- 14 hours ago
Starring in the Netflix series "Orange is the New Black" and the Tony-Award winning musical "The Color Purple" simultaneously, superstar actress Danielle Brooks is not only living out her own dream but inspiring other women to find theirs, too.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:01Welcome to Unstyled. I'm your host, Christine Barbrick, co-founder and global editor-in-chief
00:06of Refinery29. Each week, I invite a notable person to come in and talk with us as we explore
00:12the funny, inspiring, sometimes heartbreaking tales of life, work, and love, as told through
00:19the things that we wear.
00:26When the Netflix series Orange is the New Black hit our screens in 2013, we knew that
00:31something had changed. It wasn't just that this pioneering new show was the first of its
00:36kind to communicate the vast experiences of women in prison on the very edge of their own
00:41lives. It was that Orange is the New Black portrayed characters in the light of real women, of every
00:46size, ethnicity, orientation, and age, something that continues to be a rarity in contemporary
00:51entertainment. While the show stars some major talents, it was the character Tasha Jefferson,
00:57aka Tasty, played by the Southern-born Juilliard grad Danielle Brooks, who emerged as the breakout
01:03star. And it's not just Orange is the New Black that's driving so much buzz to Brooks.
01:08It's her role on Broadway in the recent Tony Award-winning The Color Purple that's made
01:12her a bona fide woman to watch. Danielle plays Sophia, the character notably portrayed by Oprah
01:18in the film version 31 years ago. Sophia is a determined, strong-willed woman in a world of abuse
01:24and racism who refuses to be subdued or to conform to the box society has put her in,
01:29much like Danielle herself. In fact, Danielle gets one of the show's most famous musical numbers,
01:34a power ballad called Hell No, which is a moving song about fighting to the death for
01:39her rights as a woman. On top of all these subversive characters, Danielle is stepping into another
01:44powerful role as a body-positive activist. She's launched the popular hashtag Voice of the Curves
01:50to spread self-love and help to normalize those, quote, flaws all women have. So not only is the
01:56actor living her own dream, but she's inspiring others to seek out theirs too, no matter what size
02:01or shape they may be. Hi Danielle. Hey Christine. Welcome to UnStyle. Thanks for having me. Oh,
02:16we're so happy to have you here. I want to start off by talking, we were on a phone call
02:20this morning.
02:20You kind of talked a little bit about some of the really important women in your life growing up in
02:25South Carolina, correct? Yeah. Yeah. And you talked about your mom and your aunties. I had pretty
02:31incredible women in my life, starting with my mother, who is my biggest fan. She is incredible.
02:39She's a school teacher and she's also a minister at a Baptist church back at home. She was tough on
02:47me
02:47because she had high expectations. You've been performing since you were little and I think you
02:53performed in church, correct? Yes. Yeah. So do you think that she recognized that you really had
02:58an instinct, you had a talent, you had like this desire to perform in a much bigger way? Yeah, I
03:05definitely think she was the first person to really realize that talent. I appreciated that she
03:11made such an effort to make it a thing, to make it happen. Like she always found some program for
03:19me
03:19to get involved in some children's theater. Um, you know, she's the one who found the governor's
03:26school for arts and humanities for me, which was a boarding school for high schoolers that were
03:30interested in the arts. She discovered these places that I was able to explore and, and to really be
03:38myself because I always got in trouble in school for talking too much. Like always came home.
03:45So you were the social butterfly? Oh yes. That was always the report card term for saying that you
03:49were just like really distracting to everybody else. That was me, Christine. I think that was kind
03:54of me too. But yeah, man, like my mom was just such a big part of helping me find my
04:01path when it came
04:02to doing what I love. I'm really grateful to her for that. And my father too, like he, he definitely
04:09was
04:09there for me, picking me up from auditions or pick me up from, from rehearsals and things like that.
