Latest / The Breakfast Club / REPLAY: Jason Weaver on The Chi, Brotherhood & Breaking Barriers (1)

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REPLAY: Jason Weaver on The Chi, Brotherhood & Breaking Barriers (1) · The Breakfast Club

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: and everybody.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Did you hear that exclusive? You know she don't lie
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: about that, right?
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Lauren came in hot. Hey, y'all. What's up? It's Lauren LaRosa.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: And this is another episode of The Latest with Lauren LaRosa.
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  Speaker 1: This is your daily dig on all things pop culture,
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  Speaker 1: entertainment news, and all of the conversations that shake the room, baby.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Going right back into another conversation that is going to
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: shake the room is This is part two of my
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  Speaker 1: interview with Jason Weaver, where we get into all things
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  Speaker 1: The Chi. If you guys didn't know, The Chi is
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  Speaker 1: on its final season, season eight. There's twists, there's turns,
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  Speaker 1: there's a lot of the drama. But we get into
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  Speaker 1: all of the behind the scenes conversation in the meaning
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  Speaker 1: with Jason Weaver. Let's get into it. So let's let's
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  Speaker 1: get into, you know, just some things here with you,
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  Speaker 1: because I started this by mentioning like, you know, a
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  Speaker 1: few ways that people may know you, some stories that
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  Speaker 1: we've heard throughout your career. But you've been in this
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  Speaker 1: business for a very, very long time. What age did
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  Speaker 1: you actually start anything entertainment related, even if it was
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  Speaker 1: something we don't know about?
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  Speaker 2: I actually started in my hometown of Chicago back when
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  Speaker 2: I was like five years old. And, you know, I
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  Speaker 2: initially started off doing print ads and commercials. In the
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  Speaker 2: Chicagoland area back in the late 70s and the 80s,
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  Speaker 2: a lot of the major jingle campaigns that people would
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  Speaker 2: hear on national commercials were all created more or less
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  Speaker 2: in Chicago. And the talent that was utilized for these
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  Speaker 2: spots was mostly Black talent, Black musicians, Black singers, Black vocalists,
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  Speaker 2: I should say, and Black actors, you know what I'm saying?
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  Speaker 2: And personalities that could be featured in these ads. And
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  Speaker 2: so that's the world that I come from. My mother,
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  Speaker 2: Marilyn Haywood, also professionally known as Kitty Haywood in that
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  Speaker 2: circle in Chicago. You know, when I expressed an interest
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  Speaker 2: in wanting to pursue acting and get in the entertainment industry,
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  Speaker 2: my mother already had a long, successful track record as
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  Speaker 2: a jingle singer in Chicago for many years. So, you know,
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  Speaker 2: she was able to help usher me into the business
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  Speaker 2: in a way where, you know, I I was able
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  Speaker 2: to carefully navigate my way through, you know, of course,
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  Speaker 2: learning and understanding the business as I went along as well.
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  Speaker 2: And as I matured and evolved as an artist and
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  Speaker 2: a creative and so on. No, it's been a it's
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  Speaker 2: been a long journey, but it's been a blessed one.
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  Speaker 2: You know, I'm so grateful that I still have the
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  Speaker 2: opportunity even now at 46 years old. you know, to
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  Speaker 2: be working and especially to be on a great show
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  Speaker 2: like The Chi. No, I just give all glory and
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  Speaker 2: thanks to God because there's not a lot of people,
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  Speaker 2: you know, in our industry that have been able to
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  Speaker 2: kind of transcend from, you know, generation and generation and for,
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  Speaker 2: you know, a number of years like that. So I
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  Speaker 2: do recognize how extraordinary the journey has been so far
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  Speaker 2: as well.
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  Speaker 1: Let's talk a little bit about Chicago, because I know
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  Speaker 1: The Chi is set in Chicago, and I think you
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  Speaker 1: guys do a really good job of showing the backdrop
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  Speaker 1: and the color and the warmth of Chicago. Thank you.
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  Speaker 1: You're welcome. Before we get to The Chi, I want
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  Speaker 1: to talk about, we always have conversations about 90s sitcoms
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  Speaker 1: and those sitcoms that we grew up with. So many
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  Speaker 1: of them were based in Chicago, right? And a lot
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  Speaker 1: of people, I think when we talk about, and correct
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  Speaker 1: me on anything I'm wrong on, but Family Matters, right?
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  Speaker 2: Mm-hmm. Family Matters.
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  Speaker 1: Steve Harvey show.
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  Speaker 2: Was Steve Harvey Chicago? I think it was. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. So from what I can remember, what I have
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  Speaker 1: here in my research, but you know, sometimes. The sitcom star,
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  Speaker 1: Steve Harvey, 1970s funk star who took a job teaching
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  Speaker 1: music at a Chicago high school.
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  Speaker 2: That's right.
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  Speaker 1: Keenan and Kel.
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  Speaker 2: Yes.
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  Speaker 1: Malcolm and Eddie. That's right. Between Brothers.
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  Speaker 2: That's right. wow, you put me on to something.
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  Speaker 1: The reason why I thought about that is because when
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  Speaker 1: you said the jingles thing, I'm like, which show do
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  Speaker 1: I remember where somebody was trying to do jingles? That
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  Speaker 1: was a Jamie Foxx show, but that.
