Paula Jai Parker on Friday, Ice Cube, Puffy, Hustle & Flow, Blackballing (Full Interview)

all right here we go Paulo Jay Parker welcome to Vlad TV I am so honored because I get the actual you like you know I've heard through the grapevine that you kind of do your interviews from a screen most times sometimes so you know I'm glad yeah I tried to get him to sit next to me and we do it kind of Elvis Costello stylist not as named Elvis Costello ever no I was somebody or another Mitchell I was Miss Mitchell yes that was Costello must be okay interviewing me guys it's like playing charades but we will get through this I think Elvis Costello as a musician miss Mitchell is the interviewer who sits beside me Oprah would even say Oprah yeah you know the song he's very handsome guys he reminds me of Arthur for those of you who play RDR - he's got the rugged beard but you know he's really exactly oh but you know my husband doesn't care I'm just being me um so yeah he reminds me of Arthur and RDR - so yeah when if you let his beard grow and give it tonic thank you thank you well big fan a long time thank you seeing a ton of your movies oh okay and you've been consistently doing it for a very long time so congratulations Hollywood is a tough place that was my prayer yeah to be I I heard civil Shepherds say it once you know when you come to Hollywood you know pray to be a consistently working actress because you know fame is fleeting it comes and goes it's like you know it's in the wind whatever someone feels like feeling in that moment but if you if you are consistent with your work you will stay consistently working yeah and you've been consistently where I thank you Jesus yes well it's your first time here so I wouldn't say consistently there have been breaks thank you get out we'll talk of Sharon's but let's go ahead and start at the beginning so you're born and raised in Cleveland yes Midwest yes a Midwest girl what was that like oh wow growing up in the Midwest was really really cool and I would recommend it to everyone who has the opportunity I was recently defending we just acquired what's that blonde hair kid for the Browns this is far as he will help me with remembering who these people are we just acquired the blonde hair kid for the bra Odell Beckham we just acquired back home for the Browns right and like the New York people are kind of mad and I'm like don't be mad because he's growing older New York is where you learn about life where you learn about culture you kind of figure out who you are and where you want to be in life and Cleveland is where you live that live that dream live that that reality because it's a lot slower you know it's kids actually play outside my son never goes outside it's because nobody else is outside you know we recently went back to Cleveland just to visit and I went to my old elementary school and there were a pack of kids on dirt bikes just kicking it you know I'm from Shaker Heights Ohio originally then senior year I moved to Cleveland Heights because you know I couldn't take the blatant racism you know and Shaker Heights that loved me and nurtured me but then when it really came down to it you know I was not offered the same classes as other kids Shaker Heights is like legendary there are movies will be starred in a movie that was written about Shaker Heights and then there's the Shakur Heights project you can google it it's when it's the first suburb to integrate so they did these experiments with the kids where they give half the kids blue-black bandanas and the other half the kids red bandanas and then some days the kids with the blue bandanas would be ostracized it's done the kids with the red bandanas would be praised and then they flip it so you know by the eleventh grade it was just too much because you know when you're teaching about racism you're still experiencing it and when you're the only little black girl in the class and roots comes out you know how do you play a game to help everyone understand how you're learning about something that was beyond your control just like they are yet it's stigmatizing you you know so it was hard growing up in Cleveland because the Midwest is the middle ground that's why I believe I have a good you know view on what will work in the industry and what won't because the Midwest is where elections are won it's where you know I guess the Nielsen ratings are one so we are the middle ground in Cleveland I I love my white boys and they love a little black sister and you say what's that white boy and he's like what's up you know all says see all those a boy but you know it's it's in your face it's not like in California where it's very undercurrent you know you won't get the job but they'll pretend like it's for a reason other than what it really is in Cleveland I think we're able to you know we do live separate but equal but at the same time we are able to you know integrate and love each other for our differences it's it I can't sit here and pretend like I don't see a white boy when I'm looking at you just like you can't pretend like you don't see a black woman you know a white man and you know and it's okay because I love you for your differences you know just like you I'm sure love me or I wouldn't be sitting here so California is different you know it's it's it's a little undercurrent that you have to grow through so were you the only black person in your high school no I was the only black girl in my elementary class up through I'll say the fourth grade and then two other little black girls came and then it was us up until the sixth grade now ahead of me was a black girl and she was the only in her class and her name is Lisa Boyd she's right now a fancy stylist she's that's my girl I always looked up to her she used to wear mink coats in the sixth grade so it was like yeah it's deeper back Marilee yeah that's right those hearts early yeah so she ended up going to Howard as well but so she was the only black so no I wasn't the only in my school I was the only in my class so I think there were maybe three of us in elementary school until the other two came and then junior high there were a lot more you know like people were coming into the community a lot more and junior high allowed different sections of Shaker Heights to all come together so there were a lot more black people but I was in honors classes so I was in honors classes because I was the only little black girl in my original which is Sussex I went to Sussex elementary school I don't know if it's still there I don't think it's still there but I went there so because I was the only little black girl I got to you know be nurtured you know as I don't I don't know because at one point I became woke I'll say like in sixth grade I think it's so funny that you know what's his name the Robert kid gets like credited with being woke when you know we've been talked about be awoke since the 70s but I became woke gamba Gambino yeah so I became woke in like the sixth grade and they showed us my my remember my it was a white teacher when she taught me about being a wasp she wrote on the wall I mean on the board I am a w ASP that means white anglo-saxon Protestant and I had no idea what that meant or why that was pertinent and she showed me my first images of Africans and the images that she showed with them with no shirts on and the women were you know jumping around and I was embarrassed and I laughed you know cuz you know I'm the only little black girl you gonna put this on the air really this is this is business it was there was no Martin Luther King jr. Day so why why is this with you you know so I was looking at me is that how your mama titties look no no I said that but you know I felt bad you know so I laughed and she pulled me in the hallway and she cursed me out she was like these are your people and I put this on for you I put this on so that she would know and be proud of where you came from and I'm sorry that it embarrassed you but then you have to take a look within so I started volunteering my time with thee they called him the basement kids but I I don't know you know the kids that were told that they weren't smart because they were black so I would volunteer my time in the basement so then people started to think I guess I was a basement kid because so they made me stop and that hurt me and it left a mark on me because for me it became important to be to rally for people who didn't have mothers like mine my mom when they tried to tell me in the first grade I couldn't read they were gonna put me as a basement kid she came up there with a bat like uh-huh well the [ __ ] could read when I brought her here if she can't read now it's because you did something wrong so they brought in experts they brought in a black teacher named mrs. Brown and I think she was one of no well somebody was mrs. Brown but the black teacher she really made an impact she was flyy she was beautiful you know for the I accept honey she had her you know her skirt you know it's kind of a line and she would have her you know her bowties and she would come in and teach me and make sure that I was able to you know keep up with my class so it was important for me to always give back and when that opportunity was taken away from me you know because they considered me I was in this group called the singin angels if you're from Cleveland you know that's fancy you know I was traveling the world you know preparing for what I'm doing now and they tried to you know protect me and it only made me want to tell the truth about my people even more you know I would see I only wanted today dudes from the hood you know because the guys from where I was from weren't weren't according to me you know they couldn't dance you know we tried to do the rock and it just wasn't working they were the pebble and you know everyone birthday party the little boy from the hood beat up the little boy from the Fancy Pants and then he got a spanking for beating up that little boy it was just too much for me the hand so hot it was my birthday how you try to cry so you know I I I felt a need to have to defend my people from the stereotypes that were being put upon them by other people because when I went in and volunteered my time I saw these kids were just bad Oh [ __ ] sit your ass down what your momma had she I spanked you you know you doing this just like we're doing this they just don't know how to communicate with you you what the teachers ass what do you think they gonna put you you literally whoop the teachers ass she was pregnant below where do you think you're gonna get put so I would date you know slick dudes you know from the hood and I would you know kick it with girls that were you know streetwise you know I I wasn't interested and the box that they were trying to put me in so it became important to me to speak their their truth well did you grow up with both parents or just your mom just my mom okay so once your dad so my dad died when I was three damn yes so it was you know I he died well the last words he spoke before going into a coma were in my lap so you know he made a promise to take care of my mom and that's been something that I've been really working hard to do is you know moms and their daughters you know but it's something that I will always do my brothers and sisters sister my brother and sister they use it again well you know I would send money but you know your daddy said for you to take care of mom okay I got you so yes I'm being without a father figure and then my mom remarried and well okay she didn't back in the 70s early 80s day and still now they've got this thing called common law so we basically she I don't I never saw a certificate so that's how we ended up in Shaker Heights Ohio the man that my mother remarried was very wealthy he was a real estate broker so for the 70s that was