1 00:00:00,100 --> 00:00:02,877 - It really is something that we're so committed to, 2 00:00:02,877 --> 00:00:05,510 and my production company is sort of 3 00:00:06,770 --> 00:00:10,610 reorienting ourselves around the idea of otherness, 4 00:00:10,610 --> 00:00:14,050 because we for so long have taken for granted 5 00:00:14,050 --> 00:00:17,090 that certain people belong at the center of the story. 6 00:00:17,090 --> 00:00:18,140 And a lot of it has to do with 7 00:00:18,140 --> 00:00:23,120 that straight white male gaze and orientation. 8 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:28,120 And what if we decide that everyone is at the center 9 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:30,040 of their own story, 10 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:33,330 that everyone is the hero of their own journey? 11 00:00:33,330 --> 00:00:35,290 What do our stories look like 12 00:00:35,290 --> 00:00:38,210 when we have a commitment to make that true? 13 00:00:38,210 --> 00:00:40,210 - I'm Prerna Gupta, a tech founder, 14 00:00:40,210 --> 00:00:43,170 and in this series, I'll explore how exceptional people 15 00:00:43,170 --> 00:00:45,650 succeed by following their hero's journey. 16 00:00:45,650 --> 00:00:47,400 Hi, Kerry, welcome to Hero's Journey, 17 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:49,140 and thanks for joining. 18 00:00:49,140 --> 00:00:50,170 - Thank you for having me. 19 00:00:50,170 --> 00:00:51,380 It's lovely to be here. 20 00:00:52,370 --> 00:00:54,530 - You are a hero to so many young women 21 00:00:54,530 --> 00:00:56,430 who have been inspired by your journey, 22 00:00:56,430 --> 00:00:59,247 especially women of color like me. 23 00:00:59,247 --> 00:01:02,660 - Aw. - When did you know 24 00:01:02,660 --> 00:01:04,750 that you wanted to be an actress, 25 00:01:04,750 --> 00:01:07,330 and what made you believe it's possible? 26 00:01:07,330 --> 00:01:10,830 - I always did acting as an extracurricular activity. 27 00:01:10,830 --> 00:01:14,650 I was a very dramatic child, and so my mom very smartly, 28 00:01:14,650 --> 00:01:19,150 very intelligently put me in all kinds of after-school 29 00:01:19,150 --> 00:01:20,780 theater company type programs, 30 00:01:20,780 --> 00:01:24,320 just so I could get all those emotions out of my system, 31 00:01:24,320 --> 00:01:26,420 but I really loved living in that space. 32 00:01:26,420 --> 00:01:29,003 I loved living in a space of imagination. 33 00:01:30,470 --> 00:01:35,470 I never thought that acting would be a career for me. 34 00:01:35,610 --> 00:01:39,900 It really was a hobby, and it wasn't until I was doing 35 00:01:39,900 --> 00:01:41,420 a summer conservatory program, 36 00:01:41,420 --> 00:01:44,560 so it was a program I was really studying acting 37 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:47,750 in a much more kind of full time way 38 00:01:47,750 --> 00:01:52,680 in between my sophomore and junior years of undergrad. 39 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,330 And I learned about actors unions 40 00:01:55,330 --> 00:01:57,860 and I hadn't known that there were unions for actors, 41 00:01:57,860 --> 00:01:58,900 but I come from a family, 42 00:01:58,900 --> 00:02:00,840 my mom's a teacher, a retired professor, 43 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:02,630 so I knew about teacher's unions. 44 00:02:02,630 --> 00:02:05,990 And I knew that unions were for working people. 45 00:02:05,990 --> 00:02:09,780 And I thought, okay, well, if there's a union for actors, 46 00:02:09,780 --> 00:02:13,450 it must mean that enough people are able to kind of 47 00:02:13,450 --> 00:02:16,210 make a living to do this as a career, 48 00:02:16,210 --> 00:02:17,500 even though we never see them, 49 00:02:17,500 --> 00:02:19,210 like on the cover of a magazine, 50 00:02:19,210 --> 00:02:21,010 or maybe their name in lights, 51 00:02:21,010 --> 00:02:23,410 it still means like, there's a way to make a living 52 00:02:23,410 --> 00:02:26,110 doing what I love doing, even if I never become famous. 53 00:02:26,110 --> 00:02:28,430 And so that's what made me feel like I'm gonna go for it. 54 00:02:28,430 --> 00:02:30,680 'Cause I didn't wanna be famous, 55 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,740 I just wanted to be able to spend my life 56 00:02:33,740 --> 00:02:37,020 doing something that I really, really loved to do. 57 00:02:37,020 --> 00:02:39,050 - That's so beautiful. 58 00:02:39,050 --> 00:02:44,050 And I think speaks to why you're so good at it, you know, 59 00:02:44,170 --> 00:02:47,380 you're such an incredibly talented actor 60 00:02:47,380 --> 00:02:49,880 and it's because it really came from a place of love 61 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,210 and a place of passion and not necessarily 62 00:02:53,210 --> 00:02:55,210 for all of the rewards that come 63 00:02:55,210 --> 00:02:57,370 from being successful in it. 64 00:02:57,370 --> 00:02:58,950 - Well, I think it also came from a place 65 00:02:58,950 --> 00:03:03,210 of wanting to work, you know, not wanting to like, 66 00:03:03,210 --> 00:03:06,020 sometimes I think people imagine that what you do 67 00:03:06,020 --> 00:03:08,670 as an actor is you just like sit around all day, 68 00:03:08,670 --> 00:03:11,390 and feel feelings while people feed you grapes, 69 00:03:11,390 --> 00:03:14,051 and fan you with feathers, like, and, 70 00:03:14,051 --> 00:03:14,884 (Kerry laughing) 71 00:03:14,884 --> 00:03:18,100 the truth is, you know, at the height of Scandal, 72 00:03:18,100 --> 00:03:21,770 for example, I was often working 16, 17 hour days, 73 00:03:21,770 --> 00:03:25,380 and you put in a lot of time and effort, you know, 74 00:03:25,380 --> 00:03:27,270 that didn't include the hour and a half 75 00:03:27,270 --> 00:03:29,250 that I would spend coming home to memorize lines. 