the forty, You
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: still gotta get the fifty she got. All those years
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: have still got to come. And do you think like
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: that that you do you ever take time to look
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: back at a lot of the success stories, the opportunity
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: that have been presented to you as an actress, to say, wow, yeah, absolutely,
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: I excuse me. Was driving to acting class a couple
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: of weeks ago and passed by a place where I
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: used to have to take my rent check, and that
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: just sent me down the path, as the old folks
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: used to say, looking back over my life and thinking
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: things over when I moved out to California and the
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: the amount of nose that I received, and the almost
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: and not yet and uh even the yes is you
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: know it is, it's humbling, it's exciting. UM. I do
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: my best to just try to focus on what is
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: in front of me right now, while not neglecting like hey,
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: if I'm so fortunate to to continue on in this,
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: like what type of legacy do I want to leave
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: for those who are still here? Um? And so yeah,
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: it is often that I sit back and I'm like, wow, God,
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: thank you. You know, because then, and I think it's
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: important for your fans to hear you say that, because
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: everybody wants to be you. You might say, oh, man,
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: you know, I'm just start there working. But then in
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: your conversation you said, despite your resume that you have
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: acting classes, you're still going to acting classes. Oh absolutely,
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: TV series now Emmy nominated actress, loved you and I
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: corked in a number of the projects, and here in
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: twit twent two you're still going to acting classes. Please
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: let my fan base understand why that's important. So there
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: there's a proverb that I love. It's it says it
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: is not good to have zeal without knowledge, or to
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: be hasty and miss the way. You can be passionate
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: all day and all night, but if you don't have
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: the knowledge to sustain you and what it is that
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: you are seeking, I don't care if it's acting. If
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: you want to be a teacher. If you want to
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: be a scientist, like whatever it is that you want
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: to do, you must have the knowledge to back it up.
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: And as an actor, I'm always in these edition of
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: what else can I learn? How can I be better?
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: How can I sharpen this tool that God has given me.
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: I don't ever want to get to a place where
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: like I've a ride, then that's boring and I don't grow.
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: I want to keep growing. And I guess when I'm
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: talking to Kelly Jenret, one of the stars of the
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: All American series Home Care, it's a spin off of
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: that series based only the fictional hbc U, I guess
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: we have to say for my fans or even me
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: to understand is that it's just like watching a Tom Brady.
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: If Tom Brady didn't go to practice, then he couldn't
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: throw touchdown, He lose timing, he loses chemistry. And by
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: going to an acting classes, even though success is in
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: your history, it will be in your future. You still
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: have to understand how can you push your character? How
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: can you you know, like I said, cry or laugh
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: or emote a certain scene change? So can you walk
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: your walk us through the steps of what is an
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: acting class experience for somebody that's as successful as you,
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: because I'm sure when you walk in a room, the
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: other actors and actors going, oh, she's here, and they
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: try to pick your brain for information because you in
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: some ways they say you've made it. So talk about
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: your acting experience going into these rooms with other actors
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: and actresses and how you maintain that humbleness to get
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: something out of the course. Well, for me, I I
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: love uh classes like I will do one on one coaching,
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: but I love the class aspect. I've worked with two
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: very incredible studios, Sue Hamilton's Studios and Berg Studios, which
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: have which are similar in some regards and very different
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: in others. But I think for me, my my approach
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: in being in class and and not even so much
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: that people are like, oh my god. I mean not
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: that they say to me, um, but I know that
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: it is. It's acknowledged, like yeah, she's an Emmy nominated actress,
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: but she's still here in class. And so even when
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: I'm not going up in class, when I'm not performing,
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: when I'm not doing a scene, when I'm not doing
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: a monologue, other people are And I love being able
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: to see what other people do. I love being able
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: to hear the feedback that other actors get because then
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: I can take that and say, oh, you know what,
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: that's a really great note. I'm gonna try that the
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: next time I do my scene or the next time
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: I'm in a situation like this. And so it is
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: really that iron sharpening, iron mentality that I take in
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: and again, like, I've not arrived. I don't think I'll
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: ever get to a place where I'm like, I don't
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: need to be sharpened anymore. I'm gonna tell you, as Kelly,
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: you have arrived. But I'm not saying you don't need
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: to be sharpened. Okay, I say that because of the
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: fact that you know, uh, look, I can't act. I
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: would tell you right up for I you know, I've tried,
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: I go. That is not my skills. And as a
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: standup comedian, I was very successful when it came to
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: transition that skills to what you do or individuals like
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: you do, y'all. That's that's like amateur and professional. Y'all
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: were professional. I was a superstar amateur. And so you
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: don't get a resume like you get unless you have
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: a ride because people calling in on these high level
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: auditions and sometimes I'm pish some people basically they just
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: wanted to hear you show up, so it didn't give
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: you the role. Now, but what I do get out
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: of the fact that you in these classes as being
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: a director. I do see that. So talk to us.