pretty big and we had a big pretty house in Shaker and then he went to jail for double selling house thank you the sound that you got out so he was like Oprah giving everybody the same house so you know they tried to kidnap me from preschool and it didn't work so my mom they called my mom and they were like you know someone is here to take Portland and you know come Paul today and you know should we give her to them and my mom was like someone's there so my mom tried to run and grab me but before she could get me they grabbed her and my stepfather and pistol-whipped them and tied them up in the closet stole all her furs butta butta butta boo jewels everything so yeah I've been blessed in that blessed and coolest who's trying to kidnap yet the people who were mad oh the doll that your stepfather yeah I guess the plan was we'll give her and then we'll tell them they'd give us our money back or we won't give her back to them but thank God the nursery school was like we're not having it you're not signed to take her out you know so instead they went and took it out on my mother and her husband which is like my mom's life is so much more interesting than mine it's it's just filled with so much hilariousness so they survive that the business went on and because of that he ended up getting indicted and going to federal prison and my mom being the diva that she is was like you know I'm not gonna move my child from the best school system and the Cleveland Greater Cleveland area because of this [ __ ] you know so it started circulating that this guy was my real dad and blah blah blah so my mom went and bought a company that she was working for my mom is a seamstress so she sold plastic covers you know those plastic covers on your grandma's furniture so she sold those so she bought the business she went got an FHA loan hello diva yes back in the 70s they were giving up those minority women loans and so she went to her Jewish boss who owned it it was called rose plastic cover companies and company and it was the the number one and the whole Cleveland you know Sandusky the whole area so she bought a number one company and she started hustling it and we became [ __ ] rich like overnight it was buying Anson's and you know brand-new cars every other year and it was just it was a great role she was has always been a great role model for me well you mentioned that at one point as a child you got molested yes I did hold so that was this new guy's son so stepdads right some guy who was doing all the double-dealing his son was 16 and my dad died when I was 2 so my mom brought him into my life when I was around four and they were upset because they thought my mom took their father from his there their mom so they thought that they would take that out on me and you know I took a lot of therapy for me to understand that his molestation was not about me as much as it was about his anger at the divorce of his parents and his inability to do anything about it and to because he felt so weak there was a weaker party involved and he used his anger against me and it was really really hard because you know I always I'd always pray for a big brother you know to look out for me because you know I I'd lost a little brother my mom and dad before he died my mom was pregnant and you know she lost the baby and it was all it was sad so I was I was excited you know but it became like hell on earth you know there were guns involved and you know a lot of drugs on his part he was addicted that's one of the reasons why it's hard to raise children in a wealthy community because they have access to drugs and knowledge about drugs that other kids can't afford you know so he was doing heroin and it was the 70s you know it's just you know he was in high school doing it and hanging me off you know balconies by my ankles and you know putting guns to my head and I'm five so it left a I guess a definite scar on me in terms of how I viewed men and the power that they held over women and the way to defuse that power was he ever caught was he ever convicted I told everyone I you know I told my grandma when I got old enough to really understand I told my grandmother and my grandmother told my mother and you know my mother left the situation it was hard for us to get out we had to we had to sneak away like slaves and the night you know for her to get out of this situation because he was abusive for her ex-husband I don't like to speak ill of the dead he was always a good father to me his thoughts of what fatherhood should be interesting but you know he was he never he wasn't that the culprit you know he was someone that I'd looked I was able to look to as a better father a good father figure you know he never he never you know but he allowed and I don't know if it was but when my mom found out finally she you know she you know she my mom's always been connected you know my father because of my father my father was connected he you know in Cleveland he was in a group called lunch brunch with a lot of major players including Donnell King that all came from Cleveland so my mom was able to go to my godfather Johnny Farris any of these names my these are big players big-time players in Cleveland underworld okay and what happened to the Sun he I don't know I just know that he had a extreme heroin problem and they you know they I don't know he's never but in terms of the the Bala station there was no mom Scott them folks she didn't go through the channels that you know other people go through my mom went is she got him folks okay so they got beat up basically I don't know you don't know I was a child okay I don't know okay I'm sorry I had to go through that that's like every parent's nightmare with their child that God does things for a reason you know I could have been a [ __ ] but it kept me from it affected me differently it made me withdraw from men and not trust so I wasn't an anomaly in in Hollywood you know I'm I learned to be more of a tease you know I learned to you know make promises that I didn't have to deliver on to keep people you know away and I genuinely believe that everything happens for a reason you know women are given deformities for that same reason I know some girls say they have they think they have ugly feet so it keeps them from getting butt naked in the strip club you know cuz I know if I was a bad [ __ ] I'd be in a strip club I'd be like old swirling swirling about yeah but I ain't that bad [ __ ] you know I'm a bad [ __ ] but I that bad [ __ ] so I think when women are given bodies that attract that type of attention it it they learn quickly how to use it you know for their benefit for their survival and because that happened to me so early I learned how to survive you know despite it well you graduate high school and then you go to Howard yeah so you go from this all-white area well III my senior year I transferred to Cleveland high because I went heads up with this kid that he was the president of senior counsel from seventh to 11th and 12th grade I wanted to be the president I was his I was his Condoleezza Rice I was his black vice president running mate and we totally ruled from 7th to 11th 12 I said you know Jimmy let me be the you know president and this time it's not gonna want to affect your college applications you're already friggin you got all these years there they're gonna see that you did it out of humility oh no when he wasn't having that so they cheated and they blatantly cheated and they bragged about cheating and I left the school we didn't want to fight you know I I've always been a fan of Halle Berry who is also from Cleveland Ohio and something similar like that happened to her she had something stolen from her I think maybe it was I don't know something but they fought and it was in the papers and you know but for me it was a vice presidency a presidency that I had won you know and and they were in the halls like if you want hip-hop at the prom you know then you'll vote for this but who wants it you know they really didn't get the hip they weren't they weren't feeling hip-hop yet we'd be we be on the front steps like ladi Dadi daddy you know it may be like oh my god she's got hair on her arms and legs you know so that was a definite cultural differences and they weren't having it so I decided to go to Cleveland Heights I'd my senior year because it became apparent to me that I wasn't being taught how to love myself and I knew I wanted to go to Howard University not just because mostly because my father's name was Howard for some reason in my mind it would be you know what he would have wanted and also because of Debbie Allen and Felicia we both went there and they both went there and I I wanted to learn more about my culture so I decided to go to Cleveland high tide which is more of a melting pot you know it's got all cultures and I really I I was I got popular quickly people loved me I realized I loved black people you know in high school I'd go to clubs Mike you know my girls I was in a gang car cliche and you know this was a junior high school it's all there is because like Midwestern gangs and I thought watching Mike Epps and his special recently and he was talking about his gang called the Mad Dogs I think we had the cue dogs as I'm a dog they're something but our gangs in the Midwest I was like he must be from the Midwest because our gangs we stepped you know we danced so you know I was in this group caught cliche so we were pretty popular in in Cleveland so you know me going to a different school was kind of traumatic but it was something that needed to be done because you know I was very I was a pretty popular already so yeah I don't know I had a point to telling you guys about cliche there really was a point where it kind of I kind of got nostalgic well a second man well you go to Howard right and you graduate yeah bachelor Bachelors of Arts degree yes and then you move to New York City yes and then at that point you start performing a clubs well see they they don't know what they're talking about I went to Howard and you know I mean you guys you know I'm writing a book but I went to Howard and I was able to be taught by some of the best act black actors in Hollywood Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis Denzel you know he came back Debbie and Felicia would come back but Don Luis came back and it like blew me away and you know I was I was that young chick that was like mm hmm well you gonna see me you know and I basically heckled her like her whole like speech cuz I was just I I just wanted to see me and you know I felt so bad about that ever since then and so since then she's been like I don't even remember that booboo I was giving you love and you received it and I did at the end of the day it was it was seeing her specifically because I had been taught you know that in Cleveland I thought I was like skint it you know and you know I thought I was Allie berries you know because we don't have to me the Halle Berry's you know it leave that we got a few you know but if you're you know if you're my collection you were considered light-skinned especially winter comes you go inside but when I got to Howard and I saw the multitude of beautiful black complexions from your complexion that is genuinely black with red hair and freckles down to you know midnight blue with just gorgeous tones and everybody fiercely dressed tiny like everybody had money I was like yes I felt like I would I just stepped or - it's a Mamba you know like everybody gucci boots bag yes and it was just it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my entire life and I needed that to be able to move forward in my career I went to Howard because I wanted the opportunity to get on mainstage I worked with a good friend of mine on a project and she told a story of how when she went to NYU they excluded them