76 00:03:29,250 --> 00:03:32,040 Now I'm not saying that my job is the hardest job 77 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:33,470 in the world, I'm not a brain surgeon, 78 00:03:33,470 --> 00:03:35,480 I'm not a grave digger, I'm not like, you know, 79 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:36,650 if I don't go to work, 80 00:03:36,650 --> 00:03:39,210 people might feel uninspired for a day, 81 00:03:39,210 --> 00:03:41,550 like if my trash collector doesn't go to work, 82 00:03:41,550 --> 00:03:43,400 like we all get sick. 83 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:45,740 So like there are jobs that are a lot more important 84 00:03:45,740 --> 00:03:49,620 than mine, but I think that when we come to something 85 00:03:49,620 --> 00:03:54,613 with the willingness to work at it, to put our effort to, 86 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:59,310 to be disciplined and committed, 87 00:03:59,310 --> 00:04:02,550 I think for me, the reward is greater, 88 00:04:02,550 --> 00:04:05,240 because I'm not actually coming at it, 89 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:07,550 as you said to receive accolades, 90 00:04:07,550 --> 00:04:09,660 'cause I can never control those accolades. 91 00:04:09,660 --> 00:04:12,440 What I can control is my work ethic, my commitment 92 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,750 and my discipline. 93 00:04:15,750 --> 00:04:18,093 - Wise words and so inspiring. 94 00:04:20,260 --> 00:04:23,130 So every great hero needs a mentor. 95 00:04:23,130 --> 00:04:26,620 Who have been key mentors to you in your journey, 96 00:04:26,620 --> 00:04:30,825 and is it true that J-Lo taught you how to dance? 97 00:04:30,825 --> 00:04:34,080 - (Kerry laughing) Yes, I could say, well, 98 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:37,260 so I grew up in the same neighborhood as Jennifer Lopez. 99 00:04:37,260 --> 00:04:39,830 We both grew up in the Castle Hills Soundview area 100 00:04:39,830 --> 00:04:40,920 of the Bronx, 101 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,570 and we both went to the same Boys and Girls Club, 102 00:04:44,570 --> 00:04:47,610 Boys and Girls Club was a really, really important 103 00:04:47,610 --> 00:04:50,810 part of my childhood with two parents who worked full time, 104 00:04:50,810 --> 00:04:53,980 and so the Boys and Girls Club is where I went after school, 105 00:04:53,980 --> 00:04:57,370 and those hours between where my public school education 106 00:04:57,370 --> 00:04:58,730 hours those were done, 107 00:04:58,730 --> 00:05:01,170 but my parents couldn't pick me up yet, 108 00:05:01,170 --> 00:05:04,120 I think my mom actually lied when I was little too, 109 00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:06,050 'cause I was one year too young 110 00:05:06,050 --> 00:05:07,720 to be able to join the Boys and Girls Club, 111 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:09,150 she was like, you'll be fine. 112 00:05:09,150 --> 00:05:11,693 And I had older cousins with me, so I was safe. 113 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:16,220 But we had at the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx, 114 00:05:16,220 --> 00:05:19,110 we have this extraordinary dance teacher. 115 00:05:19,110 --> 00:05:20,930 His name was Larry Maldonado. 116 00:05:20,930 --> 00:05:24,380 He was just a dream. 117 00:05:24,380 --> 00:05:27,470 You know, he really encouraged all of us 118 00:05:27,470 --> 00:05:31,270 Black and Brown girls to understand our worth, 119 00:05:31,270 --> 00:05:33,290 our value, our beauty, 120 00:05:33,290 --> 00:05:35,160 you know, I always think arts education, 121 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:37,940 we think about arts education in the wrong ways, 122 00:05:37,940 --> 00:05:40,510 often, I think, arts education isn't about creating 123 00:05:40,510 --> 00:05:42,790 the next J-Lo or the next Kerry Washington, actually, 124 00:05:42,790 --> 00:05:44,940 arts education is about creating 125 00:05:44,940 --> 00:05:49,610 the next best human beings to solve 126 00:05:49,610 --> 00:05:51,250 our most important problems, right? 127 00:05:51,250 --> 00:05:53,520 Because at the Boys and Girls Club, 128 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,240 I learned about showing up, I learned about courage, 129 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:59,760 I learned about teamwork, I learned about curiosity. 130 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,470 I learned about how to be on time, 131 00:06:02,470 --> 00:06:04,420 how to keep trying, perseverance, right? 132 00:06:04,420 --> 00:06:08,140 And those were the skills that were being passed on to us 133 00:06:08,140 --> 00:06:09,620 from Larry, our dance teacher, 134 00:06:09,620 --> 00:06:13,010 and Jennifer was at the same club. 135 00:06:13,010 --> 00:06:16,580 Larry was one of the very first people I knew as a kid 136 00:06:16,580 --> 00:06:20,490 in the 80s who was impacted by HIV and aids. 137 00:06:20,490 --> 00:06:23,530 And so when Larry found himself in the hospital 138 00:06:23,530 --> 00:06:26,620 for weeks and months at a time, 139 00:06:26,620 --> 00:06:28,670 Jennifer was one of the older girls, 140 00:06:28,670 --> 00:06:31,360 and she stepped in to teach some of our classes. 141 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:33,900 So she's, I don't, you know, she wasn't like, 142 00:06:33,900 --> 00:06:36,930 she was more of a big sister than a teacher, 143 00:06:36,930 --> 00:06:40,260 but she was, I did get to study dance with Jennifer, 144 00:06:40,260 --> 00:06:43,210 and you would think I'd be better at it because of it, 145 00:06:43,210 --> 00:06:45,560 but that's no lack on her part, 146 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:46,939 that's definitely a lack on my part. 147 00:06:46,939 --> 00:06:48,930 (laughing in unison) 148 00:06:48,930 --> 00:06:49,910 But you know, I've had, 149 00:06:49,910 --> 00:06:51,900 I've been really lucky to have all different 150 00:06:51,900 --> 00:06:55,480 kinds of mentors in my life because I think also, you know, 151 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:59,090 when you grow and you have a curiosity 152 00:06:59,090 --> 00:07:03,070 to explore other areas of interests, other verticals, 153 00:07:03,070 --> 00:07:04,350 then it's important to find 154 00:07:04,350 --> 00:07:06,010 lots of different kinds of mentors. 