Can you tell us about your sound?
“I think that it helped that I put out so much music because my fans, at this point, they know not to get married to any specific sound or song. I don’t have that fear, that crippling fear that some artists have, where they can’t put out a song because they’re scared about how it’s going to be received. They know there was a label, they can’t just– if they put out a song that maybe isn’t received so well they got to wait six more months or three more months to put out another one and by that time people might have moved on. For me, I put out so much music that, okay, if you didn’t like this one, chances are within two weeks you’re probably getting another one anyway.”
Can you tell us about the film?
“I think it was refreshing because the movie is a throwback movie. It feels like how movies used to feel or something. There’s like a ’90s erotic thrilleresque vibe to it or something. It’s like there was no agenda. I think a lot of movies now, a lot of movies have some kind of political agenda or there’s some kind of other thing that people are trying to do. This movie was just purely entertainment.”
What is your favorite fashion period in history?
“It’s so tough. I probably circled through ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s on a loop, especially shooting GLOW. The whole time that we were shooting GLOW, which was set in the ’80s, I could tell that it was influencing my wardrobe at home. The kinds of jeans I was buying and the jackets. I would say even when I was in high school, which was late ’90s and early 2000s, my friends and I really had a fascination with ’80s clothes. We were always thrift shopping and we would, as a joke, buy outrageous ’80s dresses and wear them to the school dances. Maybe because I was born in the ’80s, I’ve always had some kinship with the ’80s. I also have to say, I’m loving this moment right now, as the ’90s are coming back into fashion in a big way, because I was a pre-teen and then teenager in the ’90s. The fit of the jeans is very nostalgic for me and things like that. It’s funny to see the Gen Z spin on ’90s era stuff.”
How does it make you feel growing up with those guys, as your friends, but also as your onscreen colleagues and castmates?
“I think it’s like as genuine love and you want to know why, because we’ve been through so much together. We’ve seen each other at our worst. We’ve argued, we’ve loved each other. We’ve seen and we traveled across the country, around the world with each other. I feel that like, this doesn’t happen for everybody. I feel like this soul and the chemistry that I have with these guys was ordained by God. This is like a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m just happy to have it with these guys.
I’m just happy to connect to such talented beings, and so smart, very intelligent people that I’m surrounded by. I’m just blessed to be able to pick their minds, and actually, share a great relationship with them. It’s so much I can say right now, but I’m just really happy to know these guys.”
You’re amazing in the show. You don’t see too many truly original stories these days. Everything seems to be regurgitated from something else. This is actually unique.
“I think that too, there’s such a refreshing tone. It’s an original take on this very human question of who am I. That’s the very first question of the whole series that Helly is asked is who are you. As an audience member, you’re really in so many characters’ point of view for sure throughout the show, but Helly is really our way into understanding exactly what you said, which is what the hell is going on here. A lot of Helly’s actions are investigating, asking questions, doing reconnaissance, questioning what’s going on.
She becomes this catalyst that disrupts the office status quo. You begin to see all of the characters start to question the nature of their work and their own identity, who they are on the inside and who they are on the outside. I thought that was just a really beautiful and intriguing way to highlight and embody the idea of duality, that we are one person in certain environments and another in a totally different environment. What if those two people never met one another, even though they’re the same person? My favorite thing about Dan’s writing is that he brings such a vulnerability and delight to these characters.”
It started to feel like it’s a bit of Greek mythology, like demigods and servants. Everything’s been almost an experiment by itself. Can you please elaborate on the premise for the show?
“Yes, it takes place in a world where there’s a technology that you can get. It’s a chip you can get inserted into your brain where it kind of bifurcates your memories from your workplace to the outside world and your home life. When you’re at work, you have no memory whatsoever of who you are, what you do in the outside world. Then vice versa, when you are in the outside world, you have no recollection of who you are, or what you do at work. You lose the memories of each place when you’re in the other.
My character, Mark he is bereaved. He just recently lost his wife and gets the procedure done and starts working at Lumen so he can, in a way, just not have to live and not have to feel for 8 to 10 hours a day. His life basically, consists of waking up in the morning, eating breakfast, driving to work, and then he’s immediately leaving work, going home, eating dinner, drinking a little too much, and going to sleep. That’s his entire life. He doesn’t have to live and feel the pain he feels for most of the day for most of his life.”