from main stage productions to the point where I think they put on The Wiz and they cast it all white something idiotic like that so she said that she she and her classmates picketed and a lot of the people who were part of that whole debacle were still working in Hollywood and she was telling me how it bothered her and I said well you have no one to blame but yourself because at Howard I was on main stage since freshman year and that's and I was the only one who had ever been given that privilege and that's what gave me the confidence to know that I had a place in Hollywood you know beyond you know somebody's you know mammy or whatever yeah happy so you get to New York right okay so my friends in New York so I was able to meet you know so many people who weren't like people then they were just my friends like puffy and all right there's puppy with you Howard also yeah right and he was there when I was there and all of his friends would come there heavy heavy D everybody Lord Jamar you know us there everybody you know I want to kind of just better name but yeah I was a part of that whole movement you know my best friend she was responsible for you you know for you ever even seeing groups like tripe and you know her sister Chrissy Marie you know it's a legend in the game you know so I was able to be loved by people that you know brought me make me popular like people don't understand that like Joan Crawford she was a dancehall girl her name became famous throughout California because she wouldn't wear no drawers and she would do the Charleston you know so that's how she got you know into so I had my drawers on don't I'm not I'm just using the analogy to say well sometimes you know I was I was a kid um and sometimes you don't want to wear now cuz you know but ladies you know what I'm saying when that pain last you know I was much thinner than but anyway we're gonna stay on so you know was the point I was making yeah so my friends from New York you know they would they would love me you know and they would protect me so I I was popular as a person beat always before I became an actress and that's the point I'm trying to make with um with using Joan Joan Crawford as an example because she was popular as a socialite a person before you know and and that is how we get jobs in Hollywood you know there's a new wave but it doesn't cease you know you when you're first starting out you have to get a publicist because you can't just go to any party there's the right parties that you need to be at and you need to be seen with the right people and like I went to Howard so we created our own right people you know I went to college with Arnel Simpson and she became one of my best friends and we we taught us we tore this town up there had a bit of reality show about you know the hearts we were breaking it would you know I'm just saying you know the Kardashians like I remember when they were our nails baby sisters you know when we go and they looked up to her I you know I remember Kidada that's always been my girl all the little Hollywood socialites you know are now was you know the queen but you know it it it's sad that what happened happened you know I was here during all of that in a part of all of that and it really broke my heart to tell the truth and I don't think any of us have you know fully recovered from you know that whole situation so you get to New York and you start working well I'm not working as a stand-up comedian I'm just silly I'm funny yeah you know I'm a clown I like to have fun so I did a job at Jezebel but I get that job through Phyllis Siobhan stick me so I I get I get to so I'm in Howard I'm in Howard and I do my final graduation scene with Anthony Karl cockroach Payne cockroach mm cockroach from the my boy bill cosby show cockroach yeah so he went to college with me and he was like he was our star and Anthony Anderson was like our baby you know cuz Anthony came like when he was 16 and the rest of us were like 17 18 and he got a scholarship and like skipped a grade so those were our you know we're gonna win look enough so I had a scene with Anthony pain from extremities where he raped me and I got I want an internship with woody King and the new federal theater company and he recommended me at the same time for another intern ship with Douglas turn award in the NEC the Negro Ensemble Company so that's how I got to New York but because I have so many people there this is Mark that was my place and I have family there my mom made me live with my auntie but she was old and you know I come home and she was going through the change and her dress be all up over her and just everything exposed and I was a baby I just was he on it so I convinced my mom finally it was a drama anyway I convinced my mom to get me a room which was like a box with a toilet and in 2013 Lex and I moved there and you know when I say my my college friends took care of me I mean literally like right after graduation when I moved to New York my best friend was dating Sweetwater yes Sweetwater and he was Eddie Murphy's best friend so I got a master's class from Eddie Murphy right after college hmm and I don't know if he remembers that it was me or even knows but he taught he taught me he sat there and he showed me moms Mabley and he paused and he showed me and explained what made it funny what made the scene funny he introduced me to Rudy ray Moore he put in some remain ray Moore he's actually doing a Rudy ray Moore movie yes I heard I know my baby Lou Tommy yeah you know mm-hmm yeah well my big sister interview her all the time she she's in it all she's why I'm here like just so you know yeah I was like okay for my big sis Cisco so um yeah so I got I had a master's class you know from Eddie Murphy before even you know auditioning for anything yeah and just the fact that he took the time and I honestly I don't I don't even know if he knows it was me like I don't even know if we've never talked about it I've never you know really seen him to be like hey remember that young girl that you like me spent hours like it was straight up a master's class from the frigging master and it changed my life yeah I mean Eddie is the greatest stand-up comedian turned actor of all time honestly you know there's been lots of comedians who've done acting but I don't think any of them really have gotten to an Eddie Murphy level no or Talent and the passion he had for teaching like I don't think people understand like he went in depth like it was it's something mmm I believe he should do you know for others yeah so I so then after that I'm still working for Phyllis and Phyllis is a actress and she's like look boo boo I can't pay you so I'm send you over to Alberta right Albert right is um the Michael rights mom who owns a restaurant called Jezebel and it's it was I'm not sure I don't even think it's still there but at the time it was like the premiere you know theater row black restaurant anyone who was anyone you know frequented Jezebel and so I got a job there and the whole theme was a bordello and you had to be cute to work there you had to wear heels you got to learn how to balance the tray and I I saw Forest Whitaker come in and one of the major no knows but you're not allowed to speak to patrons in in a way where you're selling yourself and so I went to got my picture and my resume and I sold myself and I got an audition the very next day he called me in and I had to go to work and he said do you want this job or do you want to go back to work and I I couldn't just leave Alberta hanging dry and I felt like I just couldn't it wasn't a short enough thing for me and I guess I was scared you know maybe if I had have said but neither here nor there I went back to work and I lost my job I lost my job and I had to make something happen so I was making a Jezebel um I was making stripper money I mean no straight up I was bringing home like five hundred a night a good night was a G because the clientele was so rich they were tipping like $100 a bill so you know I was bringing home some real banks so it helped me and I guarantee you my mother was like you know you don't have a job you've got a month and you coming back to Cleveland and I was like I booked I already got the backstage magazine Ernie and I booked Apollo Comedy Hour and I booked over like 600 other women in the tri-state area and it was myself and Lisa Nicole Carson and that was my first break so you're getting TV gigs right but then you get your first movie role right which was well that's hard so Robert Johnson relocates me and I'm in LA and I meet Ice Cube and yo-yo because I'm on Townsend television and they come on and they do Bonnie and Clyde thing so you know I'm not thinking you know this is going to lead to my first major film I'm just you know being me and being cool and falling in love with the two of them you know heroes hip-hop had so then I that show gets canceled and I get put on hold by Fox so I can't do any more TV so we're like you know actively searching for movie roles and rusty Cundieff cause and he's doing this project called tells from the hood and I go in and I read for that the same exact week I go in and I read for Friday so I booked to both so it's hard to say that Friday is my first because so is tells from the hood I was shooting them simultaneously like to the point my girl Sondra pull out I'll give you a shout out who did my nails and my hair for that film she was reminding me like last week how I had to go back and forth like she would have to take my hair out all those braids take them out so that I could put the [ __ ] wig on and take the nails off and I didn't have back then you could go and get the glued or joint Sedo from CBS back then we we she was straight up you know doing the doing anything on things and she was reminding me that so I was literally going back and forth like on Monday I'd have to shoot for Chelse in the hood and then I have to shoot that Friday for Friday you know and so I I did them both simultaneously and it just you know in my head I thought to myself okay this script is a lot more you know it has a lot more to say Testament hood I think this point is probably going to hit and you know it wasn't it wasn't at all was it well I interviewed DeAndre bonds okay who was also entails yeah and you know we talked about how and he was then get on the bus with me right exactly and you know I mean tales from the hood wasn't Spike Lee like the executive producer of that yes right because see rusty is one of spikes he belongs he's one of spikes protegees he was like you know I don't know if you guys remember rusty he was one of the g5g brothers in school days good days yes so yes so rusty you know he's been down with spikes since since then which is why you know Teesha you know is then sprung with me aha so okay that's all it's all incestuous tell someone it was a cool movie as well there was a - okay yes just produced a - you know I think tails in the hood was kind of an important film because now when you see movies that get out and us really tales from the hood was sort of a precursor of all that yeah and I just recently did I guess a documentary series for shudder about caught I think film noir or yes blacks in scary movies you know throughout the history of film and rusty was definitely cited as being you know a 4-run so then there's Friday mm-hmm then there's Friday then there was Friday and I've interviewed a bunch of the cast from Friday aside from ice Cuban I'm Chris Tucker so you booked this independent film by you know Ice Cube hood basically just done boys in the hood you know it was really ice cube the rapper is what he's really known for you know the movie thing is starting you know he hasn't was ice cube the producer of boyhood I'm sorry you saw a Friday yes yeah and yeah with DJ poo exactly so now it's really a new