155 00:07:06,010 --> 00:07:09,240 So I've been really lucky in the social justice work 156 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:14,240 that I do to have just phenomenal mentors out in the world, 157 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,300 people who are doing just extraordinary work, 158 00:07:18,300 --> 00:07:21,490 like, you know, there are two people that come to mind, 159 00:07:21,490 --> 00:07:23,160 always for me when I get this question, 160 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:25,860 just incredible, incredible leaders, 161 00:07:25,860 --> 00:07:28,590 Tram Nguyen, who is the Executive Director 162 00:07:28,590 --> 00:07:31,450 of the New Virginia Majority and Art Reyes, 163 00:07:31,450 --> 00:07:34,100 who's the Executive Director of We the People in Michigan, 164 00:07:34,100 --> 00:07:39,100 and both of these people are just unwavering 165 00:07:39,470 --> 00:07:41,140 in their dedication to the community. 166 00:07:41,140 --> 00:07:44,790 Just like so fully committed to honoring 167 00:07:44,790 --> 00:07:48,340 the voice of the people and to transforming our democracy, 168 00:07:48,340 --> 00:07:51,050 to be really more inclusive. 169 00:07:51,050 --> 00:07:53,830 So when I come to the advocacy work, 170 00:07:53,830 --> 00:07:57,690 I always worry that I never wanna make it about me. 171 00:07:57,690 --> 00:07:59,927 You know, I don't wanna go into a neighborhood and say like, 172 00:07:59,927 --> 00:08:01,037 "I'm Kerry Washington, 173 00:08:01,037 --> 00:08:02,770 "you should vote because I tell you to" 174 00:08:02,770 --> 00:08:04,917 or like "I'm Kerry Washington, 175 00:08:04,917 --> 00:08:08,847 "you should run for office, because I played Olivia Pope, 176 00:08:08,847 --> 00:08:09,790 "and I know what that means." 177 00:08:09,790 --> 00:08:13,080 It's like, no, it's really about coming to a community, 178 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:17,450 and figuring out how to listen to the voices on the ground 179 00:08:17,450 --> 00:08:19,050 and be guided by those voices, 180 00:08:19,050 --> 00:08:21,910 so leaders like Tram and like Art, 181 00:08:21,910 --> 00:08:25,010 they really do the work of uplifting those local voices. 182 00:08:25,010 --> 00:08:26,780 They are those local heroes 183 00:08:26,780 --> 00:08:29,750 that I really go to again and again, 184 00:08:29,750 --> 00:08:33,700 to teach me how to be led by the needs of a community. 185 00:08:33,700 --> 00:08:37,663 - That's amazing, and I think it, you know, it just shows, 186 00:08:38,660 --> 00:08:41,230 like I said, I mean every great hero needs a mentor, 187 00:08:41,230 --> 00:08:43,660 and just your ability to seek out these mentors, 188 00:08:43,660 --> 00:08:46,280 and be open and learning from them, 189 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:49,600 and your desire to continue to learn in new areas. 190 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:51,340 I mean, you know, you mentioned this, 191 00:08:51,340 --> 00:08:54,250 but you have used your platform 192 00:08:54,250 --> 00:08:57,500 to do some incredible social impact work, 193 00:08:57,500 --> 00:09:00,730 and in the areas of democracy, voter participation, 194 00:09:00,730 --> 00:09:04,380 racial justice, the most important issues of our time. 195 00:09:04,380 --> 00:09:07,230 Tell us a little bit about some of your recent efforts 196 00:09:07,230 --> 00:09:10,820 in this area and why this work is so important to you. 197 00:09:10,820 --> 00:09:12,453 - Yeah, you know, it's funny, 198 00:09:14,580 --> 00:09:16,770 working with folks like Tram and Art 199 00:09:16,770 --> 00:09:20,550 has been really helpful to me, because even though 200 00:09:20,550 --> 00:09:23,150 I really try to come to that work 201 00:09:23,150 --> 00:09:24,270 in the spirit of service, right? 202 00:09:24,270 --> 00:09:26,570 Like what can I do for you and your community? 203 00:09:26,570 --> 00:09:27,500 How can I uplift? 204 00:09:27,500 --> 00:09:29,930 How can I take some of these eyeballs or ears 205 00:09:29,930 --> 00:09:32,980 that are pointed toward me and point them toward you? 206 00:09:32,980 --> 00:09:36,280 But of course, I get so much more 207 00:09:36,280 --> 00:09:39,140 out of the relationship than they do, 208 00:09:39,140 --> 00:09:41,070 because they have so much to teach, 209 00:09:41,070 --> 00:09:44,150 and so one of the really exciting things that's happened 210 00:09:44,150 --> 00:09:47,000 is that working with Tram and Art has really inspired me 211 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:48,640 to launch a cohort, 212 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:51,710 which is in partnership with the movement voter project, 213 00:09:51,710 --> 00:09:56,040 which provides resources to 10 grassroots organizations 214 00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:59,170 all across the country to help drive change 215 00:09:59,170 --> 00:10:00,230 in those communities. 216 00:10:00,230 --> 00:10:03,260 So together we designed a two-year-program 217 00:10:03,260 --> 00:10:06,740 to give organizations the money, the resources, you know, 218 00:10:06,740 --> 00:10:08,420 capital and other kinds of resources 219 00:10:08,420 --> 00:10:11,990 to build their storytelling and their digital strategy, 220 00:10:11,990 --> 00:10:14,440 and visual communications expertise, right? 221 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:16,380 Like things that are more in my core competency, 222 00:10:16,380 --> 00:10:19,280 but that I know these organizations need 223 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:20,990 to better reach their audiences, 224 00:10:20,990 --> 00:10:22,990 and to scale their impact in the world. 