04:15That's why it was so fun for me when I got to take them to the Tonys this year and
04:19have both my
04:20parents there. Were their minds just completely blown? They were, I think they just like, my dad made me so
04:27excited because he said, if you get Tony nominated, you got to take me as your date. And so every
04:33performance I was working hard, like I got to make sure it's a good one. Cause I got to make
04:38sure my
04:39dad can be my date. I got to make sure he can be my date. And so when they finally
04:44called my name,
04:45they were, my mother and my dad were the first people that I called.
04:49I'm sure there's going to be a lot more Tony nominations for you, but you talked about boarding
04:52school and also going to Juilliard, you know, where you met a lot of the people that you work with
04:56now
04:56too. But what was it like kind of moving away and going to boarding school and kind of, you know,
05:02adapting?
05:02My first two years of high school, I went to a normal high school and it was really awkward for
05:07me because
05:07for me, I've always been this, like, I knew I had something inside of me, all this personality
05:14that was waiting to come out. But when you're in high school, these teenagers just kind of squash it,
05:20you know what I mean? Cause you get so caught up in like what people think about you and all
05:24of this
05:24stuff that just pops up in your head. All these insecurities just start to manifest because you
05:31don't want to be different. And so that was a big struggle for me. When I got to transition to
05:37this boarding school where I ended up graduating in a class of 99, at this school, everybody got to
05:44be themselves. So I found, I found a great home in that place. Do you think that that's where,
05:50when you felt free, did you, you really decided like, I'm doing this?
05:54It wasn't until my dad took me to see the color purple. And I remember sitting in that audience
06:01in the balcony and just bawling my eyes out, seeing people that looked like me, that were so
06:09professional, that were so talented, that were sharing so much of their souls with me. I was so
06:16moved to see this whole world of just creativity of like them bringing Africa to life.
06:24And them having Nettie and Celie in a tree, my mind was like blown. And I was like, I got
06:29to do
06:29that. And so that was the moment for me.
06:43You're, you're filming season five of Orange is the New Black right now. And you're also still
06:47performing in the color purple simultaneously. Tell us a little bit about what that schedule is like.
06:53It sounds incredibly intense, but also really exciting and exhilarating probably.
06:57It really is. It's the beauty of life. You know what I mean? It's like, I just want to
07:02eat it all and enjoy it all. And I'm learning how to do that in a way that I can
07:10manage and stay
07:11healthy and stay rested so that I can give a hundred percent in whatever I'm doing.
07:17How are you taking care of yourself?
07:18Well, there's definitely the physical bit about it. You know, it's like I'm working out. I have
07:24definitely been working out, boxing, treadmill, been trying to do this, like run a mile a day
07:29thing. That's been really cool for me.
07:31That's an awesome goal.
07:32Thanks. Yeah, it's been fun too. Like it's challenging because I'm not a runner, you know,
07:36I don't consider myself a runner, but it's like, at least I'm moving and being active every day.
07:41Other than that, it's eating properly, making sure that like, you know, when I came in today,
07:46asking for fruit and not a bar of chocolate, because I have to, like, it's, I've really learned that food
07:51is fuel. My part, the way that I've crafted it with the director is very physical role.
07:56And so to be jumping on Harpo twice a night and like, I want to be able to do that
08:03and still be
08:03able to sing without, you know, being tired and then doing Orange too, you know? So that's been
08:10one thing, the physical aspect, but I definitely think there's a bigger part as more important as
08:16the spiritual part of it. I'm been so, I cannot tell you how amazing it is to be able to
08:22do a show
08:23that I get to talk to God every night. What does that feel like? It just reminds me of my
08:28purpose
08:28and why I'm doing this. Like this business is so hard. There's so many people that wish they
08:33had at least one job. It could step in my shoe for a day, you know, but people want it,
08:39but there's
08:39a lot that comes with it. So I think for me, it's important to have a spiritual life.
08:45I think also it probably helps your performance when you really feel supported, when you feel like
08:50you're connected to something bigger than just the performance.
08:52Yeah. And especially if you, like when people come to see the show, you're having an experience.
08:57It's not just, I'm seeing a show and yes, I get to go home and now I'm going to unwind.