thing for Ice Cube and then F gary Gray who was a video operator for you know a hip-hop show bTW it was a de Barnes show was it yeah he was he was actually the cameraman for her for D Barnes so you have all these kind of new people putting this film project together shoestring budget did you have any idea what it was gonna be when you first started working on it um I just knew I wanted to be a part of it I I had heard about it through the grapevine and I wanted to be a part of it and I made it happen you know and we being on that set was like one of my first experiences so it was like I had this experience where I was on set with people my age and Bluffs was being passed and cracked and music was blaring and love and you know the dozens and then I'll have this other set that I'm on when I'm learning and there's there's no jokes and it's very quiet and you know it there's we're on a soundstage which was something I had never experienced you know and when I was doing sketch comedy we just worked at you know a sausage but I didn't know that the the house that I see outside the exterior is not where we're going to shoot you know the interior the interior is usually south stage that it's it's something totally unlike you know there's all these cutaway walls so this tells him the hood introduced me to the the magic of Hollywood and Friday I didn't know it was something new that people just dig or they you know yeah you because that night y'all I didn't know because I've never really experienced what it was like to be on set before beyond you know and so I had that balance well how did you get the actual role well I auditioned for it and you know it was it was a blessing that I had met cube prior to the audition because F grade gray he gave me the part he's my friend and but he wasn't the final say you know so he was like okay now you got to come in there you got to try to look like the part and you know this is gonna be the table read and even though I've given you the part if he doesn't like you then you know so I don't know if cube was gonna remember me or not from you know Townsend television but he did and he liked the shorts that I had on Eames like he was like damn you ain't got no ass but you wearing shorts I was like oh thank you look at the pop yeah yeah wait for the movie hey so so yeah okay show me so you play joy yes in the movie so I remember I mean this is you know one of my favorite all-time movies and the first time I watched the movie you know you don't catch all the little details Easter eggs and whatever else in the movie that you start to get later on so your first scene when you call up Craig and you're cussing him out accusing them of being with some other guy in the bed with me I did not notice that guy in the bed until like my fifth time like I well I recently after eighth grade just got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame so I went to support that and and it was funny because cube was like yo you know out of all the stuff I've done the biggest question people have is the dude in the bed with joy when I call and we bust out laughing but you know we never you know acknowledge that you know from my from my perspective being there that was Gary and I remember he shot it like quickly because he didn't want anybody to come and you know [ __ ] with it so he put his boy in it he was like come on protective this done this cuz it's done so I can I can show them I need to show them what I mean they're not gonna understand it so I was like your boy no no no he that he's a gonna be it with me so I was like okay we'll give me some boxer shorts so I put the boxer shorts that's why I have a bunch of short so on in and it's it's genius and I like so I gave those props to Gary on Instagram recently and people thought that I was saying that it was Gary who was in that who was that guy but it was thank you right it was his idea was his inspiration it was a it was a G ISM right because you're sitting here you're sitting here accusing your boyfriend of cheating on you when you're actually have another guy in the bed the whole time who doesn't even care this he's just asleep like not even giving a [ __ ] exactly and you know I I those were the days when women were able to be you know I just recently I think cardi B just got dragged because she said she was robbing a is yeah saying and okay with that's new to you guys yeah you've done something I don't know but I'm sure Mary Magdalene [Applause] you know it's not new yes you know excuse me what she was doing is not new I'm sure there it had to have been real and it had to have struck home with so many people because so many people felt it and related to it so you know I I'm just saying it to me was liberating especially for those times because it let dudes know what you can do I can do better you know and I think that's why so many women identified with joy you know it's beyond the fact that she was deemed too hoochie mama but she was independent she had her own car she had money you know she was willing to give as long as you know she was being treated right right and 2 Live Crew's hoochie mama was your theme song yes and I was honored you know Luke wrote that for me and then you know he became my friend and he put me in the video and it was just it was just a it was I was huge fan of Luke you know because of what he's brought to America just the freedom of speech and for his fight and his strength and you know so that he even you know I was just um I'm Cleveland so I'm a fan you know a fan first and so when I got here and I started getting fans you know it was just it was kind of surreal you know when you're a fan and they're a fan it's like wow you're fed up okay so it it's it's you know it's a blessing and it's kind of surreal what are some of the standout lines when you're cussing out Craig you ain't you know and oh my gosh when we asked they said that line you know a lot of things that are on paper you know actresses make their own and you know a lot of my movies I add stuff so you know a lot of that is me you know within the context of what cube and DJ pool wrote you know and I'd do that with all my films you know my boy from Craig Brewer you know he was like you know when I was when we were shooting the film what's the name of that dang ol film hustle the flow you know I was so frustrated but then you made me look like a genius so I have an understanding of people you know because I probably could have been a psychologist and I I read beyond what's on the page and I attempt to give meaning to the urban woman's journey and struggle that people don't understand you know it's okay for this due to be in here you know you know thinking he gonna get something for nothing for what five I was twenty dollars that's what you think my pussy's worth no okay you know it's worth your life you know it gave you life well so I'm just saying that to say I I believe that the characters that I play were misinterpreted as being negative for the community I'm I my attempt was to show what is real and what is going on and what is being ignored you know our young girls are in these strip clubs and they are being pimped by people looking to make a record and not someone looking to take care of your daughter or your child or you know provide a future these are the types of jobs that should get in and get out you know hustling flow was Craig Brewers biography you know and people don't know that they think that this was the story of some black guy in Memphis knows the story of straight-up white guy in Memphis who was pimping chicks so that he could get out the game and write about it and tell his tale and it led to a career that's nice topical so you know there was a scene with you on the phone then you show up to Craig's house annyong is coming out you know you guys have that little exchange then Craig works it out with you and you're in your car he asked for the money and he was you're about you're about to give it to him and then Felicia shows up and I actually actually interviewed uh Angela means it's normal for her to borrow small appliances like why is everyone tripping right like I've never asked to use your blender all of a sudden I asked to use your microwave you tripping you tripping you know everyone I don't know what your question is you just gotta give it me a red doll what happened to the movie I remember about that I was playing but really I don't know the question but I'm just gonna say you know that experience for me was legendary because I met Nia through are now and this is just how life works you know I knew are now from college when I got to LA she took me under her wing and introduced me to Nia Nia took me under her wing so when I got on set I had a vet you know near Long has been in this game since she was like eight she was on Archie Bunker's place I was at home oh wow a fan of Nia Long you know she was pretty little girl then you know what I'm saying I and a to D you know I've always been a fan because you know this I wanted to be I was in Cleveland I was seeing an angel because I wanted to be Shirley Temple like I I couldn't tap a lick you know barely I can see why people saw smoke but the puppy the second angels not the sang in angels there's a difference so you know I could see ya Idaho you know but I can't say you know what I will try yeah it's it was um yes so what would you ask me about well I mean just the writing of it was so was so genius yes script I think it was oh so so me I had my back yeah so you know I came on set with the veteran actress who had already worked with cube you know who had all of these guys where I threw out her finger so when I had issues with lines that I wanted to add or change Nia would have a Mac because they'd be like they try me because if you're going you don't you do that you know but I find that women that are from Los Angeles not only get more respect but they understand the game more the fact that it's just a game that it is about friendships it's not about talent talent is nice you know but loyalty friendships respect that's a lot more important and women from Los Angeles they get that whereas the imports they come in and they make it about the fame and the money and the backstabbing and that's what turns the game around you know but I was blessed enough to work on my first project with LA natives you know so I got a first-hand look at what the game is supposed to look like it's supposed to look like love it's supposed to look like this is just a job of a bath of blood they accept this as a fun were young and we got a million dollars to make a movie yeah and those relationships that I experienced during the making of that film there's not one person in that film that we don't love and still respect each other yeah the casting on it was brilliant well number one did you have any idea what Chris Tucker was about to become after doing that movie because that was his first acting job period well no I knew Chris from Thailand television oh he was on that right no no no because Robert didn't see him I saw Chris and I used to to be like and I don't know if Chris ever got on there or not but he used to come around and I used to be like oh you're so cute I don't get why and you're fused to make me laugh you know but he was like I don't know what you call over like we used to having my Howard you know it was [ __ ] that was that happen didn't go to Howard that's how crisper was he was there but I don't know why cuz he wasn't performing but he was funny and I used to be like Robert and I would bring Robert over to him and I'd be like Robert you gotta see this guy and you know I think that you know bled over into when Chris finally got his opportunity you know I was an actress and you know he he you know people would ask me to help because I at that time was there weren't that many