225 00:10:22,990 --> 00:10:25,760 So figuring out like, what are my superpowers, 226 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:27,100 what are their superpowers, 227 00:10:27,100 --> 00:10:29,510 how do we help each other, and more importantly, 228 00:10:29,510 --> 00:10:30,970 how do I help them? 229 00:10:30,970 --> 00:10:34,830 - Yeah, incredible, and I think it's really smart, 230 00:10:34,830 --> 00:10:36,800 you know, rather than saying, 231 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,140 I think a lot of people who go into philanthropy 232 00:10:39,140 --> 00:10:40,750 kind of think about it's all about me, 233 00:10:40,750 --> 00:10:43,700 and I'm doing this because I want to make myself 234 00:10:43,700 --> 00:10:45,700 seem like a great person, 235 00:10:45,700 --> 00:10:47,900 but your insight that there are all these 236 00:10:47,900 --> 00:10:50,150 other organizations that are doing amazing work, 237 00:10:50,150 --> 00:10:53,960 and what can I do to support them, I think is so smart, 238 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:55,820 and it's cool to see just the leverage 239 00:10:55,820 --> 00:10:56,660 that you're able to have, 240 00:10:56,660 --> 00:10:59,330 it's like being an investor in the startup world, 241 00:10:59,330 --> 00:11:02,490 you know, a venture investor says I'm gonna have leverage 242 00:11:02,490 --> 00:11:05,850 by investing in and supporting all these other incredible 243 00:11:05,850 --> 00:11:07,050 founders doing this work, 244 00:11:07,050 --> 00:11:08,800 and you're sort of doing the same thing. 245 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:10,040 - They are founders, right? 246 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:11,650 I mean, these grassroots leaders, 247 00:11:11,650 --> 00:11:15,550 they truly are founders that they've proven 248 00:11:15,550 --> 00:11:17,740 the most effective way to create change 249 00:11:17,740 --> 00:11:19,160 is to start at the ground level. 250 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:22,520 And so it's been phenomenal to learn from them 251 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:24,470 to support them, to leverage my platform, 252 00:11:24,470 --> 00:11:26,990 to help them make a difference 'cause they are the founders 253 00:11:26,990 --> 00:11:29,180 doing the work that's most important right now. 254 00:11:29,180 --> 00:11:31,700 - Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. 255 00:11:31,700 --> 00:11:34,520 So kind of going back to your, you know, 256 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:36,590 career and experience as an actor, 257 00:11:36,590 --> 00:11:38,650 you've played so many diverse roles, 258 00:11:38,650 --> 00:11:41,500 and play them so convincingly, for example, 259 00:11:41,500 --> 00:11:43,850 Kay Amin in The Last King of Scotland, 260 00:11:43,850 --> 00:11:48,690 it was such a powerful role, and you were amazing. 261 00:11:48,690 --> 00:11:51,230 Tell us a little bit about 262 00:11:51,230 --> 00:11:53,400 how you prepare for a role like that. 263 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,030 What kind of research goes into it? 264 00:11:55,030 --> 00:11:57,850 You talked about showing up and doing the work, 265 00:11:57,850 --> 00:11:59,080 you know, what is that work? 266 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:01,140 I think a lot of us who aren't in your industry 267 00:12:01,140 --> 00:12:02,890 don't know that, you know, give us a peek 268 00:12:02,890 --> 00:12:03,723 behind the curtain, 269 00:12:03,723 --> 00:12:07,212 what goes into it and how do you learn to do a new accent? 270 00:12:07,212 --> 00:12:09,980 (laughing in unison) 271 00:12:09,980 --> 00:12:10,990 - Oh, it's so funny. 272 00:12:10,990 --> 00:12:13,740 I mean, there's lots of different ways 273 00:12:13,740 --> 00:12:16,810 to approach building a character, 274 00:12:16,810 --> 00:12:20,540 and every character also requires a different approach, 275 00:12:20,540 --> 00:12:22,563 I have found in my career, you know, 276 00:12:23,410 --> 00:12:27,040 there is really, I think I hate to talk about 277 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:28,450 acting as an art sometimes, 278 00:12:28,450 --> 00:12:31,980 because it makes it sound so, I don't know pretentious, 279 00:12:31,980 --> 00:12:34,150 but there is something artful to it, 280 00:12:34,150 --> 00:12:36,790 meaning it's not an exact science. 281 00:12:36,790 --> 00:12:40,640 You really have to be willing to kind of play and experiment 282 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:44,050 and be fluid and flexible and curious and open-minded 283 00:12:44,050 --> 00:12:47,270 and committed and hungry. 284 00:12:47,270 --> 00:12:48,480 And you just, for me, 285 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:53,480 I really try to build as much truth in detail 286 00:12:53,620 --> 00:12:55,590 about who the person is, 287 00:12:55,590 --> 00:12:57,510 so that I can try to step into those shoes. 288 00:12:57,510 --> 00:12:59,150 It's like you have to make the shoes 289 00:12:59,150 --> 00:13:00,700 in order to walk in them. 290 00:13:00,700 --> 00:13:03,310 So making the shoes of the character 291 00:13:03,310 --> 00:13:06,680 means understanding like who they are, where they live, 292 00:13:06,680 --> 00:13:09,970 what they need, how they talk, what they eat, 293 00:13:09,970 --> 00:13:12,910 who are they close to, what are their secrets, 294 00:13:12,910 --> 00:13:16,540 all of those things helped me to sort of imagine myself, 295 00:13:16,540 --> 00:13:18,900 and lead my imagination into thinking 296 00:13:18,900 --> 00:13:22,720 that I could be somebody else for small chunks of the day. 297 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:25,400 I don't want you to think I actually go crazy. 298 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:29,220 But those, you know, that's kind of the whimsical weirdness 299 00:13:29,220 --> 00:13:30,700 of what we do is that it's, 300 00:13:30,700 --> 00:13:32,940 there's no exact science to it, 301 00:13:32,940 --> 00:13:36,540 but I'm constantly trying to give myself enough information 302 00:13:36,540 --> 00:13:38,310 about who the character is, 303 00:13:38,310 --> 00:13:42,883 that I can suspend my disbelief and hopefully yours. 304 00:13:44,220 --> 00:13:46,880 And learning an accent is always really, really helpful. 305 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:50,050 They're always physical things that I can do to help me 306 00:13:50,050 --> 00:13:52,040 enter into a character, 307 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:54,070 sometimes how I figure out who they are is 308 00:13:54,070 --> 00:13:55,090 how they walk, right? 309 00:13:55,090 --> 00:13:56,870 Like playing Anita Hill, for example, 310 00:13:56,870 --> 00:13:58,360 in Confirmation, Anita has 311 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:01,470 such a specific walk and posture. 