Congratulations on the upcoming Stranger Things Season Four. We were left on a major cliffhanger with your character Jim Hopper. Did you know at the end of Season Three that you will be coming back?
“No, I did. I knew the whole time. I’m a big fat liar. For as long as possible I had to maintain the fact that I didn’t know and so I would do some interviews and things like that. I would just lie blatantly about how I didn’t know the fate of my character because you want the audience to figure that stuff out for themselves, but I knew the whole time. There’s been a plan through this series that the Duffers know where it’s headed and we’ve discussed that ever since the first season. It’s not that that hasn’t changed. I don’t know all the intricate details, but I’ve known what this character is about and we’ve had conversations about the end of him or where he ends up at the end of the series.
I knew that this in a sense was a fake death, but it also was a bit of a resurrection. I’ve spoken a little bit about it being this idea of Lord of the Rings where Gandalf the Gray descends into hell with the Balrog and then becomes Gandalf the White as he returns. There was something about the trajectory that Hopper was on in the first three seasons that required him to die in a sense to the people that he loved so that he could be resurrected as the man that he needs to be going forward to fight this evil.”
There are still some fan theories that Ghost survived and might come back.
“God bless the love. The love is just amazing. I guess fan is short for fanatic. Fanatical is the word, right? Fan is an abbreviated, amalgamated whatever because some fans are truly fans, you know what I mean?
These are fans like, “What did you eat today? How did you eat it? Who’s that in that picture with you? Man, I read about this. I heard your mom is sick. I’m praying for her.” Those are real fans. I want to see you do all kinds of things. I don’t want to relegate you about you but the one thing that’s a fan to me. Equally, I have to and we have to. I’ll speak for anyone who’s a teammate of mine, Jennifer Lopez included. I got to speak for her too because I don’t think I’ve been with a teammate as big in the fame status since her. I haven’t, there’s been nobody more famous than her whom I’ve worked with so I need to speak for her and she wouldn’t be mad in saying this. We all have a learning curve in the fan who is a fanatical fan. That’s a learning curve for us, especially for those of us who come from the meager reality or the meek and the walks of life that are really mundane and there are some hard knocks and some rocky roads.
It’s been a beautiful experience as people always say, “Oh man, oh, so humble.” I’m like, “I’m a fan of the fan.”
How do you feel every time you have a new challenge to change yourself? How do you prepare yourself?
“Yes, absolutely. For me, everything starts with the script. I begin the journey inward by just absorbing the words and absorbing the story, absorbing the world that these characters are going to exist in. Then when I’m lucky, which I have been consistently lucky in my career to work with directors of vision and purpose, I get their input on what it is that they’re going to create. Then I flip everything upside down and I go from the outside in. Usually, my work begins from the outside, the world around the character. What shapes that character, what kind of environment they live in, what kind of people they’re surrounded by.”
How can we expect for the Season to progress? In the trailer, we saw that Midge wants to pursue being a headliner. Do you think Midge is slowly changing the comedy business where women can headline?
“This is a season about rebuilding and being unapologetic about who you are and what you want. Not that we’ve known Midge to be very apologetic about anything in her life. I think she’s got a new fire under her ass and this is a make it or break it moment for them. As per usual, Midge will take a number of steps forward and a number of steps back, progress is rarely ever linear. Certainly not for her, but it’s a season of bold moves and I’m really excited for people to see Midge in this light and in some unconventional places and spaces, than we may have seen her previously.”
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Can you tell us about your character, a journalist named Vivian Kent? The original story was published in the Cut, of New York magazine back in 2018. The story was investigated by Jessica Pressler. Have you spoken with Jessica about your character?
“Vivian is one of the characters that is the least like her inspiration right in that I didn’t have to match her. In fact, we had the goal to not match her. We fictionalized a lot of Jessica’s character because we really wanted the freedom to explore some of the funnier dynamics and some of the maybe riskier dynamics that we thought were already presenting themselves in the Anna/Vivian relationship. Shonda Rhimes felt that fictionalizing the reporter would really just do everybody a great service. I was lucky to build a lot. Vivian reminds me a lot of myself in how much she cares about the craft of her profession.
