Latest / The Breakfast Club / Kim Fields Talks Iconic Roles In TV, The Upshaws, Dancing With The Stars, Living Single + More

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Kim Fields Talks Iconic Roles In TV, The Upshaws, Dancing With The Stars, Living Single + More · The Breakfast Club

0:00
Speaker 1: Wait that answer in the morning Breakfast Club Morning, everybody
0:05
Speaker 1: is DJ Envy Angela Ye, Charlemagne the guy. We are
0:09
Speaker 1: to Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building,
0:11
Speaker 1: legend actress Kim Field. Welcome. Thank you so much. It's
0:15
Speaker 1: so great to be here. I can't believe I'm just
0:17
Speaker 1: not getting here. Oh man, We're happy to have you. Yeah, really, yes,
0:23
Speaker 1: how are you? First? And for I'm great? How are you?
0:25
Speaker 1: I am Blessed Black and Holly Favorite. Well, alright and
0:27
Speaker 1: alright and happy birthday. Thank you very much, thank you,
0:33
Speaker 1: thank you, thank you. How does it feel to be
0:36
Speaker 1: a star on yet another hit show? Well? Thank you?
0:40
Speaker 1: Talk about you know, being blessed and favored? Um, it
0:43
Speaker 1: feels wonderful. It's it's very surreal, quite honestly. Uh. And
0:47
Speaker 1: we knew that we had something really great. We didn't
0:49
Speaker 1: know what was gonna do what it did and continues
0:52
Speaker 1: to do and have the impact, you know that it
0:54
Speaker 1: has on the culture and beyond. So it's it's it's exciting,
0:58
Speaker 1: it feels great. Of course we're talking about that up
1:00
Speaker 1: shows if you yeah, season two? So how did you
1:03
Speaker 1: get involved with the up shows? For people? I don't
1:05
Speaker 1: know I was actually on a press tour for a
1:08
Speaker 1: movie that I executive producing started and called Adventures in Christmasing.
1:12
Speaker 1: And while I was in La on the press tour,
1:15
Speaker 1: they said, Hey, can you come in and do a
1:17
Speaker 1: chemistry meeting with Mike Apps and Wanda Sykes for a
1:21
Speaker 1: Netflix series. And I wasn't checking to do a comedy,
1:24
Speaker 1: but I was like, that's a trio. You can't say
1:27
Speaker 1: no too, And so went in. Mike and I had
1:30
Speaker 1: great chemistry, Wanda and I had great chemistry, and the
1:34
Speaker 1: Netflix crew was there, and before I got home, practically,
1:37
Speaker 1: they were like, Yeah, we're gonna We're gonna do an
1:40
Speaker 1: offer and you know, go from there. Do you have
1:42
Speaker 1: a feeling intimidated to keep up with the humor of
1:44
Speaker 1: the mic Apses and Wandersikes, Not at all, because we
1:48
Speaker 1: all have our lanes, you know, and they're so funny.
1:51
Speaker 1: But I know my lane, you know, and so and
1:53
Speaker 1: they definitely give me a lot of great stuff to
1:57
Speaker 1: do on the page as well, and they're not really
2:01
Speaker 1: doing a lot of improv, you know. It's it's so great.
2:04
Speaker 1: Our writers are misfire, you know, and so it's so
2:07
Speaker 1: great what they do. And uh, and so you really
2:10
Speaker 1: don't have to kind of jockey for position. You know
2:13
Speaker 1: that we've seen recently that Martin did a reunion show. Yeah,
2:17
Speaker 1: would you guys be interested in doing a union you know,
2:27
Speaker 1: think about it. Um, we we have this this really
2:30
Speaker 1: great thread, the six of us and Yvette who created
2:32
Speaker 1: the show, this text threat and so um. You know,
2:35
Speaker 1: we just love how everyone loves Living Single and again
2:39
Speaker 1: talk about impact. You know that the show has made
2:42
Speaker 1: uh and continues to make um, and we don't want
2:45
Speaker 1: to taint that by just kind of throwing a reboot
2:48
Speaker 1: together with the idea of a reunion show. Um. Thank god.
2:53
Speaker 1: Everybody's busy. So you know, there's no plans for one
2:56
Speaker 1: in the immediate future, but you know, one never knows.
3:00
Speaker 1: I saw you tell people dot Com that you got
3:02
Speaker 1: to be cautious when you do these reboots. So it's
3:04
Speaker 1: whether it's Facts of Life or Living Single, and said,
3:07
Speaker 1: you have to be really careful. So what do you
3:08
Speaker 1: what are your worries? Exactly? Well, because if you if you,
3:12
Speaker 1: these characters are beloved, you know, Martin, Fresh Prints, uh,
3:16
Speaker 1: Living Single, facts of Life, different structs. I mean, these characters,
3:19
Speaker 1: these these shows are so beloved and these characters really
3:22
Speaker 1: mean something to everyone, and so if you get it wrong,
3:27
Speaker 1: they're gonna be mad, you know, and if you if
3:31
Speaker 1: you get it wrong to this tune of well I
3:34
Speaker 1: didn't see the character doing that, or now that doesn't
3:36
Speaker 1: make sense, or trying too hard, or just you know,
3:39
Speaker 1: almost feeling like you're trying to put a square what
3:41
Speaker 1: is it a square peg in a round hole? And
3:43
Speaker 1: so so you know it's almost like, hey, why don't
3:45
Speaker 1: we just kind of keep curating what's there and acknowledge
3:50
Speaker 1: that and celebrate, you know, the efforts that those actors
3:54
Speaker 1: and those creatives are making now in other places. Absolutely,
3:58
Speaker 1: as a fan is selfish in a way because it's
4:00
Speaker 1: like we would only want that for nostalgia purposes. We
4:03
Speaker 1: got all of the reruns, we watch it now. It's
4:05
Speaker 1: a timely shows. We just enjoy the art that reboot
4:08
Speaker 1: to the reunion, I mean, know the show like all
4:12
Speaker 1: the time, Like it's like watching like the Mona Lisa.
4:14
Speaker 1: Just go enjoy the art that was created. Was up
4:19
Speaker 1: to what they're doing if you don't see And that's
4:20
Speaker 1: that's what I thought was dope about the Martin. Yeah,
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Speaker 1: I think the I think those reunions are kind of
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Speaker 1: a nice happy medium, you know, a good hybrid for
4:28
Speaker 1: we're not really rebooting, but here you get to see
4:30
Speaker 1: us all together because certainly social media you get to
4:34
Speaker 1: see everybody as much as they want you to see them.
4:37
Speaker 1: But I think it's a good little happy medium, now,
4:40
Speaker 1: be honest. Now I just thought about I wouldn't. I
4:41
Speaker 1: would love a reunion because I love hearing Eric Alexander talk,
4:45
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, she's best, Yes, Queen Latif for yourself,
4:49
Speaker 1: Kim Cole's Yeah, I would like to see that now,
4:52
Speaker 1: just the conversation of March right, Yeah, absolutely. Well, you
4:55
Speaker 1: know when we had one of those anniversary specials that
4:58
Speaker 1: I think TV one did, and we weren't able to
5:01
Speaker 1: get everybody, but we got quite a few of us,
5:04
Speaker 1: and so we were sitting around and chatting about the
5:07
Speaker 1: show and that sort of thing. So we have had
5:09
Speaker 1: that type of a moment, not with everybody all in,
5:12
Speaker 1: but you know, close enough for you like mind Frame
5:15
Speaker 1: or certain episodes, how they shot at, how they felt,
5:18
Speaker 1: you know, I mean, I would love to hear that.
5:19
Speaker 1: I remember the first time were not the first time
5:21
Speaker 1: I saw yo, but I think probably one of the
5:22
Speaker 1: first time I saw you all together and an interview
5:24
Speaker 1: was on our Senio Hall. Yes, yes, back in the day.