312 00:14:01,470 --> 00:14:03,960 And it taught me a lot about her to figure out 313 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:05,650 how to embody that walk, 314 00:14:05,650 --> 00:14:08,720 playing Kay Amin, the accent taught me so much 315 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:11,230 and it just helped me to find the rhythms 316 00:14:11,230 --> 00:14:12,940 of how people speak in Uganda. 317 00:14:12,940 --> 00:14:15,340 So I did work with an accent coach, 318 00:14:15,340 --> 00:14:16,330 actually first would have grown, 319 00:14:16,330 --> 00:14:18,400 I worked with the same accent coach in the beginning 320 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:19,470 'cause we wanted to make sure 321 00:14:19,470 --> 00:14:22,620 that we were approaching it in the same way, 322 00:14:22,620 --> 00:14:25,900 but then I just spent as much time as I could 323 00:14:25,900 --> 00:14:27,580 with women in Uganda, you know, 324 00:14:27,580 --> 00:14:29,350 getting my hair braided, going shopping, 325 00:14:29,350 --> 00:14:31,330 making friends, spending time with people's family, 326 00:14:31,330 --> 00:14:33,850 babysitting kids, like just throwing myself 327 00:14:33,850 --> 00:14:36,100 into the community to try to pick up all those, 328 00:14:36,100 --> 00:14:40,260 the music of the language and the nuances of the culture. 329 00:14:40,260 --> 00:14:41,610 - That's so cool. 330 00:14:41,610 --> 00:14:44,650 So you hear, I mean, you mentioned, you know, 331 00:14:44,650 --> 00:14:46,140 I don't want you to think I go crazy 332 00:14:46,140 --> 00:14:47,660 when I'm preparing for these roles, 333 00:14:47,660 --> 00:14:50,700 and I've heard of some actors that, you know, 334 00:14:50,700 --> 00:14:51,830 when they're preparing, 335 00:14:51,830 --> 00:14:56,120 they just kind of become that person for the period of time 336 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,700 that they're playing that character, you know, 337 00:14:59,700 --> 00:15:02,210 is that your approach, or do you really, 338 00:15:02,210 --> 00:15:04,500 do you kind of go in and out in a day 339 00:15:05,580 --> 00:15:07,540 and once the role is over, 340 00:15:07,540 --> 00:15:10,900 do you feel like, is it different, you know, like, 341 00:15:10,900 --> 00:15:11,950 do you feel like, okay, 342 00:15:11,950 --> 00:15:14,660 it takes you some time to kind of come back to center 343 00:15:14,660 --> 00:15:17,173 and come back to like who you are at your core? 344 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:21,003 - I would say yes to all of the above. 345 00:15:21,003 --> 00:15:22,730 (laughing in unison) 346 00:15:22,730 --> 00:15:25,130 I mean, I think one of the interesting things 347 00:15:25,130 --> 00:15:27,040 is that in earlier on in my career, 348 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:29,590 I think I was much more of a kind of method actor, 349 00:15:29,590 --> 00:15:31,127 meaning I would throw myself into a character, 350 00:15:31,127 --> 00:15:33,100 and there was very little distinction 351 00:15:33,100 --> 00:15:35,690 between her reality and mine. 352 00:15:35,690 --> 00:15:40,690 I think I didn't trust myself as much as an artist, 353 00:15:43,190 --> 00:15:45,570 and so I really felt like I had to keep her, 354 00:15:45,570 --> 00:15:48,070 the character with me all the time, all the time, 355 00:15:48,070 --> 00:15:49,380 all the time. 356 00:15:49,380 --> 00:15:53,920 The biggest thing that changed that was having a family. 357 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:57,170 When I got married and started having kids, 358 00:15:57,170 --> 00:16:00,140 I realized that there was something more important 359 00:16:00,140 --> 00:16:03,700 than my need to just be like a crazy person all the time. 360 00:16:03,700 --> 00:16:08,200 And I started learning how to create some boundaries 361 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:09,440 between myself and the work, 362 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:12,240 I started to give myself some real structures, 363 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,760 and disciplines that would let me enter into the work, 364 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:18,080 and close out the work at the end of the day, 365 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:21,380 because I didn't want to be like making dinner for my kids 366 00:16:21,380 --> 00:16:22,950 crying about the thing I did the scene 367 00:16:22,950 --> 00:16:24,670 about three hours ago, right? 368 00:16:24,670 --> 00:16:27,420 I wanna be fully present as a wife and mother, 369 00:16:27,420 --> 00:16:29,730 and I wanna be fully present as an artist also. 370 00:16:29,730 --> 00:16:33,440 So it really does like a lot of working women, working moms, 371 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:36,640 it requires an extraordinary amount of discipline to say, 372 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:38,787 like to my childcare folks, like, 373 00:16:38,787 --> 00:16:40,957 "Hey, for the next hour or two, 374 00:16:40,957 --> 00:16:43,117 "I'm gonna be in a scene where I'm turning my phone off. 375 00:16:43,117 --> 00:16:45,527 "If there's an emergency, call this number, 376 00:16:45,527 --> 00:16:47,030 "or call my husband" 377 00:16:47,030 --> 00:16:48,700 and then as soon as this scene's over, 378 00:16:48,700 --> 00:16:50,457 I turn my phone back on and say like, 379 00:16:50,457 --> 00:16:52,437 "I'm back, how's it going, do you need me, great, 380 00:16:52,437 --> 00:16:53,870 "okay, I'm gonna go back into my scene" right? 381 00:16:53,870 --> 00:16:56,010 So that's some discipline on the parenting side, 382 00:16:56,010 --> 00:16:57,410 which is really, really hard, 383 00:16:57,410 --> 00:16:59,520 'cause I'm definitely one of those mothers who's like, 384 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:01,600 I wanna do it all, be it all, all the time. 385 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,360 So I'm learning to have some of those boundaries 386 00:17:04,360 --> 00:17:07,200 with my husband, with my children has been really important. 387 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:10,020 And on the other side, to create rituals for myself 388 00:17:10,020 --> 00:17:11,540 for different characters, it's different things. 