I’m really nerdy about acting. I love it. I could talk about it all day about how you do it and why it matters. She’s the same way about journalism. She really believes in it. That was my way in, was just how much she cares about doing the best job she can, especially given all the obstacles she’s been provided. In preparing, even though we fictionalized her, I still was very blessed to have all of the written word by Jessica.”
Can you tell us about your sound?
“My sound – there is no particular way of describing my sound, it’s just who I am as a person, what I think, what I feel and how I want to express myself, and that always changes. Every time I make a song I don’t want to make the same song twice, not only the writing style or the story I’m telling, but also I don’t want the song to sound the same so I’m always going through different rhythms, harmonies, melodies and I want to be taken somewhere new with each song. I want it to hit a different part of the soul. Sometimes songs make you happy, sometimes songs make you sad, sometimes they make you dance and I like choosing what rhythm and harmony accompany me in each song during that moment but not thinking about a specific genre.”
Can you tell us about working with Lana Wachowski?
“Wow, Lana is so knowledgeable and has such a deep and thorough skillset at directing this type of movie because she and her sister directed three in the past. She’s helming this on her own, but it’s miraculous to see her brain work. Then as a separate acknowledgment, she is so evolved as a human and she is such a seeker of truth that in previous movies when she wanted artificial light, and intentionally artificial light so that it felt like you were living within a graphic novel of sorts, she now operates from a much more natural light frame of mind.
Literal natural light filming at certain times during the day and then stoping because the light has changed, but also just a fluidity to the set, to the hours, to the process in a way I’ve never seen before. For a giant movie, I just assumed there would be storyboards and everything would have been talked through, and you’d be checking off shots from a list, and she doesn’t work that way. No rehearsing, just filming and changing and exploring and really trying to find what’s real. That’s so counter-intuitive to what they were trying to accomplish with the first ones.”
What message do you want to get to your fans?
“I come from a small place that is called Clayton County. It’s even smaller than the City of Atlanta. There’s never been a female to go mainstream where I’m from. I think I just want to be that living proof more so to say like, if you work hard and pray hard, your dreams can come true. I’ve been rapping since I was eight years old. I don’t have rich family members that put me on or related to somebody that was already famous in the industry. I didn’t have no support or easy access to get my foot in the door. I just really worked hard and prayed hard, and I was dedicated and persistent since a child. I think I just want to be living proof if you’re consistent, it’ll happen.”
Do you hope that this show would change the perspective of Clinton’s story? Is there hope that the next generation of the viewers, the audience, will change the perception of the story, especially towards Monica Lewinsky?
“Yes. I think that what the show does brilliantly is it showcases different perspectives, right? You’re not only going to get to see Monica Lewinsky’s perspective. I think that you definitely will and that’s kind of the main one, but you’re also getting to see the perspective of Linda Tripp, everyone within the Bill Clinton administration. I think you’re getting a full picture, and I think that what it’s done for me anyway is just humanize everything.
We are all humans and we make mistakes. It’s important to admit when we are at fault and we are honorable and falling through on that. I hope that that’s the takeaway for people is they’re going to learn something positive from it, but I think it will give a clearer vision of this moment and see it from a bunch of different sides.”
Isaac Asimov has left us with a vast amount of material to work with, even going into the prelude. There are seven books really to play with. It’s quite amazing. It depends on, of course, on Apple, what they can do. Hopefully, we can see more.
“I’ve got for you right now, the prelude to Foundation. This is Isaac Asimov. I went through with this first edition. I think it’s the second edition of the book. Here’s what the author’s note begins with. It says, “When I wrote “Foundation,” which appeared in the May 1942 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, I had no idea that I had begun a series of stories that would eventually grow into six volumes and a total of 650,000 words (so far). Nor did I have any idea that it would be unified with my series of short stories and novels involving robots and my novels involving the Galactic Empire for a grand total (so far) of fourteen volumes and a total of about 1,450,000 words.”
He goes on to say, “Read it in whatever order you want. If you want to start the book from the first book that I wrote, or if you want to start the book from Prelude to Foundation, you take in this story however you want.” That shows, to me, a mind creating these stories being to the audience, “You’ve got a part to play in this as well. You have the poise, you have agency inside this world,” and I certainly feel that way in our rendering of that story.”