5:27
Speaker 1: How important was that interview at the time? That was major,
5:30
Speaker 1: you know, because of what the Arsenio Hall Show was
5:34
Speaker 1: to the world. You know, at that time that was
5:37
Speaker 1: what nowadays we would call that a moment, you know, um,
5:40
Speaker 1: and definitely a highlight for all of us, even for
5:44
Speaker 1: everybody that had accomplishments in the individual careers to be
5:48
Speaker 1: able to do Our Senio at that moment in time
5:51
Speaker 1: with all of us, it was it was really great,
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Speaker 1: really really just a memorable, you know moment, definitely a highlight.
5:59
Speaker 1: Now you did Housewives that was short lived, Yes, you
6:03
Speaker 1: didn't like it wasn't for you, No, no no, no, it
6:05
Speaker 1: wasn't that at all. It was only supposed to be
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Speaker 1: a one and done, you know it was. It was
6:08
Speaker 1: bread Farth with the Jets kind of moment. So so um,
6:14
Speaker 1: you know, for me, I did what I what I
6:17
Speaker 1: set out to do. The mandate at that time in
6:20
Speaker 1: my career was I'm celebrating forty years in the industry,
6:24
Speaker 1: and so my team I said, hey, let's go into
6:27
Speaker 1: uncharted waters. We're only going to do stuff that we've
6:29
Speaker 1: never done before. And so they kept asking me to
6:33
Speaker 1: do reality for years, and I was like, no, the
6:35
Speaker 1: time's not right, it's just too much. So we said, okay, well,
6:38
Speaker 1: let's just give that a try and see, but knowing
6:41
Speaker 1: that I still had other shows to do, other work
6:44
Speaker 1: to do as a director, as a producer, all kinds
6:46
Speaker 1: of things. So it was just one of those Okay, yep,
6:49
Speaker 1: did that, and then from there being almost catapulted into
6:54
Speaker 1: Dancing with the Stars, which was not only a game changer,
6:57
Speaker 1: but a real life changer for me because because there
7:01
Speaker 1: was such a deep dive of surrender and pushing my
7:04
Speaker 1: limitations all the way to the point of no return,
7:07
Speaker 1: you know, And that was the introduction to me for um,
7:11
Speaker 1: life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Wow.
7:14
Speaker 1: And so from there, I haven't you know, looked back,
7:17
Speaker 1: since it's always forward motion of what haven't I done?
7:21
Speaker 1: What can we still do? Because there's a lot to
7:23
Speaker 1: still be done? Did you not like reality TV at all?
7:26
Speaker 1: You know? It's the production it's it's the production schedule,
7:29
Speaker 1: you know, um inscripted, whether it's single camera, multi camera, comedy,
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Speaker 1: drama or whatever. Even in features, you you have a
7:37
Speaker 1: very specific schedule. And so with reality TV, you don't
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Speaker 1: really have that, and so it's a lot more demanding,
7:45
Speaker 1: and when you're doing other things besides that, then it's
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Speaker 1: really incredibly demanding. And it was very difficult, you know,
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Speaker 1: family wise, just with just everything else that was going on.
7:56
Speaker 1: So it was one of those yeah, we're good, we'll
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Speaker 1: stay in the scripted spaces, will stay in the certain
8:03
Speaker 1: lanes that that we can really maintain that type of
8:07
Speaker 1: scheduling and that sustainability workwise. Now we're dancing with the stars.
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Speaker 1: When you were dancing or was this something like that,
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Speaker 1: I'd never done that before my life. You have now
8:16
Speaker 1: trained from the beginning from uh, it was. It was, Um,
8:21
Speaker 1: it wasn't difficult. Um. The challenge that I wanted to
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Speaker 1: keep rising to every day was, UM, come in as
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Speaker 1: a blank slate, be a blank canvas for my partner Sasha,
8:34
Speaker 1: to be able to Kyrie Irvan Tray to tell lakers
8:37
Speaker 1: possibly interesting. Sorry yeah I didn't think so. Sorry, and
8:40
Speaker 1: we're back. Um. But but having that sense of um,
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Speaker 1: of of doing something that you've never done before, but
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Speaker 1: at the highest level, you know, UM, was really exciting. UM,
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Speaker 1: very very demanding, incredibly demanding dancing about six or seven
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Speaker 1: hours every day and I'm very competitive, um, and so
9:02
Speaker 1: there was nothing that he could ask me to do,
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Speaker 1: and I was like, if you teach it to me,
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Speaker 1: I will do my very best. Um. And so now
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Speaker 1: I have that skill set at that level, and it
9:12
Speaker 1: introduced other things to me, like now I want to
9:14
Speaker 1: be I want to compete professionally in um tango. So UM,
9:19
Speaker 1: I just started doing lessons. I make time. I make
9:23
Speaker 1: time for it. Yeah, and then COVID happened, so I
9:25
Speaker 1: had to obviously no more lessons, but you know, integrating
9:29
Speaker 1: that back into the schedule is something that I really
9:31
Speaker 1: want to do. How would Kim Field to describe her
9:34
Speaker 1: journey in the entertainment industry? Oh? Um, I very exciting,
9:43
Speaker 1: very surreal, you know, to be the little black girl
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Speaker 1: from Harlem, who is who is the one that's still
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Speaker 1: going you know and like our brother LLL always is
9:54
Speaker 1: doing it and doing it and doing it well, you know.
9:56
Speaker 1: And so it's very surreal that I'm not a stranger
9:59
Speaker 1: to people around the world that people have known of
10:03
Speaker 1: me or me since I was seven years old. Um,
10:06
Speaker 1: It's it's you know, it's like Langston Hughes poem. Well,
10:10
Speaker 1: a sudden I'll tell your life. For me, it's been
10:12
Speaker 1: no crystal stairs. You know, There's there's been some low
10:15
Speaker 1: lows and some high highs and you know all the
10:18
Speaker 1: all the stuff in between. Um, there's still a lot
10:22
Speaker 1: to look forward to. But I think at the end
10:25
Speaker 1: of the day, I think people don't see me coming,
10:30
Speaker 1: and well from the standpoint that that they know of me,
10:35
Speaker 1: you know, but the idea of like it's almost like
10:39
Speaker 1: almost every time people say my name' is like oh yeah,
10:41
Speaker 1: oh yeah, you know. And so after a while, in
10:45
Speaker 1: order for me not to you know, have that really
10:48
Speaker 1: messed me up. It became a thing of Okay, So
10:51
Speaker 1: now I have to flip the script and make it
10:53
Speaker 1: where I have the element of surprise. It's a surprise
10:56
Speaker 1: attacks now you're just not going to see me coming,
10:59
Speaker 1: but know that I'm here. So I think that's that's
11:03
Speaker 1: the way to describe it. It's like this push pull
11:05
Speaker 1: of I always felt very um honored, uh and and
11:10
Speaker 1: with the flowers and and all of that, but shit
11:14
Speaker 1: is still a grind. I'm still grinding and hustling, like damnler,
11:19
Speaker 1: Like I'm new with this. I wonder if they don't
11:21
Speaker 1: see you coming, because you you know, You've had the
11:24
Speaker 1: blessing of having two characters that are just absolutely beloved,
11:28
Speaker 1: like you see you see you. When you see those
11:30
Speaker 1: two characters, you think that is it. And I think
11:32
Speaker 1: that's some of it. I think that's some of it,
11:34
Speaker 1: you know. I think that the characters that I've played
11:37
Speaker 1: that I've been doing blessed to do these long running shows, um,
11:41
Speaker 1: and then being behind the camera for so many years. Um.