389 00:17:11,540 --> 00:17:14,350 There are certain characters where the moment I take off 390 00:17:14,350 --> 00:17:17,480 the ring, I say like, I'm now done playing her today, 391 00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:19,610 put her in a box, sometimes I say a prayer in my trailer 392 00:17:19,610 --> 00:17:21,780 and say like, I'm done now today. 393 00:17:21,780 --> 00:17:24,700 Sometimes it's a little bit of meditation 394 00:17:24,700 --> 00:17:26,400 where I enter the space and exit the space, 395 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,460 but I give myself markers so that the work is the work 396 00:17:29,460 --> 00:17:30,830 and the family's the family, 397 00:17:30,830 --> 00:17:34,210 and I can have some sanity in both spaces. 398 00:17:34,210 --> 00:17:37,720 But I will say when I'm done with a character, 399 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:39,480 there is a different kind of goodbye, 400 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:41,970 'cause as much as I create those structures and rituals, 401 00:17:41,970 --> 00:17:43,350 they do live with me. 402 00:17:43,350 --> 00:17:44,220 They do live with me. 403 00:17:44,220 --> 00:17:46,040 They make me not crazy when I'm at home, 404 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:48,310 but they're still with me in the shower, in the car, 405 00:17:48,310 --> 00:17:51,620 wherever I am, they're not as loud as they used to be, 406 00:17:51,620 --> 00:17:52,780 but they're still there. 407 00:17:52,780 --> 00:17:54,720 So when I finish a project, I do, 408 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,750 I do find myself saying goodbye to the character, 409 00:17:57,750 --> 00:18:00,830 but I also am changed by the characters that I play. 410 00:18:00,830 --> 00:18:03,300 I always feel like a character comes into my life 411 00:18:03,300 --> 00:18:07,000 to teach me something or to challenge me in some way, 412 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,490 so a lot of how I say goodbye to a project 413 00:18:09,490 --> 00:18:11,707 or sort of mark the completion, 414 00:18:11,707 --> 00:18:14,720 the closure of a project is to acknowledge 415 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:17,140 what I've learned from that character and from that piece, 416 00:18:17,140 --> 00:18:18,690 and then move on. 417 00:18:18,690 --> 00:18:19,773 - Really beautiful. 418 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:24,650 So it has been amazing to watch you progress in your career, 419 00:18:24,650 --> 00:18:28,210 you know, starting with playing supporting roles in films, 420 00:18:28,210 --> 00:18:31,040 like Save the Last Dance to playing the wife 421 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:34,880 of male Black leads in films like Last King of Scotland 422 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:38,640 and Ray to ultimately starring in your own show 423 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:42,520 as a strong Black woman in Scandal. 424 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:44,260 When you first started in your career, 425 00:18:44,260 --> 00:18:48,960 there were so few lead roles played by Black women. 426 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:50,890 It just didn't really exist. 427 00:18:50,890 --> 00:18:53,920 But even then, did you have a dream, 428 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:56,040 you know, of landing lead roles? 429 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:58,573 And how did you make it happen for yourself? 430 00:18:59,930 --> 00:19:03,443 - This is so funny because ... 431 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,210 I think as I said, I didn't, 432 00:19:08,210 --> 00:19:13,090 it's not that I wanted to be like a famous actress, 433 00:19:13,090 --> 00:19:16,850 I didn't want to be like the lead in a film, 434 00:19:16,850 --> 00:19:19,400 because I wanted to be the most important person 435 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:20,800 in the story. 436 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:25,800 But I knew that I, as a woman, and as a woman of color, 437 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:29,780 as a Black woman in particular, 438 00:19:29,780 --> 00:19:33,570 that I was deserving of having people like me 439 00:19:33,570 --> 00:19:36,430 be at the center of our own stories. 440 00:19:36,430 --> 00:19:40,500 And the fact that in the beginning of my career, 441 00:19:40,500 --> 00:19:44,120 I was often cast as the best friend, 442 00:19:44,120 --> 00:19:46,820 started to feel problematic to me. 443 00:19:46,820 --> 00:19:50,030 Not because I didn't love working 444 00:19:50,030 --> 00:19:51,680 with these incredible actresses, 445 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:54,023 you know, like Julia Styles, and ... 446 00:19:54,023 --> 00:19:57,010 but it was like once I played Meg Ryan's best friend 447 00:19:57,010 --> 00:19:59,810 who was like one of my heroes of acting in this film, 448 00:19:59,810 --> 00:20:01,700 very few people saw it called Against the Ropes, 449 00:20:01,700 --> 00:20:03,980 but it was an extraordinary experience for me 450 00:20:03,980 --> 00:20:05,814 to work with Meg, I was like, 451 00:20:05,814 --> 00:20:07,890 I don't know that I need to play 452 00:20:07,890 --> 00:20:09,540 anybody else's best friend. 453 00:20:09,540 --> 00:20:12,720 It's like, I'm not sure that I need to play 454 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:13,710 anybody else's best friend, 455 00:20:13,710 --> 00:20:18,170 and I'm not sure that Black actresses need to be 456 00:20:18,170 --> 00:20:21,460 relegated to the role of best friend. 457 00:20:21,460 --> 00:20:24,770 I think that we are deserving of having our own friends, 458 00:20:24,770 --> 00:20:27,630 and being at the center of our own stories. 