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: Are you working on being a director? When will you
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: direct one of the episodes of All American Homecoming? Because
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: I see that happening, because that's your skills set, I said,
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: I'm like, who you've been talking to you? Just telling you, Kelly,
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: you know you can sit over here with this humble story,
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: your bartman in the games, his Nati folk. Okay, I've
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: seen talents like you, and I also know you're one
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: of those people who push other talents on the set,
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: you know, because that's your gift. So, but that gift
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: will translate behind the camera because you see things differently.
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: You see when you're walk into sing you see everybody's roll,
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: everybody's character. That's a director's eye. I see that when
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: I'm watching the show, when I'm watching you, I said,
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: So now that we know that Roushan got all this
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: inside information because he just watch you, that's gonna talk
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: about what your next step gonna happen in Kelly Jenret's career.
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: You know, thank you so much for saying that. I
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: appreciate you, and I actually would like to direct. UM
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: would love to direct an episode of Homecoming. We'll we'll see,
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: We'll see what that looks like over over the next
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: couple of seasons. Like I again want to make sure
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: I am sitting in a seat of learning and taking
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: it all in shadowing the different directors that come on
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: our set and work with us. UM reading books. You
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: know Michael Schultz, the great Michael Schultz UM who directed
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: several episodes of both All American and All American Homecoming. UM,
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: he is someone that is like, yeah, there there are
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: books that you can read. UM. Other directors who I'm like,
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: do you mind if I shadow you? And they're like, yeah, absolutely,
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: come on, and you can shadow me on this other
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: show that I'm working on too. So it's something that
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: I'm I'm like tip tipping my toe in, but I
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: think I'm just like just jumping. But make sure you
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: have the knowledge with the zeal. We'll be right back
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: with more Money Making Conversations Masterclass with Rushan McDonald. Now
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: let's return to Money Making Conversations Masterclass with Rashan McDonald.
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna tell you something. Let me tell you, I
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: tell you, I gotta tell you this. You know, just
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: just a colleague, Okay, you know. I fortunately executive sitcoms.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: I've readen no sitcoms. I produced sitcoms than large scale productions.
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: And I was always never the person making the decisions.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: And then I did. Then then I was in Vegas
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: during this huge Neighborhood Award event with me and Steve Harveys,
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: who was doing and and I did it. And I
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: realized when I walked away, I went, that's it. That's it.
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: And that's what I'm telling you. Where you're at, You're
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: at the that's it stage. And I say that because
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: you will do your homework. Our friend, You're not gonna
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: jump out there and not be prepared. You got an
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: amazing husband's gonna help you be prepared. You have people
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: in the industry who are rooting for you. I'm just
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: letting you know that that you don't get this resume
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: based on luck right place at the right time. It's
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: a skill set that you're still doing. Iron shopping's iron
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: I'm just letting you know that when you do direct
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: your first episode, I just know that hopefully I pushed
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: you a little bit. Hopefully your husband pushed you a
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: lot more because he sees the same thing I see.
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: And the blessing is that when it happens, you're gonna
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: go that's it. Wow. And I'm saying you should have
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: started earlier, but i just want you to cross that
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: line and realize you're not gonna stop acting. But boy,
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: it's gonna open the door for you. That's gonna scare
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: you because you're gonna see how much you're gonna change
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: the industry on that side of the land, giving directions
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: for young actors, whether they're white or black or Latino,
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: because you're gonna be a You're going to be one
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: of those actresses that can act with the special effects.
