Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00 So Amber, I actually want to start with you
00:02 because the amazing Yvette Lee Bowser,
00:05 she has once coined herself the creator of on-screen,
00:09 enviable relationships between Black women.
00:12 So with this being a friendship group
00:15 that we all love to have,
00:17 what would you say is your favorite part
00:19 about being with this group of ladies?
00:23 Oh, what I love about this show,
00:26 in real life and on the show,
00:27 is that we're so different from one another,
00:30 and yet we're still tight, good friends
00:33 and can support each other,
00:35 and we're not competitive with one another.
00:38 And I think that's what true friend groups look like.
00:41 Everyone's got their own thing going,
00:43 their own interests and ambitions,
00:45 and the way that they, you know,
00:49 one's an extrovert and one's an introvert,
00:51 and one's interested in games,
00:53 and one's interested in fashion.
00:55 You know, everyone's interested in different things,
00:56 but they still have such a grounded friendship
01:00 and love for one another.
01:01 And I love that we show that on the show,
01:04 and we're like that in real life.
01:06 Yeah.
01:08 I love that.
01:09 And, Brisha, what I love a lot is your character's outfits.
01:13 Like, everyone is stepping,
01:16 but I was, like, making notes, like, I need that.
01:19 Yeah, she's taking chances this season.
01:22 Yes, and one thing about her is
01:24 she has glowed up so much this season.
01:26 What does she teach you about not only having crazy faith,
01:30 but also dabbling in whatever and all
01:33 that life has to offer, if you will?
01:35 Taking chances.
01:37 You know, she's taking chances in her fashion, in her hair.
01:41 She's finally doing what makes her happy,
01:44 even if it doesn't make sense to anyone else, you know?
01:46 Or it does, you know?
01:48 She's figuring it out and walking it out boldly.
01:52 And she's just embarking on such a new place
01:56 that she's never been before.
01:58 And I love that you get to see a strong woman like this
02:01 that has it all figured out,
02:02 or looks like she has it all figured out.
02:04 Be a little insecure about it, you know,
02:06 about going into this new career path
02:10 and having a firm and having those meetings
02:12 and not knowing how to, you know, do the conversation.
02:17 Like, how do I ask for this for my company?
02:20 How do I check someone that I respect?
02:23 How do I tell the guy that is the man of my dreams
02:26 that maybe this isn't all for me?
02:28 Maybe it's not what I need right now, you know?
02:31 So I think it's just so aspirational.
02:33 I was inspired by playing her,
02:35 just to take chances and move boldly,
02:40 but also have grace for yourself
02:41 as you're making those big decisions.
02:44 - I love that.
02:45 And just staying on happiness, Corbyn,
02:47 Sondhi is taking her happiness by the reins this season.
02:51 What would you say has inspired that journey for her
02:54 in the second season?
02:55 And how are you learning from that?
02:58 - Yeah, I think you get to the end of this first season
03:02 and a lot of viewers and myself included were like,
03:06 "Wow, this woman is doing such a beautiful thing
03:08 by being this caretaker, but she is sacrificing a lot."
03:11 She's sacrificing a lot by way of her relationship
03:15 with Matthew and also her career.
03:19 She's putting a lot at risk
03:20 and she's taking a back seat in a lot of ways.
03:22 And she's so intelligent and she's so capable
03:27 and she's so ambitious.
03:28 It's only natural to go, "Well, what else could she do?"
03:31 And when you get to season two,
03:32 you get to see what else she can do
03:34 and what the possibilities are.
03:36 And it's very exciting.
03:37 It's almost like she's a racer
03:40 that's been held behind the finish line
03:42 or behind the starting line
03:44 and somebody cut the ribbon and said, "Go."
03:46 That's what the season looks like for her.
03:48 And I think it's inspiring to me
03:51 because when you are in a relationship or anytime,
03:55 just as a woman, I think it's very,
03:57 society tells us that we're supposed to caretake
04:00 and we're supposed to put ourselves second.
04:02 And sometimes that's not what's best.
04:05 It can be a very beautiful thing,
04:07 but sometimes making that decision for yourself
04:10 and what you need and putting yourself first
04:12 is the best thing, not only for you,
04:14 but for the people around you and for the ones you love.
04:16 And it takes a lot of courage to do that
04:18 and a lot of bravery.
04:20 And you watch her do that and it's very exciting.
04:24 - Yes, definitely.
04:26 Like right now, I just got,
04:27 I'm halfway through episode seven
04:30 and I'm just like, "Oh my gosh, Sondhi is me."
04:33 Like, I understand.
04:36 I under and understand her.
04:38 And so before I let y'all go,
04:40 Amber, I will start with you.
04:42 Just give me a word or phrase
04:44 that summarizes "Run the World" season two.
04:47 - Oh, oh, oh.