459 00:20:27,630 --> 00:20:28,980 And again, that's not to say 460 00:20:28,980 --> 00:20:31,290 that I haven't had extraordinary opportunities 461 00:20:31,290 --> 00:20:34,010 and I've always tried to really bring 462 00:20:34,010 --> 00:20:37,600 the fullest humanity possible to playing the wife, 463 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:41,130 whether it's Kay Amin or Della B in Ray, 464 00:20:41,130 --> 00:20:44,190 or the best friend, if it's in Saving the Last Dance or, 465 00:20:44,190 --> 00:20:46,280 but at some point I was like, okay, 466 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:50,260 I'm ready to be my own character with my own story. 467 00:20:50,260 --> 00:20:52,640 And I was doing that in material 468 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:54,320 that wasn't written for me to do that, 469 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,250 but I started to hunger for the ability to do that, 470 00:20:57,250 --> 00:20:59,813 not just for myself, but for my community. 471 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:06,110 - So many of us relate to what you're saying, you know, 472 00:21:06,110 --> 00:21:09,400 I mean, obviously I'm in a totally different industry, 473 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:11,250 but I've felt the same way, 474 00:21:11,250 --> 00:21:13,510 it is a very male-dominated industry, 475 00:21:13,510 --> 00:21:15,920 very White dominated industry, 476 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:19,400 and it's so hard when you don't see people 477 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,640 like you in those roles. 478 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:24,270 You know, we don't see female CEOs of color, 479 00:21:24,270 --> 00:21:27,820 I mean, growing up, there were hardly any, 480 00:21:27,820 --> 00:21:29,670 but it's like you said, 481 00:21:29,670 --> 00:21:31,640 you just focus on doing what you love, 482 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:33,740 and you show up and you work hard, 483 00:21:33,740 --> 00:21:37,660 and eventually you believe that you deserve 484 00:21:37,660 --> 00:21:40,910 to be in a place to kind of change culture, 485 00:21:40,910 --> 00:21:42,770 and tell your own story. 486 00:21:42,770 --> 00:21:43,910 And it happens. 487 00:21:43,910 --> 00:21:46,770 - Well, I love that you're that you even are calling 488 00:21:46,770 --> 00:21:48,450 the podcast Hero's Journey, right? 489 00:21:48,450 --> 00:21:49,510 Because that's a paradigm, 490 00:21:49,510 --> 00:21:53,500 obviously that we talk about so much in my business, 491 00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:56,990 and it really is something that we're so committed to 492 00:21:56,990 --> 00:21:58,160 at my production company 493 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:03,160 is sort of reorienting ourselves around the idea 494 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:07,330 of otherness because we for so long have taken 495 00:22:07,330 --> 00:22:10,070 for granted that certain people belong at the center 496 00:22:10,070 --> 00:22:11,733 of the story, and a lot of it has to do 497 00:22:11,733 --> 00:22:16,733 with that straight white male gaze, and orientation, 498 00:22:17,110 --> 00:22:22,110 and what if we decide that everyone 499 00:22:22,260 --> 00:22:24,020 is at the center of their own story, 500 00:22:24,020 --> 00:22:27,300 that everyone is the hero of their own journey, 501 00:22:27,300 --> 00:22:30,670 what do our stories look like when we have a commitment 502 00:22:30,670 --> 00:22:32,620 to make that true? 503 00:22:32,620 --> 00:22:36,060 So I really love that you have tapped into that idea 504 00:22:36,060 --> 00:22:37,820 with the podcast because it's true. 505 00:22:37,820 --> 00:22:41,960 You know, I am like so proud and honored 506 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:43,780 to be a supporting character 507 00:22:43,780 --> 00:22:46,160 in the story of my husband's life, 508 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:48,020 like so deeply honored, 509 00:22:48,020 --> 00:22:50,370 and I'm happy to play the leading lady, 510 00:22:50,370 --> 00:22:52,150 supporting actress in that story. 511 00:22:52,150 --> 00:22:55,580 But I also have my own story and he's a supporting actor 512 00:22:55,580 --> 00:22:57,880 in mine and that's the gift 513 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:00,640 that in life we all deserve to be at the center 514 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,100 of our own stories while uplifting 515 00:23:03,100 --> 00:23:08,100 and playing mentors or challengers or, you know, 516 00:23:08,470 --> 00:23:09,670 part of the ordinary world, 517 00:23:09,670 --> 00:23:10,880 in other people's stories, right? 518 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,203 Like my children on their hero's journey. 519 00:23:13,203 --> 00:23:14,390 I am back in the, 520 00:23:14,390 --> 00:23:16,650 if we think about that structure of the hero's journey, 521 00:23:16,650 --> 00:23:18,690 I'm part of their ordinary world. 522 00:23:18,690 --> 00:23:20,580 I'm the world that they're gonna break from, 523 00:23:20,580 --> 00:23:25,170 and go beyond the village to slay their own dragons. 524 00:23:25,170 --> 00:23:26,900 And I'm so proud to be that, 525 00:23:26,900 --> 00:23:30,020 I'm proud to play that supporting character in their world, 526 00:23:30,020 --> 00:23:31,730 but they're gonna do that best, 527 00:23:31,730 --> 00:23:34,090 they're gonna slay their dragons best, 528 00:23:34,090 --> 00:23:38,030 if I set the example of slaying my own dragons in my life. 529 00:23:38,030 --> 00:23:38,863 - Yeah. 530 00:23:38,863 --> 00:23:41,650 So well said, amazing. 531 00:23:41,650 --> 00:23:44,190 All right, so we are at our rapid fire 532 00:23:44,190 --> 00:23:45,480 hero's journey questions, 533 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:47,723 There are four questions, ready? 534 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:50,070 Question one. 535 00:23:50,070 --> 00:23:52,380 What's your favorite book about a hero? 536 00:23:52,380 --> 00:23:54,860 It can be fiction or nonfiction. 537 00:23:54,860 --> 00:23:58,750 - I just finished reading Tarana Burke's memoir Unbound, 538 00:23:58,750 --> 00:24:02,900 and I just loved it, she's such a hero of mine. 539 00:24:02,900 --> 00:24:05,000 She's the founder of the Me Too Movement, 540 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,220 and she's an extraordinary leader and survivor, 541 00:24:08,220 --> 00:24:11,660 and she is a true hero on a true journey, 542 00:24:11,660 --> 00:24:13,810 and the book is so fantastic. 