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: You'll be able to do it all because your career
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: has shown you to participate in all those lanes. And
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: I'm not turning this into a motivational speech for Kelly.
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: I'm just letting you know your challenged a young lady,
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: and I'm fortunate to be a person who shared this experience.
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: And the reason I call you a young lady because
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: you're younger than me. And I have to show you
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: respect by saying, as an older person in this business
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: who've seen talent like you and and they've crossed over,
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: you're jump run, uh ski slide, do your thing right now.
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: You just off all American Homecoming. You're gonna be directing
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: some episodes before it's all done, Okay. I feel I'm like, well,
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: how we passed the offering plate because you just you
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: just gave a whole word right there. Um Man, I'm like,
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: do you know my husband? Have you been talking to him?
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: Like what is happening? Well? You know, the thing about
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: it is that you know, I'm married, and you know,
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: and my wife's talented, and and sometimes I have to
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: remind her of her gifts and not on her how
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: portant she is in my life. And to do that yesterday,
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. And uh, because you know,
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: we go through these processes and and and and and
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: if you don't, who's who is to remind you? If
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: the person that doesn't love it, that loves you the most,
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: that's the person should be reminding. But you know that
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: my whole thing and bringing you on was not to
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: get it in this part of the conversation. It's port
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: of It's just this is a conversation, a testimonial conversation
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: about your career and the brilliance of it and being
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: this matriarch on this TV series that's a hit show
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: on c W called All American Homecoming, and you're the
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: stewardship over that show. You know, you might not be
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: delivering our lines all the time, but your your imagery,
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: your your being able to when they come for those
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: those branches, those brunch dinners, how that becomes like the
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: old old Black Hall souls. Well, everybody will meet on
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: Sunday dinner at the family So there's a lot of symbolism.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: So when you as we wrap up this interview, and
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: you know, not go by what I talked about in
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: your directing, what do you enjoy the most about being
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: on this series All American Homecoming, there's a hit on CW.
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: There are so many things to enjoy. What immediately comes
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: to mind are the actors that I get to work with.
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: There's not one day that I don't go on set
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: and have a full hearty laugh. We laugh all the time,
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: and I love to laugh. I love to enjoy myself
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: and we we have the deep conversations. We have the
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: tough conversations, but the family dynamic um on set, it's
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: just amazing. It is something that I look forward to
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: every time I get to go to set where I
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: look forward to. I turned on TV and see y'all.
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna say y'all okay because it is an experience.
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: Can say y'all from from Houston, Texas. So y'all flow
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: is really good out of my mouth. I'm just in Atlantic,
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: an extension of the South. But more importantly, your career
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: is a blessing. Watching the show with African American talent
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: that is relatable, it is a blessing, but more important
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: to the storylines are well written, but the but the
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: leadership being able to go into the storylines about the
• 24:24
  Speaker 1: community that that we don't talk about, normalizing it and
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: story lines that carry credibility is a blessing. And I
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: think years from now, what Hilman did for us in
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: different world, you guys are gonna do for the next
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: generation of ten years, twenty years and not said they
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: were inspired by this TV show that was on the
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: fictitious HBC Uth School in Atlanta, and you were one
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: of the stars of that show. So, Kelly, that will
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: be part of your legacy and people probably ain't their
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: kids after year. You know, that's my favorite character home coming.
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: But thank you were coming on money making conversation Master,
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: Glad you're you're blessing the interview. Thank you, thank you
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: so much. Thank you for the life that you spoke
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: into my life. I receive it. I hear you, and
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: I will move recording me. There you go, there you go. Well,
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: now we're gonna come on, come on, come on, come on,
• 25:15
  Speaker 1: come on, come again. Thank you. Keep that laugh. That's
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: what I'm talking about. Laugh right there. Keep their spirits high,
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: and we're talking soon, okay, because I keep my I'm
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: gonna keep a little monitor on you. I keep my
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: little monitoring you. And if I see you directed anything,
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: you know, your first phone call gonna be your ball.
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: Not to say that I told you so, just to
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: say what prompted the jump though? What prompt jump? Be safe?
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: Now we talked soon, Love you, Love you to