trained actress is working on urban independent films you know there were a lot of rappers you know and he was a comedian stand-up so he listened so yes I knew I knew who Chris was was special I tried to tell Robert and you know when I ain't when I saw him there Chris and I were cool that was my boy he'd be like so and he you know that's what strikes me as someone is going to make it humility because anyone can say to you in Tupac had that same humility anyone can say to you you know ask you a question but to genuinely listen to the answer and to grow from it that that's special well I interviewed John Witherspoon and he said everyone made $5,000 on that movie five grand everybody else wanted to if they gonna say they made more money anybody made no money on that book okay 5,000 the Chris Tucker do do about the same you think about the same thing about the same yeah AJ Johnson said he didn't get anything I didn't you know find out you got less than five yeah yeah what'd you get they paid me gas money to get up and then back home you did it for free ah basically did you get a paycheck for that one okay so you made sure you got your money I didn't make sure they made they made sure you guys you know I was side with William Morris and three arts entertainment and I was signing with the same people that F gary Gray was signed with so you know I'm finding out in Hollywood I'm because I don't have literary representation that you will get ganked if you don't have someone fighting for you such a nineties term ganked I haven't heard that in a while yeah I remember that word okay so the movie comes out and well before it even comes out I remember John with this poem kind of told me how you know they basically had gotten the funding themselves Ice Cube and you know his crew had gotten to find themselves do the whole movie but New Line Cinema convinced him at the end for them to like take an ownership stake in it and you know then you know they were gonna take all the risk in case the movie did bad iousy was gonna put up the money himself right but New Line Cinema talked him out they said look you know since you losing two million on it the movie bomb we did take the hit movie grow three hundred million he could have gotten all that and they're not gonna come back and say we made a look we made a lot of money gonna give you all the bonus things on [ __ ] they don't happen to Hollywood how did it feel to be such a key character in that movie which is you know when you look at you know for lack of a better word like hood hood films this is really at the top of the pile you know what I mean like it's very I mean hood comedy most people put this as the number one I think living in Los Angeles has been one of the most humbling experiences in my life because I'm in a bubble I've always lived in a bubble I went from living in the suburbs to going to Howard it's a bubble it's in the hood but it's in a bubble its own little campus bubble - coming to Hollywood which like I said I came here I relocated with the job which puts me in a bubble so I was always under the studio system and the studio system is different than it was when the old-school studio system started but by being by coming out here with the job brought out here by Fox I was always taken care of I was always protected I was always looked after so I've never really you know I've never really seen what the real Hollywood is you know and I started seeing it you know I it's it's it's not what was your question well Bo's would like to have that film just blow up oh it's it's hard because okay so my point was living in a bubble I never really knew I was famous you know because I never went anywhere no one ever said to me oh you're the girl I didn't know so it kept me humble and especially because everybody's famous in California you know they're not gonna let you know you're famous because they're famous so I never knew I was famous and I would until I started to see people walking around looking just like the character that I was playing and I and I was at a club one night and I was waiting in line and these girls about three of them came up and they were dressed just like joy I mean like the long braids the nails everything and I said to the bouncer you're not gonna let me in asked them Who I am they're dressed like me and he was like and I didn't get I think people say in my life so many people you know whatever was going on in that party that box with the daya bhabhi is so I was like I belong and I used to having all the time like there'd be these parties and they'd be just off the chain and somebody would steal my tickets to go to the party so I didn't get to go you know I'd be like oh God you know Friday went on to become a franchise yes I mean Friday next Friday and Friday after next why didn't you show up on any of the subsequent fries me personally when I was doing Friday cube came up to me and he talked to me he was like I really like you I really liked it work and I'm writing a script you know and it's called Players Club and I wrote a part for you and I want you to play little sister and little cousin and Shango no ass so you're perfect and and you're gonna rock it you're gonna show me what you've got and I was like okay I just played you know supporting for all intents and purposes for Nene for Nia which is cool you know now you want me to play supporting for another role that is even worse because this woman is a stripper who gets raped and you know and my girl Monica Calhoun toe it up and the movie is is iconic you know do the Lisa Ray who prior to the movie we we vibed that was my girl and nothing to do with her it was just for me the role was another direction and me staying in the supporting Lane and I wanted to get out of the supporting leg so there were a lot of roles that I didn't do and I think he might have taken that personally no I think everything is as it should be I think that Monica rocked that part I think the movie is phenomenal I think he was phenomenal Jamie you know and I and I have no regrets I just I just wish he had been able to understand that just because I didn't want that part you know doesn't mean I don't love you yeah I mean AJ Johnson who I interviewed he was in Plato's club as well after doing Friday and he told a whole story about how he was he had already made an agreement to be in next Friday and he didn't find out he wasn't in next Friday and so he showed up to the set and they told him that he couldn't even get on the set how come you weren't asked to be in the other Friday movies I was I worried yeah it was a just a second one next Friday oh yeah next Friday q called me and we had a meeting and we was talking about the money and we came we came to a number that I was getting and we shook hands and we was going to do it and it's like about two to three weeks later I get a phone call and I said that I mean I was in the mood I was gonna shoot it and I get a phone call like man they you know they shooting next Friday I'm like are they shooting I'm in it how do you you know yeah they down on like 150 right now shoot so I get in my car and I go down there I try to go on the set to top the cue but he done already had me bar off the set where I can't get on so he knew that was coming yeah you don't have me boy I can't I can't get on and talk to him come to find out that he don't hire the do from onyx to play my poor Fredro Starr for weighed less than what he was gonna give me AJ is my boy I don't I don't feel IceCube did me dirty I think I might have hurt his feelings because he wrote something specifically for me and I want it I want to lose a race part you know it wasn't Lisa Raye at the time you know it was a part you know that I wanted to bring my chops to I fell in love with the journey of that character and he kept saying your ass ain't big enough it's like dad's got to do with the journey that this [ __ ] got to give this is by the way I got it you know because these friends not mad man yeah and then I got it you know but it wasn't her at the time and I didn't it wasn't about that for me it was about growing as an actor as an actress and I didn't I didn't I didn't one part so I can't I can't speak on what AJ DJJ is my honey bunches of oats but if it was me and I didn't get paid and Friday would ain't no way I'm turning up Friday - yeah just me there we have it okay so but you just kept working after that I mean you got on got puzzling you got on the Wayans brothers show you got on the Wayans brothers show well I got on the Wayans brothers show cuz geez once again bag this Marlin went to Howard with me hmm so when I was going out he was coming in and you know he's a baby so I was the you know the grown up senior and you know he was the baby so that was my honey so we when he got his own show he made sure you put me down you know and that's why I tell people that's why I started this off with you know people try to act like the parties are unnecessary the relationships no like we were talking about my son going to school you know and I was telling you you know I'm not putting him in private schools but I know people that do because this that's where the fancy pants is go you know you think because you moved to Calabasas you're gonna go you know go to school with the Kardashians number boo they go to private school hunting then I go you know that so it's like you know you have to put yourself with people that are going to be able to nurture you and vice versa in life you know and I'm not saying go and seek up hmm there go there go [ __ ] plus it gonna be yeah I just like to you know if you're genuine you you're just genuine he was funny he made me laugh he could dance so he was my boy mm-hmm you know not because he was puffy what about me I'm a puffy puffy puffy was getting betos oops I've done so many interviews where people painted puffy in about like this is just gonna wash and good to see you not anybody I didn't know people didn't know and then you know a bunch of other movie roles you know we talked about tales from the hood and get on the bus but there was also whoo why do fools fall in love my baby's daddy with Eddie Griffin and Anthony Anderson she hate me with Spike Lee but I think sprung was a standout that's my husband said he married me you know thanks to rusty and that great role and my chemistry with Joe Torre was just and my love for Tisha Campbell and rusty I think the four of us together we just make magic right the whole the whole part when you know you meet you meet Joe Torre and you know you're all like you know you're all sexy and everything else like that and then when you get him arrested and then you show up to the to the precinct dressed like like a church girl to me you know it hasn't gotten it's you know - I don't know why you know I and this is why I was very diligent about the parts that I chose but clearly I was very good at choosing parts I turned down Power Rangers you know like the the who turns down the power rangers you know I thought they were corny you know but that's what happens when you're doing this without a team of people that get it you know what I mean I didn't get it cuz I turned on the power rangers because I thought they were corny I would have been the first black girl to do whatever those Marvel whatever that thing is a superhero yeah for all intents and purposes so there were opportunity that I turned down because I didn't get the significance of how it would affect the future of my career you know so it kept me in that suit once again and this is why I didn't take certain roles because I didn't want to be stuck in the supporting roles but I always remembered that I asked to be consistently working and that's what was happening in my life and when I started to get those roles where by the time my thirties rolled around people pay attention ten years