11:45
Speaker 1: And so it's it's just kind of those I really
11:48
Speaker 1: like the expect the unexpected. I think that's my mantra
11:52
Speaker 1: going forward in my career, you know, Um, is that
11:56
Speaker 1: not only did you not see me coming, but now
11:58
Speaker 1: you better expect the unexpected because you know I'm still
12:00
Speaker 1: here and I ain't going no goddamn ware. And that
12:02
Speaker 1: that that eighties celebrity is different. That's real celebrity now
12:06
Speaker 1: ain't real right, right celebrities? And I'm sure that's why
12:12
Speaker 1: people recognize you all over the world. UM. You know, yes,
12:16
Speaker 1: I totally understand that concept because the eighties were such
12:20
Speaker 1: a very specific time and such a pinnacle for it
12:25
Speaker 1: for culture, pop culture, um. And so to survive that,
12:30
Speaker 1: um and just what you know, society wise and life wise,
12:33
Speaker 1: what was going on. I think it was just a lot.
12:35
Speaker 1: So if you got to the other side of that
12:37
Speaker 1: and you're still going hoo, you know, great, But yeah,
12:41
Speaker 1: I think that that's part of it. It's almost like
12:43
Speaker 1: the characters in the seventies, you know, and even though
12:46
Speaker 1: facts life had just started them, but you still had
12:49
Speaker 1: those staples, you know that that were beloved as well.
12:53
Speaker 1: So I do think that some of it is the
12:55
Speaker 1: time that I was getting my come upance, you know,
12:59
Speaker 1: which is why I'm so excited about the Upshaws, because
13:03
Speaker 1: it's such a new and fresh take on a style
13:08
Speaker 1: of storytelling that everyone loves, the sitcom, the classic sitcom,
13:12
Speaker 1: but in such an edgy you know, again expect the
13:15
Speaker 1: unexpected kind of vibe as as a little black girl
13:18
Speaker 1: coming from how did you get into acting? So mom
13:23
Speaker 1: is well was because she claims that she's retired. She's
13:26
Speaker 1: a director now she directs Young Dylan. But my mother
13:30
Speaker 1: is an actress, and so she was starring in Hello
13:35
Speaker 1: Dolly with Pearl Bailey when I was a little girl,
13:37
Speaker 1: and I would go backstage and see her go out
13:40
Speaker 1: on tour, and I would love to see the behind
13:43
Speaker 1: the scenes. That was the magic to me. Very shy person,
13:47
Speaker 1: Kim Fields, and even as a kid, very shy. And
13:50
Speaker 1: so the idea of performing and wanting to be seen
13:53
Speaker 1: not my thing at all. But the magic seeing the
13:57
Speaker 1: costumes and the wigs and the makeup and the sets
13:59
Speaker 1: and the props, and that was my sweet spot. I
14:02
Speaker 1: was finding more and more and so that's how I
14:04
Speaker 1: got kind of into it. Mom was in acting class
14:08
Speaker 1: here in New York, and we couldn't afford a babysitter,
14:11
Speaker 1: and so she would take me to her acting class
14:13
Speaker 1: with her. There were other kids there their parents couldn't
14:15
Speaker 1: afford babysitters. Danielle Spencer, who played d on What's Happening,
14:19
Speaker 1: she was a part of that little tribe. Uh. And
14:22
Speaker 1: so that's where we got introduced to it. We would
14:25
Speaker 1: imitate what we saw our parents are doing, just because
14:27
Speaker 1: we were bored. And that was how we entertained ourselves.
14:30
Speaker 1: First commercial was um uh Miss Butterworth sirup. When I
14:35
Speaker 1: was seven, um and Mom had moved us to LA
14:38
Speaker 1: she couldn't take Harleman and yeah, exactly, yeah, And my
14:46
Speaker 1: mom was like, no, I can't. I can't do this
14:48
Speaker 1: anymore and I can't raise a baby girl on my
14:50
Speaker 1: own in this environment. And my mom, you know, she
14:54
Speaker 1: was she was a teen mom basically. Uh. And so
14:57
Speaker 1: she finished high school at high school before Army Arts,
15:01
Speaker 1: and then after she toured with a Hello Dollars, she
15:04
Speaker 1: was like, nope, let's go. So I was at PS
15:07
Speaker 1: ninety two, came back home and when everything was fine.
15:11
Speaker 1: By the time I got back home, the little bit
15:13
Speaker 1: that we did have was packed up, and she was like, yeah,
15:15
Speaker 1: we're leaving tonight. Okay, wow. Yeah, you know, it's so interesting.
15:20
Speaker 1: I mean I was going to ask, you know, how
15:21
Speaker 1: did a child star survive and not go crazy like
15:25
Speaker 1: we see so many of them. Yeah, I got my answer.
15:28
Speaker 1: Your mom was in the business. Yeah, she already knew
15:30
Speaker 1: all the demons, all the evils to keep you away from.
15:32
Speaker 1: You know, I am always amazed at how my mom
15:34
Speaker 1: was able to raise me when she was such a
15:36
Speaker 1: kid herself and had no blueprint at all. But my village,
15:42
Speaker 1: you know, those that my mom chose to have around me,
15:45
Speaker 1: and then as I you know, grew up and you know,
15:50
Speaker 1: invited people into my life in my space, my village
15:53
Speaker 1: is extraordinary and they really do keep me together, keep
15:57
Speaker 1: me grounded. You know, they're there for me in the
16:00
Speaker 1: low lows and the high highs, you know, and so
16:03
Speaker 1: um that has definitely helped um me not lose it.
16:08
Speaker 1: And I didn't want to be a statistic I thought
16:11
Speaker 1: that I owed again my village, um way more than that,
16:15
Speaker 1: you know, than than what the normal child star path
16:19
Speaker 1: you know, was going to be. I was gonna ask
16:21
Speaker 1: it because you hear all these stories about young child actors. Yeah,
16:25
Speaker 1: these grown men taking advantage of them, whether it's through
16:28
Speaker 1: the contract or sexually. And you were able to go
16:31
Speaker 1: through that because your mom was right by your side
16:33
Speaker 1: the whole time. Yeah. Absolutely, Mom's right there. My aunt
16:37
Speaker 1: Pat was right there. Um again the rest of my
16:40
Speaker 1: village as I got older and and and just had
16:43
Speaker 1: really lifelong friends, Blair Underwood, Malcolm Jamal Warner. Um, you
16:49
Speaker 1: know it's blessed royalty right there. Yeah, says wow, like
16:53
Speaker 1: because because not too many people you know the character's names,
16:56
Speaker 1: you know, the real name. Like, that's just I don't know,
16:59
Speaker 1: I don't think you'll realize how much of a part
17:01
Speaker 1: of our childhood y'all work. Yeah you know what I mean?
17:03
Speaker 1: And are Yeah, yeah, I think now we do because
17:07
Speaker 1: there's more accessibility, you know, with that the way that
17:11
Speaker 1: that you can access your either fan base or your audience,
17:14
Speaker 1: or the fans or the viewers can access you to
17:17
Speaker 1: a certain extent. So I feel like we do no
17:22
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Um, and that's been very helpful,
17:26
Speaker 1: you know, especially in moments where it's like this, this
17:29
Speaker 1: was kind of thankless. But at the end of the day, Um,
17:33
Speaker 1: you're you realize, but I'm still here and I'm still
17:36
Speaker 1: blessed to do what I do. And again, at that
17:38
Speaker 1: highest level, how do you survive that social media time?
17:42
Speaker 1: Because at one time, like you said, you will only
17:44
Speaker 1: seen when you want it to be seen, right, But
17:46
Speaker 1: now it's like you know, you you go to the mall,
17:48
Speaker 1: or you go to the grocery store. Yeah, somebody sneaking
17:50
Speaker 1: the pictures, taking picture. I mean you can just have
17:52
Speaker 1: a head wrapper on or your garden working you know, right,
17:56
Speaker 1: well take a picture, you know. How do you navigate
17:59
Speaker 1: through that? Well? I for me, you know, there's again
18:03
Speaker 1: people have seen me since I was seven, so there's
18:06
Speaker 1: really no like kind of hiding space, hiding place. Um.