You are a global activist constantly campaigning for Police to EndSARS. Can you tell us how do you feel to stand up against injustice?
“First of all, shout out to the brave citizens of Nigeria. That was probably the first time in my generation to have seen people come out and really protest like that. People know that I’m for the people. When that issue came up, when the whole EndSARS project came up, everybody was just obviously knowing that I was going to be involved whichever way. I attended a couple of rallies. Me and my team, we met up with the inspector general police.
We filled the airport because I knew that I had the connections to see these people that in power and speak to them for my fans, for the citizens. I wasn’t there as a leader of any movement, I was there as a citizen that was also worried about what was going on. I personally don’t really have no police trouble because of who I am, but I see that from the people on a daily. It was something I really had to get involved in.”
Your character Carmel is absolutely loveable, but lost and tormented by the father of her children. Can you tell us more about Carmel?
“I do think Carmel is wonderful and has a calm personality, but like most people and things in life there’s always duality. She certainly has a part of her that gets angry and has a few issues. I think her ex-husband being remarried, and not knowing anymore what role and purpose she has, especially with her kids, loving their stepmom, it leaves her with a lot of feelings of blame and really low self-esteem.”
You are versatile as an actor transforming easily between protagonist and antagonist characters while keeping the audience thrilled by your ability to find reasons to like your characters nonetheless. What is your acting secret?
“Thank you that’s such a lovely compliment! I think it’s vital in process for me not to worry about the audience liking my character. Unless, I suppose, I’m playing a person who is always thinking about being liked, then perhaps it could be useful. But otherwise, I try to work with directors I trust because really the audience experience is in their hands and it’s my job to tell my character’s story as honestly as I can and not worry about controlling that part of things. My least favorite kind of acting to watch is when I feel an actor is indicating everything as if they don’t trust me as the audience to have whatever experience I’m going to have. So I hope never to do that. I never like to shy away from the messiness, the “ugliness” of someone I’m playing – to me that’s usually where the best stuff is to play.”
Can you tell us about working with James Gunn?
“It was a fantastic experience. Besides him being such a nice person who also surrounds himself with great people so the environment on set is so fun and friendly. He also has such a clear vision of what he wants so you can completely trust him.”
Can you imagine living in the 80s? No phones, no internet. If you needed to know something you would go to the library. Is it exciting to live in the 80s era through the camera lens?
“It’s so exciting getting to film in this time period because I feel like I grew up in the 80’s. My parents always laugh about the things in the show that are similar to their childhood, and I can now understand it because I “half-grew up” in that time period.”
You are versatile as an actor transforming easily between protagonist and antagonist characters while keeping the audience thrilled by your ability to find reasons to like your characters nonetheless. What is your acting secret?
“That is very kind, thank you! I just really, really, REALLY enjoy doing a deep dive into the complexities of the human psyche and the grey area that a lot of human behavior plays out in. I am fascinated by the many shades of emotions we have as humans and how they propel us forward, along with our deep intuitive knowledge.”
Your character Allie is an anti-consumerist and makes a great statement in Episode Two. Do you think we as a society over-consume especially at the expense of public welfare and environmental protection?
“We are absolutely over-consumed, but it’s death by a trillion pricks, we over-consume every day in very small ways. The most obvious one is just plastic, everything you buy is in plastic, when you carry it home it’s in plastic, when you drink something it’s in plastic. Plastic, that invention, although, I’m sure made with the best intentions has really, and that’s just one thing, done an enormous amount of damage.
The other thing is, I agree with that speech that Allie gives about, I don’t agree with his point of view necessarily, but we’ve become a society that doesn’t fix things anymore, you buy a car, you run it to the ground and you throw it away. Televisions, we don’t fix them, we buy televisions and then we wait for a newer one and then we throw the other one away. Everything is disposable.”
Can you tell us when you were cast for the role of Margot Fox in “Mosquito Coast”?
“It was a process that entailed months of sitting on the script because I was not confident enough to even attempt to audition for it because I didn’t want to get rejected. It got to the point that Justin Theroux called my agent and politely “demanded” that I read for the role of Margot. We had worked together on Mulholland Drive 20 years ago and he still had my number and I was given a strong ultimatum from my agent “30 minutes to read or else!” I read on the floor of my living room, sent three scenes and prayed that through manifestation, that my dream of playing “Margot” would become a reality. The producers received my tape at midnight and then Rupert Wyatt, our director, called my agent and said ” Melissa is our Margot, but she needs to be aware that it will be the toughest ride of her life.”