in the game and you will get that shot and when the shot came at the turn of the century the shots came it was overwhelming I'm I know people find it hard to believe I'm kind of a shy person and it's it's it's overwhelming for people to follow me around it's overwhelming for people to lust after me and be creepy but you know my girlfriends oh girl honey I had a stalker last week I don't know what I'm gonna do I had to call the police's and they they had to do the bomb squad and a dog and now I have oh honey I am just famous I realized that I wanted I wanted to live an extraordinary life on my own terms so those those roles scared me you know I didn't have anyone to go on these sets with me I'd be at the mercy of a set full of men you know and me too just happened yesterday honey I've been doing this 25 years you know so I've experienced it all so I get married and I find stability I find my route myself and what this this career what I really want out of it what it really means to me and I want job so I want to work you know I I don't I don't feel comfortable and all that that's just not what I feel comfortable but I feel comfortable get my bills paid you know I feel comfortable in the house and not on the streets or in a hotel I feel comfortable in a car you know I I I want the money for my craft and the seasoning of my craft and the fact that I've been in this industry for 25 years and now with these new streaming you know deals I'm seeing way less than I saw you know back in the day you know these streaming tales the producers or creators writers they keep all the money and and we don't even see residuals so just to stay relevant you're gonna have to deal with these streaming outlets but it only benefits you if you're on the other side of the camera you do ray mm-hmm where Jamie won an Oscar oh yeah that right okay that's right done of it no okay that ray which i think is one of the best music biopics ever and you do hustling flow where you played one of the prostitutes and you know i just rewatched one of the one of the scenes where you were just running your mouth you know and like telling you know telling your pimp the easier chauffeur and you know the he ain't [ __ ] and you know whatever and so he finally just snaps and just throws you out of the house you know I think that was definitely one of your standout performances and you know I like you know people bastardized that character like even you just said you were just running your mouth and I don't think people understood that from her perspective she signed up to get pimped she signed up to be taken care of she signed up for someone to be there to make sure that she was safe in a job that she didn't want but she took to help him yeah follow a dream that she didn't see but had been patient dealing with for a very long time not to mention she's allowed other women to come into the fold you know without tripping on that either so when MTV wanted to give me the villain of the Year thingy-thingy I was like no I don't know I don't want to villainize her and I know you just looked at me like I'm crazy and well knows because I never thought of her as a villain I'm either you know but if I had maybe more people you know so it's so hard trying to do the right thing because that's a missed opportunity that I could have been on an MTV stage honoring a black character despite what you think of her but to villainize this woman to me at the time I thought was quite unfair I thought to call her a villain simply because she was standing up for what she thought was right was unfair when the villain is the guy who dug in the toilet and killed somebody and ended up in jail at the end you know but he's the the you know the the antihero and she so how does she become the villain you know and I thought I was only in the movies first half ha ha I love a villain in the first half and then you know don't want villain I mean so I thought it was um villainizing women as well you know to say that me jumping ship was the ultimate you know betrayal and reason why he didn't get his record deal maybe glad you dug in the toilet it killed somebody to get a record deal that's all I'm saying you had Isaac Hayes right there why didn't get it right near there so you know and then knowing you know I'm just being flippin and silly but you know knowing the history of the the real characters and the fact that you know the original script had you know DJ Terrance's character come back to me you know and it a lot of drama happened and mmm and myself and Craig created something that I thought was great and I gave a whole badass monologue titties out and I did it as a no mosh to the Mac one of my favorite scenes is when he first comes back and he's in the bed with that chocolate girl and I don't know then her name and I feel terrible about that it would be nice but anyway and he she gives us badass mad along and she's butt-ass naked and just to be that free as an actress and to be able to express and that's what I did and when John came back and saw it as the executive producer he didn't like it he didn't like you know and it's I love my mentors john spike and sometimes they love me too hard because they judge so harshly you know I was you know I loved John I I really did yeah and so he he didn't want me to do my hello go buy titties out so oddly enough all the footage got stolen the truck that was hit carried the footage of that day so that's why you didn't get to see that scene and John didn't want to reshoot it he didn't heat it in we didn't want it to point to that direction because in real life of course Craig married his wife and my character was you know well yeah I mean I've interviewed actual pimps you know from dawn magic wand Fillmore slim and Don magic Juan would have never thrown me out like right and you know I think you know when I when I watched that scene from the perspective of you know talking to to pimps and understanding the relationship between the pimp and the prostitute you know like you know what I think a lot of people don't realize because you are like you know you know get angry you know hit me do something because it seem like you're seeking an emotional connection and you know from talking to the Don magic wands you know they explained how a pimp and a prostitute is really a relationship is really like a man and wife I think a lot of people don't realize is that when it comes to the pimp and the hole it's not a standard job arrangement it's actually a relationship it's definitely a relationship I mean it's husband and wife and the bond is even stronger than that because you don't know many wives better go out and work for the other man let the Heldman stay at home and bring the cat so the bun is so much stronger it's so much realer it's so much life into it because of the excitement and I mean when you got that platform and the prostitute can stand up next to a man and know her man is number one and she getting a cheer she feel that that's the drive that make her want to go out and get up man some money to continue to keep him number one and I was the bottom yeah - that's even a deeper emotional connection yeah because I'm the one who brings you know the other girls yeah yeah so it it was that is exactly what it was about it was about this woman wanting him to do what other pimps do and when you talk slick when you jump ship show me that you're still my pimp yeah you know show me that you're still my man because right now I'm feeling like you you want to be a rapper and that wasn't the plan so here you are and you're consistently working and you're getting these roles and these films are coming out and doing well and then at one point you stop working and you start having financial issues mm-hmm what led up to that whole situation getting married um Hollywood is a it's a clique it's a tight set family and um you don't you you don't jump ship it's like being in the Mafia it literally is like being in the Mafia that literally like being in the Mafia and especially black Hollywood you know it it's not the Mafia that you know is the my fuse you don't know you know the faces that you don't know that's Hollywood and you don't you don't bring in outsiders this game like I was trying to say is it's a family it's a clique it's tight-knit and you don't get out like the Mafia and you don't let Outsiders in and the person that cared the most was someone who's very powerful in the industry and I didn't work you know and that that's just you know there are strong or women than I who have gone to court you know like that lady who took Clint Eastwood support you know after their relationship and she won you know but I'm the black girl but I wasn't taking anyone to court because we don't do that and we don't tell and we suck it up and we bide our time and we wait for God to vindicate us okay so can you say who that was the person who essentially is blacklisting you at this there are numerous no one in this moment no one that I know of in this moment but the damage has been done but what you said but you said there was someone very powerful in Hollywood who had a problem yes with it if you say who that was no I don't I don't want to I don't want to cuz I don't think it's important I don't think it's important because I don't I don't want to feed into what I know to be real you know it's hard being a black woman and the me too if you notice from my perspective I don't know I'm sure there were some but I think Lupita was one of the only ones who came out you know that's not a coincidence she's African you know there weren't so many black women you know because well not only have we been taught not to snitch you know our K fade as the wrestling world likes to call it you know this this industry was built on incestuous practices you know and keeping it all in the family that's what I mean not literal you know what I can talk about the they'd like to keep it all in the family so Ryu and romantic relationships with these men and they had a problem when you got married hmm not all of them no some of them and a lot of them were women who just benefited from their perception of what how it would help them for me to not work and from my perspective because I know this world and I know our God you know you're gonna get what you're gonna get I'm gonna get what I'm gonna get it doesn't matter you know you can't expect to hold one person down and that means that you're going to win you're going to win because it's your destiny you know and so for me when this all happened I was tired I was really tired of being abused mentally physically spiritually on sets I I didn't have a support system I was a single woman and I was going to set and I was being taken advantage of you know and it wasn't easy so Brian barber a very good friend of mine sat me down and he was like you know you need a man in your corner you've gotten to a point where you need you got to pick somebody because it's it's it's not you know and it we keep art we keep our secrets to ourselves in Hollywood you know you know people can be talking about it within the mix but you've got this band around is common ours but no one is gonna you know we're not gonna talk about it outside of the community okay you know 2019 the me to movement is my swing and you know I have somewhat mixed feelings about it I think that some of it is is very very valid mm-hmm some of it is a money grab gonna shake down mm-hmm from your own personal experiences have you ever had you know like the Harvey Weinstein type situations of well if you sleep with me I'll give you this role and if you don't sleep with me you're not getting this just like that mm-hmm okay mm-hmm numerous times my entire career yeah mm-hmm can you talk about any situations without naming names hmm Wow it's it's a lot you know it's it's hard it's like munch whatever