18:09
Speaker 1: And you know, so I'm comfortable, like if I don't
18:12
Speaker 1: have the makeup, Hey, it is what it is. Y'all
18:15
Speaker 1: have seen the space before it knew makeup, So there
18:18
Speaker 1: you go. Um. But I I feel like I've kind
18:22
Speaker 1: of navigated certain areas of social media, um one from
18:27
Speaker 1: that standpoint of if you can't beat them, join them, um,
18:31
Speaker 1: and also doing it on my own terms. You know,
18:34
Speaker 1: if I don't, if I'm not up for posting, or
18:36
Speaker 1: I feel like I've had just a sensory overload, take
18:39
Speaker 1: a little breather. Um. But but it's a it's a
18:43
Speaker 1: space that I actually enjoy because, um, I get Number one,
18:47
Speaker 1: I get to connect um with certain people. I've even
18:51
Speaker 1: even you know, collaborations. I just did a collaboration with
18:55
Speaker 1: Jonathan McReynolds, um, and he sang on on my soundtrack
18:59
Speaker 1: and now it's under consideration for an Emmy, so you know,
19:03
Speaker 1: and that was because I thank you. But I reached
19:04
Speaker 1: out on Instagram because we follow each other, and you know,
19:08
Speaker 1: dms can be great and horrible, so in that moment,
19:11
Speaker 1: it was great. Um. But but social media, you know,
19:14
Speaker 1: there's certain things like, um, anytime somebody tries to throw
19:18
Speaker 1: me in that auntie zone, I am quick to respond,
19:20
Speaker 1: this is the no auntie zone. Hashtag no aunties, no
19:24
Speaker 1: I am nobody. Yeah, Nah, we ain't. I like being
19:28
Speaker 1: called they call me uncle like it really well good, Yeah,
19:38
Speaker 1: I mean that's wonderful, but nahum. And I think it's
19:42
Speaker 1: you know, some of it too, if it's different from
19:44
Speaker 1: you know, male female vibe. But um, yeah, I just uh,
19:48
Speaker 1: I like the um the banter sometimes and the things
19:52
Speaker 1: that you learn. Uh. Certainly, as a content provider, you
19:55
Speaker 1: have to be in the space so that you know
19:58
Speaker 1: what's current and and what's relevant. As an entrepreneur, I'm
20:03
Speaker 1: in the space. It has helped me tremendously, as with
20:06
Speaker 1: my budding coffee and tea business signature Blends by KF
20:10
Speaker 1: because at that point I don't have to spend what
20:13
Speaker 1: you know, a major company would spend on marketing and advertising. So,
20:18
Speaker 1: you know, I think social media is a great tool.
20:21
Speaker 1: I don't set out People have said a lot that
20:24
Speaker 1: my my pages or my spaces are like a really
20:28
Speaker 1: happy place or a destination. I don't try to be
20:33
Speaker 1: a role model. I don't try to be inspirational and
20:36
Speaker 1: all that most of the time. And I think with
20:39
Speaker 1: a lot of the work that you do, it's from
20:42
Speaker 1: that place. Well, here's what I need. I'm speaking to
20:45
Speaker 1: myself first, and if somebody sees it and get something
20:48
Speaker 1: from it, great, But most of the time it's I'm
20:52
Speaker 1: seeing either what I need or I'm seeing something that
20:56
Speaker 1: I need and it's not out there, so i'll i'll,
21:00
Speaker 1: you know, Mom told me very when I was very young,
21:02
Speaker 1: find a need and feel it, or if you see
21:04
Speaker 1: a need, then then feel that. And so a lot
21:07
Speaker 1: of time my social media um is coming from that
21:11
Speaker 1: kind of space, you know, um, and I enjoy it,
21:15
Speaker 1: you know, And when people try to get negative, that's right,
21:18
Speaker 1: block either block or it's in the trash. Now, how
21:22
Speaker 1: you approach your I said you mentioned your DMS. Yes,
21:24
Speaker 1: how many fellas are in your DMS. It's getting surprised
21:28
Speaker 1: about old or young. I'm sure got to be some
21:30
Speaker 1: young men in the MS as well as some older people.
21:33
Speaker 1: Actually a great question, because I think what y'all generation
21:35
Speaker 1: don't realize is y'all are showing a different level of
21:39
Speaker 1: aging gracefully, like when we were growing up, forty and
21:43
Speaker 1: fifty used to seem like old. Yeah that was that
21:46
Speaker 1: was great? Yes, yeah, um, Well I mean to answer
21:57
Speaker 1: that in my in my DMS, just you know, I
22:01
Speaker 1: basically have it set to the people that I know,
22:04
Speaker 1: So I don't have any like surprise, like oh my god. No.
22:08
Speaker 1: And then in terms of like aging, it's such a different,
22:12
Speaker 1: like you said, at such a different time, it's such
22:14
Speaker 1: a different everything, you know, And so I plan on
22:19
Speaker 1: adventuring and journeying and doing I mean, just I'm in
22:23
Speaker 1: such a new space, I think too. And again the
22:26
Speaker 1: genesis of it dancing with the stars and then being
22:31
Speaker 1: regarded the way that I am as an executive producer.
22:35
Speaker 1: You know, people talk about having a seat at the table.
22:39
Speaker 1: My journey quite honestly, as I felt like I had
22:41
Speaker 1: to actually build the table in the chairs, and then
22:44
Speaker 1: everybody was like, oh well, let me come to this table.
22:47
Speaker 1: So I have a seat at the table. It's just different.
22:50
Speaker 1: Had a table and that seat got created, and so
22:54
Speaker 1: that's actually very empowering and very exhilarated, liberating. Oh we yeah,
23:02
Speaker 1: so that's that's really where I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm
23:05
Speaker 1: really hovering and moving about and and so with that, yeah,
23:10
Speaker 1: as I'm leveling up age wise, Um, it's it's one
23:13
Speaker 1: of those like you know, like the Princess said, age
23:16
Speaker 1: ain't nothing but a number. That's right, have gotten better
23:19
Speaker 1: or worse for black creators in the industry. I think,
23:23
Speaker 1: you know, in my humble opinion, I think it's gotten better. Um,
23:27
Speaker 1: just from the standpoint that I mean, the the the
23:31
Speaker 1: opportunities that we can create ourselves, and the gatekeepers aren't
23:37
Speaker 1: really there like they used to be. I mean, back
23:39
Speaker 1: in the day, we had what three networks, five networks.
23:42
Speaker 1: Now there's so many platforms. Now you have any kind
23:47
Speaker 1: of phone with a camera and you can become your
23:50
Speaker 1: own network really quickly. Um, there's so many different outlets
23:55
Speaker 1: that you can populate content on and things like that.
23:58
Speaker 1: So I felt like it's or not just for people
24:00
Speaker 1: of color, but just people period, you know, anybody that
24:04
Speaker 1: is in that creative space or whatever space you're in
24:08
Speaker 1: and want to create content. I just was doing research
24:12
Speaker 1: for a show about architects, and so in that research
24:17
Speaker 1: finding all sorts of like there's a YouTube platform where
24:20
Speaker 1: this guy and this girl and all they do is
24:22
Speaker 1: they talk about different topics regarding architecture and it's massive,
24:28
Speaker 1: you know, and it's just one of those things where
24:30
Speaker 1: it's like whatever, you're interesting. There's a guy on ig
24:33
Speaker 1: the fishing guy. Okay, I'm mad at you. Whatever you
24:37
Speaker 1: want to do. So I feel like it's it's the
24:39
Speaker 1: accessibility you know, is there in technology has really helped
24:43
Speaker 1: us in terms of quality. Don't don't know junk of
24:45
Speaker 1: their people just because you can. Now you mentioned coffee line. Yes,
24:50
Speaker 1: now how did you get Why did you get into
24:51
Speaker 1: the coffee business? So you're a huge coffee drinker? Oh
24:54
Speaker 1: my goodness, yes, yeah, huge coffee and tea drinkers. So
24:56
Speaker 1: when I was a little kid, my teacher in third
25:00
Speaker 1: rage she would read to us every day after lunch,
25:02
Speaker 1: and she was reading Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,
25:04
Speaker 1: and she had this enormous thermus of black hot coffee
25:10
Speaker 1: that she would drink, and so the aroma from that
25:12
Speaker 1: and listening to the story, I always felt like I
25:14
Speaker 1: was in like the Chocolate Factory. Fast forward to me
25:18
Speaker 1: graduating from college and I read Russell Simmons autobiography and
25:22
Speaker 1: it really really before that one before do you Yeah?