09:02Like, no,
09:03people leave that theater being changed and you know that you had a part in it. And if you're not
09:09there and really connected to this story, people aren't going to experience that. You know what I
09:15mean? And even I feel the same way with Orange, the subjects that we're dealing with this year,
09:20with Black Lives Matter and with Say Her Name movement and like with incarceration, with
09:25transgender, all these issues, mental illness, it does not serve us as a people if we are not
09:33invested in this story and come from a soul place, a real place. You know what I mean? It's pointless.
09:40How has playing the role of Sophia changed you?
09:44Sophia's helped me so much because first of all, there's this big number called Hell No that
09:49she sings. And it's basically this song that she sings that is a woman, a woman's empowerment song.
09:57When I sing that, I think about my journey and like I didn't, I wasn't raised in a family of
10:05abuse,
10:06but when I think about the things that I've had to fight for in my life, it's helped me to
10:12say
10:12hell no to feeling like I can't accomplish things or hell no to feeling like I'm not enough or that
10:21whatever I'm going through that day, whether it's a weight thing, a relationship thing,
10:27that's just reminding me like, no, Danielle, you can do this and you will do this. Like,
10:32I just appreciate that bit of Sophia and the fact that like you see the strongest character fall
10:38and her wings are broken. The strongest people always fall the hardest and it takes them
10:45the most time to get up, but she rises. Every time that I step on a stage, whatever I'm going
10:52through,
10:53I don't even want to just say on stage, but whatever I'm going through, it reminds me like,
10:58you can get up, you will be okay and you can start over. I love acting for that reason. I
11:04feel like
11:05every character gives you a gift. You're in such a unique position because you are in two of the
11:12most diverse casts, you know, right now in theater and in television. You know, it's interesting because
11:19it kind of just fell in my lap. I have, first of all, always kind of been the person to
11:26feel like
11:28I am more than what people think I am. And I'm capable of more than what you might first see
11:35when you look at me. And so for me, I've always felt like I can do and play anything.
11:42And so when I came into Orange is the New Black, I didn't realize, you know, at the time I
11:48just
11:49wanted a job. So I was, I felt like really nervous about playing something that I thought
11:54might end up being stereotypical. I decided to still take the journey because after speaking to
11:59some people, they were like, no, we promise this is not going to be like what you think it's going
12:05to be. You don't, you're not necessarily going to play the sassy black woman that's always angry.
12:08Like, that's not the thing. And I was like, okay, cool. And then I get into this world with these
12:14women and I am like blown away at what you're mentioning about how diverse this cast is from
12:21race to age to transgender to, to sexual preference. And I feel like for me, I am in a position
12:29where I
12:30can be very selective on the material that I want to be a part of. So it's very important to
12:36me that
12:37I align myself with projects that are very all inclusive. That's what my focus is about, is working
12:45on material like that, working on Masters of None with Aziz Ansari, working on Girls with Lena Dunham,
12:51working with Jinji Kohan, working with In Color Purple with John Doyle directing, who is, is not, he's a
13:00Scottish dude. You know what I mean? He's not black at all. And working with him. And so for me,
13:07that's
13:07what I want to focus on in the type of material that I do. I want to make sure that
13:12it's some things
13:13that people look at and say, damn, I never thought to cast her, but that was brilliant. And I'm so
13:20glad
13:20they did because I see myself in that girl. And now I can see myself as a superhero or a
13:25love interest or
13:26whatever that might be. That's what I hope to reach towards in my career.
13:32Just from your experiences, do you think that there's a gap between what audiences are wanting,
13:36you know, from entertainment and what studio heads are like willing to invest in?
13:40Definitely.
13:40Tell me about that.
13:41But I think it's starting to shift. I think people are being bold and brave in the executive heads are
13:47being bold and brave, like people at Fox that are doing like Empire and things like that and
13:52Shonda Rhimes land. But there are things I still feel that we haven't yet seen.
13:57And sharing them with new audiences, too, not just keeping them to white audiences,
14:01black audiences, gay audiences. You started a hashtag last year. Tell us what it is.
14:06The story really started because the women in my cast of Orange are incredible and so inspiring.