543 00:24:13,810 --> 00:24:15,900 I'm also biased because she's from the Bronx, 544 00:24:15,900 --> 00:24:18,380 and so I feel like, you know, when you find a hero 545 00:24:18,380 --> 00:24:20,290 who's from the same places that you are, 546 00:24:20,290 --> 00:24:22,260 it resonates in different ways, 547 00:24:22,260 --> 00:24:24,780 'cause it gives me extra courage to feel like 548 00:24:24,780 --> 00:24:26,330 I can be on my journey, but I just, 549 00:24:26,330 --> 00:24:30,800 she's such an important person, and an extraordinary writer. 550 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:33,310 So that's the book I'll say today. 551 00:24:33,310 --> 00:24:34,410 - Cool. 552 00:24:34,410 --> 00:24:37,073 Question two, what's your superfood? 553 00:24:38,678 --> 00:24:42,370 - My superfood is dark chocolate. 554 00:24:42,370 --> 00:24:47,370 Anything over like 70%, I'm powerless over, I'm obsessed. 555 00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:50,860 It is my happy place, 556 00:24:50,860 --> 00:24:54,770 and my favorite chocolate brand is this incredible company 557 00:24:54,770 --> 00:24:56,470 called Hu chocolates, 558 00:24:56,470 --> 00:24:59,130 they have no refined sugar and it's organic, 559 00:24:59,130 --> 00:25:03,400 and vegan and they're so, they're just delicious. 560 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:04,510 I'm obsessed. 561 00:25:04,510 --> 00:25:07,230 - Question three, what's your kryptonite? 562 00:25:07,230 --> 00:25:08,230 - Yeah, okay. 563 00:25:08,230 --> 00:25:12,533 My kryptonite, I think is ... 564 00:25:15,090 --> 00:25:18,603 My kryptonite is avoidance or, and procrastination. 565 00:25:19,630 --> 00:25:24,630 Those are the things that are most dangerous for me 566 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:27,710 because I find that they can be a little bit 567 00:25:29,350 --> 00:25:32,640 what's the right word, you know, 568 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,770 avoidance and procrastination become really dangerous 569 00:25:35,770 --> 00:25:39,080 for me because they build upon each other, 570 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:41,900 and they can sort of turn into a problem 571 00:25:41,900 --> 00:25:44,140 that's larger than the problem you're avoiding 572 00:25:44,140 --> 00:25:46,230 in the first place. 573 00:25:46,230 --> 00:25:50,783 So I really try to avoid avoidance and procrastination. 574 00:25:50,783 --> 00:25:52,610 (laughing in unison) 575 00:25:52,610 --> 00:25:55,540 Very imperfectly, but I try. 576 00:25:55,540 --> 00:25:56,373 - Well, okay. 577 00:25:56,373 --> 00:25:58,430 This was supposed to be rapid fire, but I just have to ask, 578 00:25:58,430 --> 00:25:59,980 you know, on the topic of procrastination, 579 00:25:59,980 --> 00:26:03,760 I feel like sometimes as a creative, it's useful, you know, 580 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:07,560 to like, 'cause you get some inspiration to creative ideas, 581 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:09,010 that you don't know that you'll get 582 00:26:09,010 --> 00:26:12,520 unless you procrastinate, but, which I'm so ... 583 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:15,420 Maybe there's a part of you that needs that sometimes. 584 00:26:15,420 --> 00:26:16,253 - No, it's true. 585 00:26:16,253 --> 00:26:17,730 I have seen some of that research. 586 00:26:17,730 --> 00:26:21,110 So I do, I try to be really intentional about, like, 587 00:26:21,110 --> 00:26:23,270 what am I doing in this moment, 588 00:26:23,270 --> 00:26:25,300 if it's that I'm looking for more inspiration, 589 00:26:25,300 --> 00:26:29,140 then to let go of the guilt cycle about it, 590 00:26:29,140 --> 00:26:30,810 but to also be realistic with myself, 591 00:26:30,810 --> 00:26:32,650 and look at a calendar and say like, 592 00:26:32,650 --> 00:26:35,830 when is the latest moment that I can work on this 593 00:26:35,830 --> 00:26:39,380 without driving myself crazy and creating a problem? 594 00:26:39,380 --> 00:26:40,883 - Yeah, yeah, absolutely. 595 00:26:42,110 --> 00:26:43,460 Question four. 596 00:26:43,460 --> 00:26:45,173 What's your secret weapon? 597 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:50,163 - I have to say my secret weapon is my family, 598 00:26:51,150 --> 00:26:55,777 my husband and kids, my parents, like my family, 599 00:26:56,870 --> 00:26:58,850 the people I'm closest to are my secret weapon, 600 00:26:58,850 --> 00:27:01,310 because they really keep things in perspective for me, 601 00:27:01,310 --> 00:27:04,350 I think that's one of the gifts of the pandemic, 602 00:27:04,350 --> 00:27:06,900 which it's been such a challenging time 603 00:27:06,900 --> 00:27:08,650 for so many people, 604 00:27:08,650 --> 00:27:13,140 such a really tragic time in the history of our Planet. 605 00:27:13,140 --> 00:27:16,050 But one of the things that I've walked away with 606 00:27:16,050 --> 00:27:20,610 is a deeper appreciation for having my family, 607 00:27:20,610 --> 00:27:22,630 and for being able to be with them, 608 00:27:22,630 --> 00:27:26,270 and to walk through life with them. 609 00:27:26,270 --> 00:27:30,380 So, you know, whenever things in work in particular 610 00:27:30,380 --> 00:27:34,260 in the world feel frustrating, overwhelming, 611 00:27:34,260 --> 00:27:37,820 being with my family puts it in perspective, for sure. 612 00:27:37,820 --> 00:27:40,390 - That is the best secret weapon 613 00:27:40,390 --> 00:27:44,200 and the best answer we've had on that question. 614 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:45,870 You are amazing, Kerry Washington. 615 00:27:45,870 --> 00:27:49,400 Thank you so much for your time, for everything that you do 616 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:54,400 to help our democracy, to inspire women all over the world. 617 00:27:54,450 --> 00:27:56,170 It's such an honor to speak with you. 618 00:27:56,170 --> 00:27:57,700 Thank you so much. 619 00:27:57,700 --> 00:27:59,487 - Well, thank you so much, I really -- 620 00:27:59,487 --> 00:28:02,987 (electronic music ending)