25:28
Speaker 1: Life and Death was it called, But it's the nineties,
25:32
Speaker 1: it was. I think it was before that, but it was.
25:35
Speaker 1: It was really a game changer for me from the
25:37
Speaker 1: standpoint of I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur.
25:41
Speaker 1: I know, I didn't want to wait around for some
25:43
Speaker 1: things to happen. And then it became, well, what do
25:46
Speaker 1: you want to do? And I knew I didn't want
25:48
Speaker 1: to just license my name, and so coffee, I knew
25:51
Speaker 1: was certainly sustainable. I loved the idea that being a
25:55
Speaker 1: global I'd like to think of myself as a global citizen,
25:59
Speaker 1: and so doing coffee and tea gave me an opportunity
26:04
Speaker 1: to be in that global space as an entrepreneur, working
26:06
Speaker 1: with over thirty six countries around the world, in different
26:09
Speaker 1: farms and growers in the bean belt. So it's very exciting.
26:12
Speaker 1: But also on a deeper level, I love that coffee
26:15
Speaker 1: is always a part of someone's day, someone's moment, you know,
26:19
Speaker 1: or tea, but from that standpoint of you know, you
26:22
Speaker 1: reach forward first thing in the morning, then to get
26:25
Speaker 1: through the day, then to wind down, or have it
26:27
Speaker 1: with desert, or after dinner having a difficult or a
26:31
Speaker 1: business deal, a conversation that may be uncomfortable, Hey, let's
26:35
Speaker 1: grab a coffee and talk things over. So I just
26:37
Speaker 1: love that it was always a part of someone's moment
26:40
Speaker 1: at any given time, and I'd see a lot of
26:44
Speaker 1: my career has been like that as well. Are you
26:47
Speaker 1: on a those ones that can't even do nothing until
26:49
Speaker 1: you get your couple of coffee, don't want to talk
26:51
Speaker 1: to nobody. According to my eight year old, yes, even
26:56
Speaker 1: look at me on FaceTime if we're not together, anybody,
26:59
Speaker 1: ooh what you get some caffeine and then hit me back.
27:04
Speaker 1: So uh for the most part, yes, yes I am.
27:09
Speaker 1: I want to talk to you about the content of
27:10
Speaker 1: black you know shows art right. Do you think that
27:14
Speaker 1: it was some type of conspiracy to change the content
27:17
Speaker 1: because everybody talked about how you know the content is
27:19
Speaker 1: you know, destructive now and influencing people the wrong way.
27:22
Speaker 1: But growing up, you know, you saw a living single
27:24
Speaker 1: it was yeah, y'all had careers. You know, y'all weren't
27:28
Speaker 1: I guess, quote unquote ratchet, even though there's nothing wrong
27:30
Speaker 1: being a little rachet. But you know, it's like, do
27:32
Speaker 1: you think there was a conspiracy to change the content
27:34
Speaker 1: of the shows? You know, if if I'm really for real,
27:39
Speaker 1: for real about it, there's probably a conspiracy about every
27:41
Speaker 1: damn thing. Yeah, and especially anything positive to impact any people,
27:46
Speaker 1: let alone people of color. Um that said, Um, I don't,
27:52
Speaker 1: I'm not aware of anything that was that, you know, Um,
27:56
Speaker 1: in your face about it. Um. I think that as
27:59
Speaker 1: a as a content provider, you have to listen to
28:03
Speaker 1: what the audience is saying that they want to see,
28:07
Speaker 1: you know, and when they put on these great shows
28:10
Speaker 1: or positive shows or whatever and people aren't watching, they
28:12
Speaker 1: get snatched up. So it's almost like are we are
28:16
Speaker 1: we in our own way sometimes? But you know, hey,
28:19
Speaker 1: we don't have to watch everything just because it's black people,
28:22
Speaker 1: or just because it's music, or just because it's you know,
28:24
Speaker 1: there are certainly many different ways that people can enjoy
28:28
Speaker 1: content and stories, and so I think at the end
28:31
Speaker 1: of the day, it's really about what's good storytelling, what
28:36
Speaker 1: are really good characters. I think that's what people want
28:39
Speaker 1: to see. And then it becomes the timing of it.
28:43
Speaker 1: You know, there are some shows that you feel like, God,
28:44
Speaker 1: that was ahead of its time, and then some shows
28:47
Speaker 1: you like, Okay, we've seen enough of that type of show,
28:51
Speaker 1: can we please see something else. So I don't know
28:54
Speaker 1: that there's a conspiracy where it there was, but I
28:57
Speaker 1: feel like there are certain efforts that that we, as
29:01
Speaker 1: the viewers, we actually contribute to true true you know,
29:06
Speaker 1: Kim Cole's say that Fox use black shows like living
29:09
Speaker 1: single and Martin to build a network then kick them
29:12
Speaker 1: out the house. Yeah. Um, I mean you know when
29:19
Speaker 1: you when you are growing a network and creating something
29:22
Speaker 1: from scratch, Yes, you do gravitate towards what do we
29:26
Speaker 1: know is going to sell right away? What do we
29:28
Speaker 1: know we'll have that loyal audience right away? And historically speaking,
29:33
Speaker 1: it's been black shows. Um. But yes, there is that
29:37
Speaker 1: sense of Okay, we got the numbers, we grew the audience.
29:39
Speaker 1: And then sometimes it's also if there's a changing of
29:42
Speaker 1: the guard, if there's a new network executive and they
29:45
Speaker 1: want to create a new vision, put it in a
29:48
Speaker 1: new direction. Then you know, and it has nothing to
29:51
Speaker 1: do with being you know, shows of color. Um, then
29:55
Speaker 1: you know you you go that route. Um. So so
29:58
Speaker 1: I think that yeah, that there there. It's definitely something
30:01
Speaker 1: to what Kim said in terms of, um, you know
30:05
Speaker 1: how they build the network? Um. Yes, do I think
30:08
Speaker 1: that there could have been a touch more finessing in
30:10
Speaker 1: terms of how you transition into whatever the new direction is. Um.
30:16
Speaker 1: But you know, people run their network how they want
30:18
Speaker 1: to run it. So how important is that they have
30:20
Speaker 1: a creator like a Regina Hicks who's worked on like
30:22
Speaker 1: Insecure Girl Friends Sister sister is an important to have
30:26
Speaker 1: somebody who understands those legendary black sitcoms and what it
30:30
Speaker 1: takes to create one. Yes, um from the standpoint of
30:36
Speaker 1: her experience, not in my opinion, not because she's a
30:40
Speaker 1: woman or a woman of color, you know, but and
30:46
Speaker 1: here's why, because there are those of us. My caps
30:49
Speaker 1: one decides me, we are people of color, and you know,
30:53
Speaker 1: two of us are women, one is a man of color.