the disease ass burger much how's that I don't know how to get them all confused when you're when you're kind of brainwashed by your captor you know I don't want to talk about it because it does not hurt anyone but me in my perception to talk about it the people who did what they did know what they did and they know that it hurt me and they did it for their own advancement you know and there are you know I don't know it's it I said like this I love the people who hurt me despite what they did to me and to snitch would be to bring down another black man men and I'm not for that I believe in uplifting not bringing down and it's my journey to heal from what I allowed to be inflicted upon me and in the cases of the Harvey Weinstein's I mean it's common knowledge that I did a film for Harvey Weinstein and that yeah yeah you know but what was there any inappropriate there was a lot of inappropriate with Harvey mm-hmm I'm not you know I'll say it like this I'm a grown-ass woman if you want me to come somewhere what the [ __ ] am i coming there for at four o'clock in the [ __ ] morning what the [ __ ] if I want to talk to you about my career we're gonna do it at Miramax studios boo-boo not at your hotel room you know so it I never I never and like I told you when we first started this interview I've learned the art of the tease you know I'm you won't give me before I give you anything and then if I give you some it's gonna be because you give me again and I want to not because you want me to and that's the power of being a woman and I don't think that women they recognize that power they give their power away so just because you invite me doesn't mean I'm gonna go all right got the job so they find other ways to hurt that where you may begin as the lead of a film those who do go they become they lead in the end and people that love me when you know they did things to them that was helpful to keep me in that demonic mix you know because if it wasn't believed that I was down then I wouldn't be allowed to be there and that's just the bottom so a lot of lies that were told on me a lot of fabrications many you know there's a famous black guy who went around and told Joel Schumacher the Godfather of black film you know through creating Rolls Royce from Sparkle too you know car wash that I was a prostitute that's the reason I was so good and in it uh was that what I did with Colin Farrell fumbles that I was genuinely on street corners like with that in and he said that he recognized me from his cousin's apartment complex and as the cousin came up to me one day and was like please forgive me I keep telling his [ __ ] it ain't you he will not listen he then told from Joe he told Hollywood that this person I don't even know who this person well I put it in a script I thought it was so funny you know but he and Joel is just so priceless and so it's just so so and he was like get out of my face like flee begone with that you know thank you you know Joel because other things have been said about me lies have been told about me and I genuinely think it's the nature of this industry you can win a part in overnight you're a millionaire and and that type of financial gain is going to create creeps and creepy behavior and people are going to feel like you know backstabbing you helps their clients or helps their friend or their spouse or whomever so when you come from Cleveland to a place where you don't really have a bag I don't know I don't have anyone to have my back you know so you need a team in this industry to be able to play safely you know because they're [ __ ] lesser than me that are dead yeah I mean at one point you became homeless mm-hmm now there's different variations of eyes right I lost my home okay in the 2007 debacle with all those I was I was one of the people that was preyed upon and I was greedy and wanted the money and I took it and then my and then the strike the writer strike happened so I was on a series at the time which is why I took the money ABC series yes was ABC Family a side order of life so when the strike hit my writers they they joined the strike and quit our show a lot of writers stayed you know a lot of shows continued to work but my writers they did not across them the picket line so the writers took care of me for as long as the strike lasted then maybe a year after when I and I love the writers for that but they didn't take care of me like my show did it you know so I ended up losing my home which meant that I needed a job before I could leave the hotel because what people don't understand about residuals is that actors are at the mercy of the Screen Actors Guild residual department so there are millions of people who are in need of receiving their residuals so you have to wait sometimes three to four months when the actual the actual what is the date of when the check was issued you may receive it three to four months later and sometimes your bank won't even cash it or honor it because it's too far back so then you have to wait again for that next check and they only cut checks in three increments so I have to wait you know it's not like I can you know I have access to my residuals so so you lost your home right and then you had to go live in a hotel room right yes I had to I didn't have enough for a down payment on because I did a short sale instead of you had okay so you sold your house had a mortgage right after you sold yes cuz you suffered for less than what you bought it for exactly so I couldn't rent another home with the amount of money that they gave me so what I was able to do is set up in a nice hotel until I booked something that would give me a lump sum of money and I could do first last you know and in Los Angeles if I had been in Cleveland or anywhere else I've been fine you know I go home rent imagine find out thank you but because I'm in LA it's expensive so you could say I was in between homes but I wasn't because in between homes means I have a home and I'm in between going into the next home that I also have secured and you have a baby at this point and I have a baker oh yes he was about five at the time okay and you know that is what drive it what drives me because I I I just I got tired of being lied on I got tired of [ __ ] I got tired of it all so I got married and I wanted to just have a baby and see what it was like to just be to not go to bed hungry every damn night you know to be able to not have my friends be jealous of me for [ __ ] because of my job you're jealous cuz cuz what cuz of a fantasy that some [ __ ] you like ass it's fantasy it's not real and I'm too real so I took a break I needed a break and I did not know taking a break in Hollywood man you would have to start all over again from scratch well your break was like five years yeah okay and at one point you got to get food stamps yeah I sure did me and Regina ha that first week before I booked Towser television me every GOI this would be my roommate well she was my across the hall mate and we went got food stamps Oh fools that was nothing new to me okay I'm proud to you know to receive what I put into the community for all the years of taxes that I paid in the 45 percentile bracket you know right so food stamps the my do plus my unemployment okay I mean I'm not familiar with the food stamp process but you got it's very humbling did you actually have to go down to stay away from not chicken or window fire that [ __ ] ain't [ __ ] she gonna try to give you the lowest amount go to go to dick so here you are at the food stamp people are recognizing you yes and I mean if I needed a food stamps I go unemployment is the Natchez best friend I did not I did not sign up to become a doctor or even a tea I signed up to become an actor that means I have to beg for my living every audition every audition I have to go in and I have to force them to want me that's that's frigging you know what the hell so you know I'm thankful that people are still hiring me you know it's just it's it's what I signed up for so there's no complaining there's no I I can't I can't wait and sit back and say you know oh shoot I'm working I don't know so I have to diversify I have to figure out other ways to make sure that my baby gets fed you know and all I know how to do is act it wasn't there a situation where you and your husband tried to finance a film mm-hmm and well we didn't try to finance a film what happened was I was on a reality show called Hollywood divas Carlos King got me out of that situation I I had pitched a show through Atlanta about a show called black tresses about five actresses who come together and they create a movie or a television show and in that process we follow their journey and that becomes the show because I had I have so much product and no outlet I when I was signed with three arts before that debacle I was blessed enough to have a deal at Fox you know I was with Irwin star and he took me in hand held into Fox I got a pilot you know at the final hour the hierarchy at Fox changed and you know Peter Roth who is now one of my biggest fans at the time I had knots blind knots and he didn't get me so he recast me with rose Jackson my pilot that I created for Fox and she did it but it didn't get picked up she got out the game cuz she married big daddy from married with children so I don't know if any of these names are suddenly familiar if your 90s trivia so my show didn't get picked up but I've been through the process so when I went through the process for the reality show Carlos asked me you know who I got along with who I didn't and that's how the cast was created but of course not knowing theory of the game I didn't know it was created for the product the purpose of you know drama yeah attention drama yes that Chris so we ladies all wanted the same thing we all had a common goal and that was diversify our talents we had all been in this industry long enough to know some of us more than others like I'm countess who was a producer on her show the Parkers thanks to the brilliance of Monique and you know their team they owned a piece even of the Parkers so we did our thing in the midst of doing our thing it was really my thing because I was initially cast TV one came to me for product no one else that product I had about six scripts that I presented to them one was a wit show one was you know gangster chicks one was a girls group another one was just about some chicks and their husbands I just had like I had six complete scripts and each took a different journey for five women and they chose the one called the white sisters so because the script was already written I they want they wanted to use it as fodder for the TV show and you know act like blah blah blah blah blah but forced and I had already written the script so it was like okay well blah blah blah blah so we bla bla bla bla bla but we didn't know that the world would think that their blah blah blah was the truth and for some reason and I say some reason I guess glibly because the project we forced and I were not given the money forest and I were given their creative power but not really I was allowed to be the director I was not paid to be the director nor was I paid to act in it so no contractual agreements had taken place between any of us thus far so Carlos and tired Todd Kandi's husband who was also a producer Todd negotiated 25 G's for us Todd got Todd got on that phone and made it happen baby yes and he got us 25 G's no contracts attached to shoot the script the white sister so we did all the blah blah blah pretended like we hired Forest Force had already written thing you know so when we wouldn't sell the finished product which mind you we like I said we didn't get the money we only got artistic control that was control over what we shot but we didn't get control over who was cast as far as the back like like on the grips