04:49 I feel like you guys said good words a second ago.
04:52 Oh, what was the word?
04:53 Someone else go.
04:56 - Bold and aspirational.
04:58 - That was good.
05:00 Yeah, bold and aspirational, female forward.
05:03 And we're just doing it for ourselves
05:08 and doing it with each other.
05:11 - We're doing it well, okay.
05:13 (all laughing)
05:15 - Yeah, we're listening to ourselves
05:17 and putting ourselves first.
05:19 - Absolutely.
05:20 And that all rings true on screen.
05:23 I grew up watching "Living Single"
05:26 and I was too young to like really know.
05:29 But now like I'm a millennial, I'm 30.
05:31 I'm like, no, this, I know what they're going through.
05:33 So just thank you for your amazing artistry
05:36 and congratulations on season two.
05:39 - Thank you so much.
05:41 Thank you, Shadow and Act
05:42 for always shouting us out and supporting us.
05:44 Really appreciate it.
05:46 - Hi, Ash and Shanique.
05:47 How are you?
05:48 One of my favorite places, Shadow and Act.
05:50 I follow y'all.
05:52 Y'all give me all the good news and everything.
05:54 It's great to see you.
05:56 - Yes, we love you as well.
05:57 And so I'm gonna hop right in
05:59 because I was watching a previous interview that you did
06:02 where you mentioned that writer Lee Davenport said
06:05 that only you could play the role of Barb.
06:08 Now that we're in this second season of "Run the World,"
06:11 how would you say that this rings true?
06:13 - Well, it's a great compliment for anyone to say
06:16 and think that you can play a very specific role
06:19 and you wanna make sure that you do well
06:22 and give them what they, you know, what they hoped for.
06:27 I'm very gratified that at this point in my life,
06:31 people know that I can act.
06:33 They certainly know I can act,
06:34 but they also know that I'll bring
06:36 a certain improvisational style to it
06:39 and carefree and casualness to it, but also a seriousness.
06:44 That's what I think they're looking for.
06:45 And so if people want to give me my flowers in that way
06:50 and then say, you know, only one person could play it,
06:53 I'll say, thank you.
06:54 (both laughing)
06:56 And run like a thief.
06:57 - I love that.
06:59 And you know, one of the things I love about Barb
07:02 is like, she's like me when it comes to like,
07:05 when I'm talking about Gen Z,
07:06 the way she talks about millennials.
07:09 And so she's always taking jabs at them about, you know,
07:12 having that passion for chasing their dreams,
07:14 but at the same time, she admires that drive.
07:17 As someone who has and continues to pave the way
07:20 for today's actors, what would you say you love the most
07:23 about the current state of television as we know it?
07:27 - Ooh, girl, I love that question.
07:29 Sky's the limit.
07:31 The sky's the limit and the limit is the sky.
07:34 We're in a space now with the internet
07:37 and all the tools we have around us, including our phones,
07:40 that if you want to do something, you really can do it.
07:42 You don't have to wait for someone to come find you.
07:45 When I was younger, you had to be discovered
07:48 or you had to do theater to get your start.
07:51 And often it didn't mean that you could translate it
07:53 to anywhere else.
07:55 But now you can literally film a movie, film a monologue,
07:59 put up whatever you want, prose, poetry, anything.
08:04 Teach yourself with the tools that you have how to be it
08:08 and even get an audience for it.
08:10 Now we can have a conversation about real access and equity.
08:13 That's still an issue.
08:15 And certainly on the pay salary, it's an issue,
08:18 but you really do have more ways
08:21 to push out your stories and to be you.
08:24 And I think that that has never been,
08:27 that's never been in history in this way.
08:30 - Absolutely.
08:31 And lastly, here, I just want to know,
08:32 what is your favorite thing about this core group of women
08:36 in "Run the World"?
08:38 What, like, as far as representation in their storylines,
08:42 what has been your most favorite thing to see?
08:45 - I love their energy.
08:47 I love that they're intelligent.
08:49 I love that they make mistakes.
08:51 I love that they're ambitious.
08:53 I love that they're sometime anxious about the world.
08:57 And I love that they're taking the chance.
08:59 They're gorgeous.
09:00 Look at the clothes that Pat Fields and Tracy,
09:03 our costume designer, have put on them.
09:07 And the Harlem as the background to all of this,
09:11 which is full of energy.
09:12 I love all of that,
09:13 but I also love that it's a part of me now.
09:16 I started my career in New York, partially,
09:19 actually Philadelphia and then New York.
09:21 And here I am still running the world in New York,
09:25 but on a different show with different leads
09:28 who are making a new path.
09:31 But they're also following the breadcrumbs
09:33 that many people left along the way.
09:35 And that is really exciting.
09:37 - Well, I love that.
09:38 As always, it's a pleasure to talk to you,
09:40 my fellow Scorpio sister.