30:55
Speaker 1: So we're already going to bring some of that to
30:57
Speaker 1: the table. So the idea of well we need somebody
31:00
Speaker 1: who understands that voice, well, not if we have that
31:04
Speaker 1: voice her her resume and what she knows about running
31:09
Speaker 1: a writer's room or what she knows about how to
31:12
Speaker 1: have a you know, a successful show on a successful comedy.
31:16
Speaker 1: Those to me are the more important boxes to check
31:19
Speaker 1: if you're going to just you know, start checking boxes.
31:22
Speaker 1: But I do feel like there has to be that
31:25
Speaker 1: sense of diversity even when you are telling a specific
31:30
Speaker 1: type of story. Like people will say, oh, I'm looking
31:32
Speaker 1: for a black director, I need a female director. Well
31:35
Speaker 1: I check those boxes, but I don't approach it that way.
31:38
Speaker 1: I'm a director and so my sensibilities are about how
31:42
Speaker 1: to tell a great story. Secondary and what's kind of
31:46
Speaker 1: tertiary is yes I'm female, or yes I'm a person
31:49
Speaker 1: of color, but but for me, it's you know, if
31:53
Speaker 1: you're a great director, you should be able to tell
31:56
Speaker 1: anybody's story. Now I love that because you know, you
31:59
Speaker 1: have some companies they got that title now with the
32:01
Speaker 1: president of President of Diversity and Inclusion. But it might
32:07
Speaker 1: be a black person that has no connection to the
32:09
Speaker 1: black community experience people whatsoever. Listen, I you know, in
32:15
Speaker 1: the wake of certain um tragedies, in the wake of
32:20
Speaker 1: certain um difficult moments in society, Um, we had some
32:26
Speaker 1: you know what some would consider forward motion, forward movement
32:31
Speaker 1: um and exactly what you're saying. And for me, I'm
32:35
Speaker 1: not I'm not about being a box checker. And when
32:39
Speaker 1: you are a box checker and then you don't have
32:41
Speaker 1: the skill set to back it up, it's like, okay,
32:43
Speaker 1: get get get in the door with the boxes that
32:46
Speaker 1: you check. But then what you're gonna do when you're
32:48
Speaker 1: in the door, you have to have the skill set.
32:50
Speaker 1: You got to bring the thunder. Otherwise you're just a
32:52
Speaker 1: box checker taken up air. So then check the box
32:56
Speaker 1: that I'm an air taker upper you think that's messing
33:01
Speaker 1: up the art because it feels like sometimes they'll put
33:05
Speaker 1: some black shows on black movies and it should be whack. Yeah, yes, yes,
33:09
Speaker 1: I do, Yes, I do. I feel like it's messing
33:11
Speaker 1: up the art, the craft, um, the culture. I mean
33:15
Speaker 1: just just I mean, come on, you know there are
33:19
Speaker 1: people that, um, you know, the diversity on anything, it's
33:25
Speaker 1: what's up. I mean, it just makes it that much
33:28
Speaker 1: more interesting, that much more collaborative, that's that much more
33:32
Speaker 1: real in terms of what the reality is in most
33:37
Speaker 1: people's environments. And it just makes to me for it
33:41
Speaker 1: for it to be more interesting. I think, Yeah, I
33:43
Speaker 1: want you diverse in thought though I like I like diverthity,
33:46
Speaker 1: but I like diversity and thought, diversity and creativity. Like
33:48
Speaker 1: what you said, the talent first, yeah, you know, absolutely absolutely,
33:53
Speaker 1: and then hey, if you check a box or two, cool,
33:56
Speaker 1: But at the end of the day, that's more of
33:58
Speaker 1: a I think of a corporate minds mindset of checking
34:03
Speaker 1: those boxes as because because they want to look good,
34:06
Speaker 1: that's right. But then it's like, okay, but then the
34:10
Speaker 1: work that's being put out there, and not just in
34:12
Speaker 1: terms of the creative space. But anything you know, you should.
34:16
Speaker 1: You could be at a Microsoft and if you yes,
34:18
Speaker 1: I check the box. I'm black, I'm female, I'm fluid,
34:21
Speaker 1: I'm by, I'm pronoun free or I mean just all
34:25
Speaker 1: of that, and then you know, now it's time to
34:27
Speaker 1: show up and do the work that's right. And you
34:30
Speaker 1: might be wet. Now. You talked about you know, you
34:34
Speaker 1: wanted to do reality show, you wanted to be a director,
34:36
Speaker 1: you wanted to do this. Is there anything that's that
34:39
Speaker 1: you haven't done yet that you want to do that
34:42
Speaker 1: You're like, this is what I want to do. Oh
34:43
Speaker 1: my gosh, Well, I guess I don't approach it like
34:46
Speaker 1: bucket list five. You know, I think I approach it
34:48
Speaker 1: more of just you know, here's some shit I want
34:50
Speaker 1: to do. Let's let's go. So so for me, I'm
34:54
Speaker 1: definitely I want to do more drama. Definitely want to
34:57
Speaker 1: do um sci fi because I love sci fi and fantasy.
35:03
Speaker 1: And you know, folks can't just be the only ones
35:05
Speaker 1: in you know, blue and green makeup and getting the check.
35:08
Speaker 1: I mean, come on, I put another color on me
35:11
Speaker 1: and I'll get a check. Check his birthday today, what
35:15
Speaker 1: we're doing today, baby, birthday. The only thing right at
35:22
Speaker 1: three and I got work out at six. But you know,
35:24
Speaker 1: I'm watching Miss Marvel on Disney Plus and there's a
35:28
Speaker 1: welcome News Jersey sign on exit fourteen. They have Miss
35:30
Speaker 1: Marvel sitting on top of the sign. I want to
35:32
Speaker 1: go see it. I love I'm a science fiction guy,
35:35
Speaker 1: tomic guy. I'm a blurd. I like his birthday. He
35:36
Speaker 1: wants to drive down there, just see it, just to
35:41
Speaker 1: see it. Yeah, she's the first Muslim superhero. She's on
35:44
Speaker 1: top of the sign. Right, So now I thought you
35:48
Speaker 1: was gonna say that you wanted to be up there
35:50
Speaker 1: and sitting next to her on that's some birthday. No, No,
36:05
Speaker 1: I'm gonna drive by. I got a couple more questions
36:12
Speaker 1: because you know, you said earlier, you said, this is
36:13
Speaker 1: a thankless business. So what do black creators need to
36:17
Speaker 1: do to get there? Just do m M. Manage your
36:24
Speaker 1: expectations on getting that. Just do manage your expectations, because
36:31
Speaker 1: you know, usually my answer is, you know, be good,
36:34
Speaker 1: be better than you know, set the bar, don't just
36:37
Speaker 1: don't just don't just get to the bar and in
36:39
Speaker 1: fact raise the bar, and all of that is fine,
36:42
Speaker 1: but then you can do all of that and still
36:44
Speaker 1: feel like, well that now what you know, I didn't
36:49
Speaker 1: get any accolades or I didn't get any flowers, I
36:51
Speaker 1: didn't get any awards, I didn't get a pickup. So
36:55
Speaker 1: I feel like managing your expectations, you know, and I
36:59
Speaker 1: know you you were specific in terms of black creatives,
37:04
Speaker 1: but for anybody that's listening, you know, and you're looking
37:07
Speaker 1: at wanting to go further, you know, hit it stronger
37:11
Speaker 1: and and level up and raise the bar and and
37:15
Speaker 1: all of that. Um, those are fantastic goals to have
37:19
Speaker 1: and more than likely attainable. But at the end of
37:23
Speaker 1: the day, you can do all of that, and if
37:27
Speaker 1: your goal is beyond what you can control, then you
37:33
Speaker 1: know you have to manage that expectation versus It's a
37:36
Speaker 1: great example. Years ago Blair and I were to Blair
37:39
Speaker 1: and Wood and I were talking about auditioning, and uh,
37:44
Speaker 1: he said, you know, make the goal something other than
37:47
Speaker 1: booking the gig, because that's actually not in your control.