14:13And one in particular is Ms. Laverne Cox, who I love. That is my girl. Shout out to you.
14:18We all love her.
14:18And she's so about this trans movement, you know, and really reminding people her hashtag trans is
14:25beautiful. And so with that, I was like, I need to find my voice. And it was being plus size.
14:33And so
14:33for me, it was important to give voice to that. And so that's why I came up with Voice of
14:38the Curves.
14:39And it's been really, really popular. Tons of people are using it now.
14:43Yeah, I love it.
14:44Which is awesome.
14:45Because now everybody feels like they have their own voice. You can, anytime you have a picture
14:49where you're feeling fly and sexy, or you're showing your thighs or your stretch marks or
14:55your belly rolls, whatever, and you're feeling yourself, you put Voice of the Curves. That's what
15:00it's about.
15:00I'm so excited about you working with us with Refinery29 on the 67% project.
15:06Yes. I wish everybody could see my face because I'm so excited.
15:10I'm so excited too. And this is such an important project for us. And it's really not just a project.
15:15It's really a call to action, a movement. It's really about raising awareness to 67% of the women
15:23in the United States identify as plus size and seeing that this is our audience. And these are women that
15:28we really, really want to feel recognized and supported and seen. And we're so excited to have you
15:36just playing with us in this project. And you're also doing some, you're doing some really amazing work
15:42with Lane Bryant and Christian Siriano. Will you tell us about that a little bit?
15:46Christian Siriano is so brilliant to me. He works so hard and is so about the woman, you know what
15:54I mean?
15:55And making every woman feel special and beautiful in their clothes. And I just applaud him for that
16:03because there's so many people out there, designers out there that just aren't doing it.
16:08Why do you think that is?
16:09I feel like we as a country are so stuck on this standard of beauty. It's ridiculous. Instead of
16:16putting women that are everyday women into these magazines. And I feel like if we did that,
16:24if we were all inclusive, they would still make the same amount of money, if not more. And I think
16:31that's really what it is. It's just a beast.
16:33The fashion industry is really guilty of this. There's not enough diversity on runways. It's
16:37improving very slowly. But I think that there is this standard of beauty that you're talking about
16:43that is so impossible and so toxic.
16:46It's so boring.
16:48It's really, really fucking boring.
16:49Like, hello. We've seen this a hundred times. Like, hello. Like, it's boring to me. It's
16:57our time. It's our time.
16:59Oh, I love that. I love that.
17:01Danielle Brooks, it's been such a thrill and an honor to have you on Unstyled. I hope you'll
17:07come back.
17:08I would love to.
17:08When you're not so busy.
17:10Yes.
17:10When you don't have, like, 18 jobs back to back.
17:12Which I hope kind of never goes away. So we'll just make time.
17:16Okay.
17:17We'll make time.
17:17Bye.
17:18Bye.
17:19We recorded this episode with Danielle back in September. However, we're sending her loads
17:24of heart emojis as today is her last day starring on Broadway in The Color Purple. As you heard
17:29in this interview, this was an enormously emotional and pivotal role for Danielle. So please take a
17:33screenshot of this podcast. Tag Danielle at DannyBB3. Use hashtag Unstyled and show her some love
17:40across social. Congratulations, Danielle. Unstyled loves you.
17:46For even more Unstyled extras, check out Refinery29 or my Instagram at Christine Barbrick.
17:52You can also join the conversation using the hashtag Unstyled across your social media.
17:57And of course, we'd be super grateful if you'd please subscribe to Unstyled on iTunes and rate
18:02us while you're there. You can head to Refinery29.com to find this episode and more and make sure to
18:07sign up for our exclusive Unstyled newsletter delivered straight to your inbox every week.
18:12Our show today was produced and edited by Elisa Kreisinger with production assistance from
18:16Rebecca Easley for Refinery29. Copy and research support provided by Lila Brilsen. Our theme music
18:22today is by the artist Koff. Hannes Brown produced our episode music and we recorded Unstyled with Paul
18:28Ruist. We will see you back here next Monday for a conversation with Leandra Medin on building a new
18:34world empire.