09:42 - Oh, Anissa, what's up?
09:44 Scorpio, I love you.
09:46 Yes.
09:47 - Are there any of Ola's qualities
09:50 that mirror those of your own?
09:52 And if so, what are they?
09:54 - Too many, too many qualities.
09:56 Yeah, Ola is, I mean,
09:59 obviously he's a first generation Nigerian.
10:01 So he's a doctor.
10:03 My dad is a doctor.
10:04 I had come from a lot of medical professionals,
10:06 but also he's just a guy who's honestly very loving,
10:11 very committed, very supportive to his partner.
10:15 And I think that the way that he handles the conflict
10:20 at the end when he finds out
10:23 that his fiance was cheating on him
10:25 was in a very measured, but angry,
10:29 kind of paternal vibe and scolding.
10:33 And weirdly, I definitely do a little bit of that
10:36 when I'm in conflict scenarios.
10:38 But overall, he's a fun loving guy
10:43 and he cares about people.
10:44 And I definitely resonate with that.
10:47 - Absolutely.
10:48 And for you, Jay, I wanted to know,
10:52 in what ways your character really is chasing a dream.
10:57 So how do you hope he encourages those
10:59 who may be aspiring to be in the music field
11:04 or have partners dealing with people
11:06 who are aspiring to be in the music field?
11:08 What lessons do you think they teach them
11:11 or he teaches them?
11:13 - Try, try.
11:16 I wouldn't be here having this conversation
11:18 with you right now had I not made the decision
11:22 to simply try.
11:24 Life's too short.
11:27 Life is too short not to do the thing that's in your heart.
11:31 So if it's really in your heart, go for it.
11:32 I hope people, if people watch Jason,
11:35 they don't go about it exactly the same way that he did,
11:39 but I hope that they reach the same conclusion
11:41 that sometimes you just gotta take a leap of faith.
11:45 - Yeah, and a question I have for the both of you
11:49 is because I grew up watching iconic shows
11:53 like "Living Single" with just a beautiful dynamic
11:57 of women who were bosses in their own right.
12:00 What is your favorite thing about the women
12:04 of "Run the World"?
12:06 And we can start with you, Telson.
12:07 - I mean, it's all about sisterhood.
12:10 Like they are very ambitious.
12:13 They're chasing different career goals.
12:15 They're chasing different men.
12:16 They're dealing with the fact
12:19 that they've gotten a little bit older.
12:20 They're not quite the 20s that they used to be,
12:23 but above it all, what they have is each other.
12:26 And that community is kind of the center
12:29 of what this show is.
12:31 It's this black sisterhood.
12:33 And I think we could all learn from that.
12:34 And I think they've done a good job in this season
12:37 of mirroring it a little with the men.
12:38 So we have a brotherhood that's been growing.
12:40 But in general, I think people need to increase the value
12:45 of their community and make sure that they're pillars
12:49 that they can rely on and that they are feeding
12:52 into their community as well.
12:53 I just think that that's a lesson for all of us.
12:56 And we learn that through these women.
12:58 - Not only lean on a pillar, but also be a pillar.
13:01 - But also be a pillar too.
13:02 - And we definitely see that in this show.
13:04 - Yeah. - Definitely.
13:05 - And we see when the pillars aren't so strong
13:07 and we can start to crumble, but they rebuild.
13:11 - Absolutely.
13:12 And for you, Jay, did you have anything to add
13:14 about the lovely women of "Run the World"
13:17 and what they reflect for,
13:19 'cause I was watching "Living Single" with my parents.
13:21 I obviously could not relate to the characters,
13:25 but now watching this as a millennial,
13:27 I'm like, oh, that's definitely me.
13:30 So how do you hope that this is representation
13:32 for those watching?
13:34 - I mean, I think you just said it.
13:36 You perfectly captured what I love about this show.
13:40 And it's, we can watch it and see ourselves.
13:45 It's not like the same story
13:47 that we're so used to seeing over and over.
13:49 There's a diversity of stories that we can relate to.
13:54 And each of the women on this show just exemplify,
14:00 well, I was gonna say handling things with grace.
14:06 I think overall though, overall,
14:08 it's just so relatable and it's so real
14:12 and it's okay to stumble.
14:14 - Yeah, and there's almost a,
14:18 there's a way that black women meet conflict
14:22 and meet obstacles that is unique
14:24 and honestly filled with humor.
14:27 And that's a skill, a strength
14:30 and a coping mechanism all at once.
14:33 And I think that they really,
14:35 through these women and through this show,
14:37 we see a lot of that in effect,
14:38 which is why it's so fun to watch 'cause it's so funny.
14:41 So it's beautiful.
14:43 - Absolutely, I definitely agree.
14:45 And I love the show.
14:47 So thank y'all for your time today.