37:51
Speaker 1: You can go in there, crush it, kill it, give
37:54
Speaker 1: them something they never thought about for that role. I mean,
37:57
Speaker 1: be extraordinary and not book it because of circumstances beyond
38:02
Speaker 1: your control. They've already cast, they're going with a different
38:05
Speaker 1: type of look, they're going with a different name, all
38:07
Speaker 1: kinds of things, And so what is the goal, you know,
38:11
Speaker 1: But don't make the goal something pressurized, like I gotta
38:14
Speaker 1: book this to pay my rent, I gotta book this
38:16
Speaker 1: to get the light bill paid, or my baby's needs.
38:18
Speaker 1: Use whatever it is, because that pressure will then mess
38:22
Speaker 1: you up and you won't be able to be at
38:23
Speaker 1: your best. But when you find that space where you
38:27
Speaker 1: are not in a pressurized moment, then make the goal
38:32
Speaker 1: something that you can control. Oh, I want to do
38:36
Speaker 1: better with my comedy, or I want to work on
38:40
Speaker 1: being off book in an audition a bit more, knowing
38:42
Speaker 1: all the lines, a bit more things that you can control.
38:45
Speaker 1: That way, even if you don't get the job, you
38:47
Speaker 1: go okay, But at least I was off book. At
38:50
Speaker 1: least I feel like I got my comedy going a
38:53
Speaker 1: bit more because I'm more of a dramatic dramatic actor.
38:56
Speaker 1: So that's what I think when I say manage your expectations.
39:00
Speaker 1: You know now you mentioned auditioning, do you still audition
39:02
Speaker 1: for parts? No? Um? I I mean I know I'm
39:07
Speaker 1: either offer only or like with the upshaws, Um, chemistry. Um,
39:13
Speaker 1: certain things. I will do a meet and greet with
39:16
Speaker 1: either the director or the producer just because, like you
39:20
Speaker 1: said earlier, Bro, I don't know what's in some people's
39:23
Speaker 1: heads if they haven't seen The Upshaws when they hear
39:25
Speaker 1: the name Kim Fields, I don't know what visuals gonna
39:28
Speaker 1: pop up in there. And even if you google me,
39:31
Speaker 1: I don't know what image, and you know there's a
39:32
Speaker 1: slew of them to come up. How old am I
39:34
Speaker 1: gonna be? Am? I grown? Am? My kids? Am I
39:39
Speaker 1: an eighties teen? That just nobody wants to see? You know? So?
39:43
Speaker 1: So I don't mind meet and greets and things like that,
39:48
Speaker 1: but I don't necessarily audition in that truest sense of
39:52
Speaker 1: the word. So what that's that's great advice you gave.
39:55
Speaker 1: What's what is your intention when you do a show
39:57
Speaker 1: like The Upshaws? Um to do something again that I've
40:03
Speaker 1: never done before. So those characters and my character in particular,
40:09
Speaker 1: I've not played that type of character. So even though
40:12
Speaker 1: I've done, you know, fourteen fifteen years of sitcom television,
40:17
Speaker 1: what makes this moment different? Well, this is edgier, edgier
40:20
Speaker 1: than living single. But yeah, because at that time living
40:24
Speaker 1: single for me was totally edgy to go from fact
40:27
Speaker 1: to life to living single. That was for real uncharted waters.
40:32
Speaker 1: So now doing that same kind of thing, Okay, so
40:34
Speaker 1: what are my expectations? Yeah, you want to do the
40:38
Speaker 1: kind of great work that makes your industry and your
40:41
Speaker 1: peers take notice and you know, submit you for awards
40:44
Speaker 1: and all these other things. But if not, I'm ana
40:47
Speaker 1: be all right because I feel like, wow, that scene
40:52
Speaker 1: I put my foot in it. Wow, that moment there
40:55
Speaker 1: was really great, you know, And so I feel like
40:59
Speaker 1: that to me is really when you go back to
41:01
Speaker 1: the goals and what are my expectations that I'm managing.
41:05
Speaker 1: Season two just dropped, so you know, yeah, of course
41:08
Speaker 1: we want everybody to love it. Everything ain't for everybody,
41:13
Speaker 1: every black thing and for every black person. But at
41:16
Speaker 1: the end of the day, I'm looking at okay, for
41:20
Speaker 1: my character, you know, did I did? I leave it
41:22
Speaker 1: all on the floor, And that becomes my goal and
41:26
Speaker 1: my expectation. That's what I expect from myself, and then
41:30
Speaker 1: everything else is the gravy train. You talked about doing
41:33
Speaker 1: something for the check, doing something for the money to
41:35
Speaker 1: keep the light bills on. Have you ever did a
41:37
Speaker 1: role for the check and regretted it later on. If
41:39
Speaker 1: there was ever a part in your life would be like,
41:41
Speaker 1: well I gotta do it for this and then hate
41:43
Speaker 1: it yourself later on, like I didn't like that. No,
41:45
Speaker 1: because excuse me, because, um, I first, I don't live
41:51
Speaker 1: in regrets. I mean, there's just what's the point of that.
41:53
Speaker 1: That's that's energy that could be you know, used for
41:56
Speaker 1: something else. UM. But but I have UM, I don't
42:01
Speaker 1: necessarily take a role for the check. Um. Sometimes it's
42:05
Speaker 1: for the opportunity. UM. So if it becomes a situation
42:09
Speaker 1: of oh well it's a small role, but it's to
42:11
Speaker 1: work with so and so, then okay, yeah, sure, or
42:14
Speaker 1: it positions me. I'm really big on positioning yourself and
42:19
Speaker 1: so if it puts me in a different position, then okay, yeah,
42:23
Speaker 1: you know, UM, thankfully, I'm more about who do I
42:27
Speaker 1: feel like being bothered with? You know, who do I
42:31
Speaker 1: feel like I want to work with? Um? Because that's real,
42:35
Speaker 1: you know, and I and I really am clear and
42:38
Speaker 1: grateful that I've gotten to a point in my career
42:41
Speaker 1: where if I'm like I think I'm I'm good, I'm no,
42:45
Speaker 1: I don't. I don't really want to you know, have
42:47
Speaker 1: that kind of energy in my in my energy right now.
42:51
Speaker 1: And so there have been you know, projects or opportunities
42:54
Speaker 1: or I've passed on that, you know, it would have
42:56
Speaker 1: been a great check. I'm I'll find another way to
43:00
Speaker 1: make some paper. Got what what do you what do
43:02
Speaker 1: you expect from the upshaw? The Netflix? And that reason
43:04
Speaker 1: I asked that because I'm sure there was a huge
43:05
Speaker 1: difference between Facts of Life and Living Single, you know,
43:10
Speaker 1: and then the net the streaming service. That's like what
43:14
Speaker 1: is that as cable a note? Living Single was was
43:19
Speaker 1: broadcast broadcast and then uh, fact Life from network yep,
43:23
Speaker 1: And so the streaming service what's the differences and those
43:25
Speaker 1: three things well as a as as a business model. Um,
43:31
Speaker 1: you know, streaming services are just different because you um,
43:35
Speaker 1: you can either get all the episodes at once, or
43:38
Speaker 1: you can get them you know once a week like
43:40
Speaker 1: like a regular you know network would would distribute them. Um.