we didn't get to cast production and I guess that's not get higher production so he hired production and this young man who our production had a history of issues you know and he didn't necessarily put all the funds into the project so a lot of people weren't paid in the end I still have kids come up to me like you know I was on that set or I did here or I did make up and this person was supposed to pay I never heard from that person you know and so by the time the project was finished there was no money all the money had been misappropriated so they were looking at me like something was wrong with me so my boy came in and he got it in the end he did an edit of so the five ladies myself and the other four ladies would not look like imbeciles because the producer and the one of the ladies who wanted to be a producer and claimed to be a producer had misappropriated all our funds so they came to us after the project is done and TV one comes to Forrest and I and the the man the young man who put money into us having an edit and the reason why it was able to be viewed and they offered us $2,500 for all rights hmm Wow so I don't know much about nothing but I know that $2,500 is nothing yeah but like I said I've been down that yellow brick road before when I told you I did the deal with Fox and I know easy come easy go and sometimes just take the money and make the product and that will jumpstart your career and I learned that firsthand from Bentley Kyle Evans my boss on family time who told me a story about that's what he had to do to get his first project or or that girl love that girl on he did it for free the first few episodes he gave away he gave away that [ __ ] hit so hard they couldn't pay him enough to do more you know so I had to allow my husband to live that journey on his own and so that's what I did so the next season coming back there was there we have it see people don't like it Hollywood people that have Minds they want you to do what they tell you to do and when you don't do that you get penalized so the next season coming back I got portrayed as public enemy number one I was considered some kind of liar biblical references that I looked up were missing interpreted so it looked like even guy I thought I was a liar it was like the ladies all conspired against me and then got scared because they found out that I had the rights to the property because I'd written it and I had and I had proof that I'd written it because I'd submitted it before I even knew who they were I had to submit it projects and they once they realized that then they tried to come back and play both ends and get me to go against the others so when I remotely thought about doing it because they told me they'd done it it was just so much mess and so much money and all these numbers been thrown around and I just screamed and went crazy and said look [ __ ] I'm not playing these money grubby games let's be real and when I went kay fade on reality show they all ganged up on me and made it seem like they want to fight me and kick my ass hungry even bi you know and I'm sitting here like okay I'm if you tell me I'm supposed to be a bad guy like my husband was like you know tell me I'm supposed to be a bad guy then I won't K fade on you then I'll keep the I'll keep them the image I can be a I'm an actor I could be a damn good villain as as you tried to make me be you know my whole career so I didn't have a problem playing the villain but don't let me know I felt like I was on Punk'd all the time you know I show up and you know my godmother is a transsexual woman so I'd show up and it'd be a transsexual woman trying I let my husband hell yeah [ __ ] I'm about to [ __ ] off cuz to meet you just another [ __ ] trying to highlight my [ __ ] husband and I be set up for that [ __ ] I like what the [ __ ] what a [ __ ] can do to give some love of his [ __ ] so I was it was like what the [ __ ] yeah I felt like was his name Ashton Kutcher was about to jump out of every corner I'd be like please what is this reality world yeah so they cancelled the show and put a hate stamp on the white sisters and it really affected my career like the the lies that they told about me calling me thirsty I am thirsty is theirs to be so in the Bible but I'm not I'm not those things I'm not the person that they made me out to be you know and the people that were doing those things because I am a child of God I allowed them to live their lie because it is not once again my job to expose my job is to uplift as a child of God so I didn't snitch on nobody I didn't tell nothing they come they I don't know they claim their ancestry means that they gotta be up and aboveboard whose ancestry doesn't I don't know the ancestry that says you be a liar what access tree is that so I just was like whatever racist so you know I it affected all of our careers and you know when you one bad apple dust for the whole bunch so as talented as you know some of us are myself in golden we still get that run you know and that's Jesus that's God because we we you know and and and countess and and at least at least she was smart enough to jump ship off time you know but it's it's just sad that some people would rather fail than see you win and I seem to I seem to affect women that way my first project I did a documentary mm-hmm through a film company called Image Entertainment it was a called ghost ride the whip it was a documentary about that the people yeah I saw that oh thank you and I just remember a white car and a little kid jumping out yeah yeah I saw that and you know I was all excited I'm going to have a film project that was like uh you know a limited theatrical release of it and stuff like that and I got you know a little chunk of money for directing and producing it and I to spend months sitting you know behind a video editor putting it all together and I've never seen a royalty payment since that day I mean they say they've never they never recouped even though it was on Netflix and so on and for me to say I saw it yeah so yeah and and I remember right after that I said I'm done with this whole Hollywood film TV world I'm just gonna start this YouTube channel own all my own content and you know by Hollywood standards each of these videos are not gonna make very much money but we're going to own them and they're going and we're actually going to get the residuals over time but yet and they are making much money yet because what you are doing people are watching I'm here because like I said my big sister now and my mentor bill - yeah you know I was also on a couple times and those people and maybe me sitting here as well there is a reason why I'm in movies with people that you see do great things in this industry we all have our role to play and in that sense I've been blessed to be a giver you know I've gotten some of your favorite actresses into this game just simply mentoring and loving you know I I've been able to mentor directors you know and Sundance has brought me to to mentor directors and teach them how to communicate with actors and you know some of your my one of my favorite latest you know people that I was able to touch before they really hit was a storm storm Reed and I'm just so proud of everything that she's been able to accomplish since you know coming through me and I and I don't know if it's the universe and I don't know if it's Hollywood but you know I selflessly give to the next generation and that that makes me happy yeah I mean it's it's a tough game yeah and you know having gone through one iteration of it you have to be chill I said that waiting and to me the harder part wasn't you know okay they make that much money was having to get someone else to approve my ideas and finance my ideas yeah and to potentially steal them or whatever else it just wasn't maintenance no now you see no I didn't have any I don't have anybody Allen in Hollywood you need an agent and I've said that earlier if you want to play with the big dogs you need an agent preferably a big dog agent if you do not have an agent you will be taken advantage of and I but the catch-22 is I had an agent and Fox still kicked me out of my pilot but my agent Irwin said sit tight you'll be created by and created by is more strong is stronger than writer or anything else created by the next one we sell but I wasn't hearing I was 21 I was headstrong but that being said even if you have an agent you're not always gonna win but you're gonna win you're gonna win simply because you have an agent and they're going to make sure that you're represented and you see what you deserve being out here like you and I with a lot of talent a lot of Drive but no one to say I'm your agent I'm gonna push you I'm gonna get you that check yet yeah well I just said [ __ ] the whole thing so yeah and I just created my own platform 11 years later and now yeah and now these videos youtube videos actually make you know a lot more money and and you know we have a catalog and I think the coolest part is I get to wake up in your master I own all my own masters and I wake up in the morning I decide what I want to do and who I want to do it with and yes not and not have anyone have to approve it or cosign it or fundador me it's about I love your stick-to-itiveness like I don't have time without a team you know - but I see that you are your team you know your employees yes you see I I have I've been going to public access to live my dreams you know for me it doesn't matter if it's on HBO I know I have talent and I know the cream rises to the top so whatever I put out there if it's properly handled I know it's gonna rise to the top so I'm saying that to say I I'm at Pasadena public for public access putting my mind out there but I don't have the time to do it the way I want it to be done I don't have the time to shoot them like I should beat it to teach the classes to do the edits I'm a one-man band so you know I'm still making my money living other people's dreams so it takes it takes balance and it takes that dedication that you had for you to say okay I'm gonna focus on just me right now and I applaud you for that thank you well Paul Jay Parker I definitely appreciate you coming in a hell of a story I want to I want to talk about the stuff that I'm gonna be and that you guys can check out let's talk about it um I'm in a project starring Demetria McKinney and it's called a house divided so you guys let's check that out on the UM see I'm also in a movie coming out in New York called dead men can't talk that's my interview there me again nice day um so what well the new season of black Jesus like Jesus let's link yeah baby and rusty that is the best work I them to work the most product that I'm most proud of in a long long long long long long time and I'm really excited for that to come out and you know it's been a lot of political stuff and we're still waiting so you know I'm I'm here I'm still here and I'm gonna be here ain't gonna work that's what it is apologies I appreciate you coming in can't wait to see what you got j ai Parker at and that's for Gmail no not Gmail that a night for Jimmy twitter twitter and the other one Instagram I think it is all three it's not three I think I just gave you all my [Music] but I'm all types of guys jumping in your emails they're gonna bypass the DMM to go straight to the email I love guys thanks for listening to my story I kind of really obviously just went around the edge cuz I'm like one of these kind of girls when I give you just enough to live your life if you want this dream it ain't easy okay that's what it is until next time peace

Channel: djvlad

Views: 107,779

Keywords: VladTV, DJ Vlad, Interview, Hip-Hop, Rap, News, Gossip, Rumors, Drama, Paula Jai Parker

Id: nKzaR-IbVSw

Length: 132min 10sec (7930 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 06 2019