If you had a chance to give your younger self advice, what would that be?
“My advice to my younger self would be to get out of a bad situation quicker than I did. I always thought I could change people and make them nicer and kinder, but was not successful. That meant I went through a lot of pain and suffering. Now I don’t mix or work with mean people”.
You are an entrepreneur offscreen, specifically when it comes to building houses. Tell us what got you interested in that?
“My Dad was a great man. My first job was working with him on a roof here in New Orleans. I remember he’d drive past houses he’d worked on a say “I did that!” He always offer people jobs who were on the side of the road asking for money. So I do it to honor him“.
Looking back at your accomplishments, are you happy with your progression?
“I’m not really one to look back and applaud myself for the things I’ve done. I’ve always had this mentality of being ultra-present in whatever it is I’m doing, but ultimately with my mind focused on what’s next and what more there is to accomplish. I’m very grateful for everything I’ve been a part of thus far, but what excites me most and makes me the happiest is thinking about what’s to come”.
The 1978 debut of “I’m Every Woman” came in a post-civil rights movement. What this song represents to you in 2021?
“I’m Every Woman” continuously feels relevant. As a black woman in 2021 we are experiencing our own mini post civil rights movement after a year of BLM protests and a highly charged election. While we have made many steps forward in the world in terms of progress as women, especially black women, I hope to continue to inspire, uplift, and motivate through art that celebrates joy and black excellence. This song is the perfect embodiment of those things.”
Have you suffered from PTS?
“My girlfriend Jamie and I were at the Route 91 concert when the mass shooting happened in Las Vegas. It definitely affected me and made me even more hyper-aware and vigilant than I felt I already was. It’s hard to shake some of the sounds and mental pictures from that night, and the thoughts of “did I do enough? Could I have helped one more person?” that kept running through my head afterwards. And if that was just one experience, I can’t imagine what it’s like going through an entire deployment where those thoughts and feelings and dark memories happen over and over.”
If you could go back to any point in your life, would you change anything or advise your younger self?
“I would say don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Don’t put too much pressure, just a good amount of pressure. Putting too much pressure on myself didn’t allow me to be my best, it was what you’d call gripping the stick too tight. I learned later on that things are going to go good and they’re going to go bad, and when things go bad try to figure out how to fix it, don’t dwell on it. I would say don’t get so stressed out about the small things.”
Cherry and Emily have a complex relationship that ultimately leads to their shared struggle with addiction. Can you share your thoughts on how their love for each other takes them to such extremes?
“I find it quite easy to romanticize the type of love Cherry and Emily find themselves in, but it’s important to recognize the toxicity of their co-dependency. These are two characters who have allowed themselves to get so lost in another person that they end up completely losing themselves. I do think they have a very real love for each other, but that ends up getting lost in the darker need they have for opioids. You can only hope that these two are able to find their way back to the purity of their love in the beginning.”
Can you tell us about your character Swanee Capps on “Fargo”?
“She’s an outlaw, maybe not a very good one? But she’s committed. This installment of Fargo is a deconstruction of the American dream, and about the experiences of those who are placed outside of that dream. The systematic nature of oppression, and how people survive it.”
You are known to work from indie to tentpole movies, can you tell us about your experience working with Zack Snyder?
“I love Zack. He’s got such a great energy and has so much passion for what he does. As an actor, you know you are in good hands with him. He’s going to make you look the coolest you’ve ever looked in your life.”
Do you ever play safe or take risks?
“My entire career is a calculated risk. I don’t believe you can become successful in this job unless you are willing to take what other people may consider to be reckless risks. You must be “all in” in your career in order to make it happen. Monetarily and emotionally. This is not a career for the weak-willed. You have to believe in yourself more than anyone else believes in you.”
Is it often you get a chance to play the antagonist?
“I don’t think I realized I was capable or right to play the antagonist before Cobra Kai.
I still sit here shocked I was booked the role of Tory I think other people saw I was capable before I did. Since playing Tory I’ve fallen so in love with antagonist character I don’t really want to go back.”