43:45
Speaker 1: Sometimes there's a tendency to feel that a streaming service
43:49
Speaker 1: will give a show more of a chance, you know,
43:52
Speaker 1: as opposed to what we air three episodes they didn't work,
43:55
Speaker 1: so we don't yank the show and it's like, well wait,
43:56
Speaker 1: give it give it, give it to time, give it
43:58
Speaker 1: some time. Um. And the same with cable. Cable and
44:02
Speaker 1: streaming are usually kind of like kissing cousins in my mind,
44:07
Speaker 1: because it's you know, for the most part, commercial free. Um,
44:11
Speaker 1: you have more liberty creatively. Back in the day, it
44:15
Speaker 1: was thought to have been a little edgier, so you
44:18
Speaker 1: could do more, you could say more, you could cuss,
44:20
Speaker 1: you could show new today. I mean, you know, so
44:22
Speaker 1: there were all sorts of things that you could do
44:24
Speaker 1: on cable and then on streaming that you couldn't necessarily
44:28
Speaker 1: do on a broadcast network. I was gonna ask question
44:33
Speaker 1: with that to all those three different things, what you
44:36
Speaker 1: talk about. I feel like sometimes with streaming it cuts
44:41
Speaker 1: the life short, right because every week you was waiting
44:44
Speaker 1: to see that see that network. But now if you all,
44:46
Speaker 1: let's say I watched the whole thing this weekend. Yeah,
44:48
Speaker 1: now I don't see you for another you know, until yeah, yeah,
44:52
Speaker 1: you know I miss you. But now you know every
44:54
Speaker 1: day I would have to wait for a Thursday night
44:56
Speaker 1: to see the conte wait for you know, whatever night
44:59
Speaker 1: to see a single. So does that hurt at all? Um?
45:05
Speaker 1: I think some people would argue that, yes, it does
45:08
Speaker 1: hurt it in a certain way. UM. This this this
45:11
Speaker 1: um newer business model, um of distribution. UM. But I
45:17
Speaker 1: mean it still works for you know, some people love
45:20
Speaker 1: to binge uh and then it goes away and then
45:22
Speaker 1: you want to you know, you revisit it, like you said, yeah,
45:25
Speaker 1: I'm a miss you. UM. So I think that there's
45:27
Speaker 1: something to be said for both models. I think, uh,
45:32
Speaker 1: a platform like Disney Plus uh and now some of
45:35
Speaker 1: the others have caught on where they will stream, but
45:38
Speaker 1: they still drop you know, one episode a week. So
45:42
Speaker 1: I think they've they've started understanding that people like that
45:45
Speaker 1: hybrid um. Some people, uh, like Netflix has started doing
45:50
Speaker 1: where they'll drop a certain you know number of episodes
45:53
Speaker 1: and call that part one. Then you have you know,
45:56
Speaker 1: part two, even though in broadcasts, because people want to
46:00
Speaker 1: keep watching their favorite shows. So remember you used to
46:04
Speaker 1: have like, you know, your cliffhanger, and that was for
46:07
Speaker 1: the summer, and then you didn't see any new episodes
46:09
Speaker 1: till the fall. So now in the fall you get
46:12
Speaker 1: new episodes and then they have your winter cliffhanger what
46:16
Speaker 1: is that? And then you you know, and then you
46:18
Speaker 1: get new episodes after the top of the year. Absolutely
46:23
Speaker 1: absolutely shoot the show right, and yeah, what Netflix does
46:26
Speaker 1: is they wait for the show to hit big. Now
46:28
Speaker 1: it's a hit. What was the show that just came
46:30
Speaker 1: out recently, but the but they were shooting the people
46:32
Speaker 1: whatever that was called. I can't think of it. Oh,
46:36
Speaker 1: Squid Games. So Squire Games came out right, everybody. Yeah,
46:38
Speaker 1: but now you got to wait for them to shoot
46:40
Speaker 1: another squid game to get another budget to do that.
46:42
Speaker 1: So yeah, by the time it comes out of a
46:44
Speaker 1: year and a half later, I thought about it and
46:46
Speaker 1: I got to rewatch the first one to catch up
46:48
Speaker 1: a hang. I like the more of the Yeah, catch on,
46:53
Speaker 1: enjoy it. Yeah, absolutely, you hate it, but you do
46:56
Speaker 1: it right. Was when I started realizing there was season,
47:00
Speaker 1: because it just seemed like on Thursday nights, copy show
47:02
Speaker 1: coming on everywhere, coming on Martin, coming on every single
47:05
Speaker 1: coming on. My last question, you grew up in the
47:08
Speaker 1: entertainment industry. What was the best and worst advice you received? Thankfully,
47:14
Speaker 1: I've not had any bad advice. Wow, yeah, thankfully, And
47:18
Speaker 1: if I had, I guess I just didn't listen. So
47:21
Speaker 1: but my best advice was from my mom and she,
47:25
Speaker 1: I mean, my goodness. When I wrote my autobiography. I
47:28
Speaker 1: just felt like it should be called, you know, chips
47:30
Speaker 1: gems because my mother just dropped gem after gem in
47:33
Speaker 1: my life. But when I was growing up, like one
47:37
Speaker 1: of the early days of facts of life, and she said,
47:40
Speaker 1: you started one hundred percent. And she put her hand
47:42
Speaker 1: up here and she said, kimmey, you started one hundred percent.
47:45
Speaker 1: And everything that you do and say every day that
47:48
Speaker 1: you're here either keeps you here or it can chip away, right,
47:53
Speaker 1: And I was like, okay, all right, that's that's all right.
47:57
Speaker 1: And then the second piece of advice when I went
47:59
Speaker 1: to do the um the audition for the Miss Butterwort
48:01
Speaker 1: Sarah commercial, so Janet was there and that was the
48:04
Speaker 1: first time that I'd even seen her, met her. And
48:07
Speaker 1: you know, they had those Jackson summer special Yes, yes,
48:12
Speaker 1: and so they had those summer specials the Jacksons had,
48:16
Speaker 1: and so I knew who she was and I've got
48:18
Speaker 1: into that and that was my first audition, first time
48:21
Speaker 1: doing anything. We had just got in LA and I thought,
48:24
Speaker 1: oh my god, that's Janet Jackson. I don't I don't
48:27
Speaker 1: belong here. I want to go home. I want to
48:29
Speaker 1: go home. And I got terrified I'm very insecure, and
48:32
Speaker 1: my mom took me into the bathroom and she said, listen,
48:36
Speaker 1: she's not doing anything to you. You were doing this
48:39
Speaker 1: to yourself. Don't let anything or anybody intimidate you of
48:44
Speaker 1: your own doing. But don't don't do it. And there
48:47
Speaker 1: are times to this day guys, if I'm like feeling
48:50
Speaker 1: you know, some kind of way or in my feelings
48:52
Speaker 1: and feeling like, oh, I'm not sure whatever, and you know,
48:55
Speaker 1: my level of confidence or my security is not on
48:59
Speaker 1: full blast, I will go into the bathroom and tell myself,
49:03
Speaker 1: don't let anything or anyone intimidate you. And especially when
49:07
Speaker 1: you're doing that to yourself and they're not even doing
49:09
Speaker 1: anything to you, don't you allow your own mind to
49:14
Speaker 1: do that. So those are the right that keeps the
49:19
Speaker 1: child from never having imposter syndrome. Yeah, always feeling worthy,
49:23
Speaker 1: which is two things that you always deal with no
49:25
Speaker 1: matter how old you are. That's right, absolutely, absolutely, And
49:29
Speaker 1: so that level of security, you know, really really helps
49:33
Speaker 1: seal seal the deal for me. Yeah. Well, check out
49:37
Speaker 1: the Upshore season two right now. And we appreciate you
49:40
Speaker 1: for joining the legendary k Thank you, right listen, I'm
49:44
Speaker 1: so glad that I was able to finally get here
49:47
Speaker 1: and finally meet you. Happy birthday, Thank you, Thank you.
49:50
Speaker 1: Have an amazing, amazing next chapter filled with so much
49:54
Speaker 1: adventure and wonder and success and being grounded. Happy birthday
50:00
Speaker 1: to receive it all. Yes indeed, And go on and
50:03
Speaker 1: sit up there next to her fields. It's the Breakfast Club.
50:10
Speaker 1: Good morning,