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  Speaker 2: Was a Jamie Foxx show.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, but it wasn't, it wasn't set in Chicago, but
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  Speaker 1: it made me think, but it feels like some of
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  Speaker 1: the other shows that I watch, like the Steve Harvey
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  Speaker 1: show and stuff like that. So do you remember growing
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  Speaker 1: up in that time and, and, you know, the way
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  Speaker 1: that Chicago or just, people in the industry that your
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  Speaker 1: mom was working with, how they talked about their black
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  Speaker 1: stars and their black talent and what stories are being
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  Speaker 1: told on TV. And I wonder if that had any
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  Speaker 1: influences in the roles and the jobs that you went
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  Speaker 1: on to then later take.
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  Speaker 2: That's a great question. Um, no, you know, back then
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  Speaker 2: when I was first entering into the business, even if, um,
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  Speaker 2: shows were technically like based in Chicago, the storyline was
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  Speaker 2: based in Chicago. Um, Those sitcoms and those stories didn't
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  Speaker 2: really have a tendency to lean more towards the cultural
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  Speaker 2: aspect of what Chicago life was, especially the Black experience
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  Speaker 2: in Chicago. You know, Chicago is a very proud city,
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  Speaker 2: has a long and beautiful history. It was founded by
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  Speaker 2: a Black man, Jean-Baptiste Du Sable, who was a Haitian
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  Speaker 2: Black man who came through New Orleans up the Mississippi
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  Speaker 2: River as a fur trader. and settled in Chicago.
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  Speaker 1: I did not know he settled in. I didn't know
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  Speaker 1: that about him. We both learning some Chicago stuff today, huh?
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely not. Chicago was founded by a Haitian man, Jean-Baptiste
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  Speaker 2: Pointe du Sable, I should add. We even have a
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  Speaker 2: Black history museum in the middle of South Side Chicago
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  Speaker 2: called the du Sable Museum to celebrate him and to
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  Speaker 2: celebrate much of the notable and powerful Black history that's
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  Speaker 2: come out of Chicago. I think what The Chi has
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  Speaker 2: been able to successfully do and why I'm so proud
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  Speaker 2: to be a part of it is because I think
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  Speaker 2: this has been like the first time that, no, I
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  Speaker 2: take that back. Because when I did Brewster Place with
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  Speaker 2: Oprah Winfrey, which was a short-lived, hour-long show that was
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  Speaker 2: on ABC years ago, that was set in Chicago. But
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  Speaker 2: that was set in like 1960s Chicago.
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  Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.
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  Speaker 2: So different kind of era. But The Chi, for the
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  Speaker 2: first time for me as a proud Chicagoan and as
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  Speaker 2: an actor coming from the city, this is the first
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  Speaker 2: time I've really been given an opportunity to kind of
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  Speaker 2: share those stories that I'm familiar with, you know, like
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  Speaker 2: the family dynamics and the complexity of that whole thing.
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  Speaker 2: you know, telling a story about community, particularly the South
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  Speaker 2: side of Chicago, which I'm very familiar with and from.
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  Speaker 2: Even when it comes down to the faith aspect and
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  Speaker 2: growing up in the church, you know, you saw like
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  Speaker 2: the character Papa on our show and his father being
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  Speaker 2: a pastor. You know, I know about that with growing
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  Speaker 2: up in the church and coming from Trinity and also
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: at times attending as a guest Lena's home church, Christ
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  Speaker 2: Universal Temple, you know, the cookouts and all of that stuff.
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  Speaker 2: All of those things now as an actor hailing from
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  Speaker 2: the city, I've been able to do. And I'm very
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  Speaker 2: proud to do it. I think that one of my
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  Speaker 2: main goals as an actor coming from the city is
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  Speaker 2: also been to focus more on the authenticity side of it.
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  Speaker 2: Like what we actually say in the street, how we talk,
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  Speaker 2: our vernacular, the way that we express ourselves, our body language, because,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I think what a lot of people outside
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  Speaker 2: of our community are coming to the understanding now is
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  Speaker 2: that Black people are not a monolith in a sense,
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  Speaker 2: especially African-Americans, you know, New Yorkers, Black New Yorkers have
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  Speaker 2: a way of expressing themselves. Black people from Los Angeles, Louisiana, whatever.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, Chicago is, is a part of that.
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  Speaker 1: Delaware too. I don't know if you ever been there.
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  Speaker 2: I've never been to Delaware. I've heard good things about it,
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  Speaker 2: but I've never been, but I'm sure. You don't gotta
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  Speaker 2: say you.
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  Speaker 1: Heard good things about it. You don't gotta be nice.
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  Speaker 1: It's okay. It's all right. It's okay. I've heard good things,
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  Speaker 1: but I'm past it. I was being funny. I knew
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  Speaker 1: you ain't probably never even like Delaware. Like, okay.
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  Speaker 2: I didn't know that we was there. I know Joe
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  Speaker 2: Biden there, but I didn't know you was there.
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  Speaker 1: Yes.
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  Speaker 2: But no, we've been able to, you know, kind of
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  Speaker 2: explore and display all of that. So, yeah, I'm very
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  Speaker 2: proud of it. Absolutely.
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  Speaker 1: So you talk a bit about, you know, just being
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  Speaker 1: from Chicago and the authenticity of the show and all
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  Speaker 1: the things. I think a common question I hear the
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  Speaker 1: cast get asked are like, you know, how do you
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  Speaker 1: keep it authentic and, you know, stuff like that. But
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  Speaker 1: what are some of the like responsibilities that you feel
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  Speaker 1: as a person that, you know, I got a chance
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  Speaker 1: to talk to the younger cast, right? And I know
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  Speaker 1: a lot of them are from Chicago. But you being older,
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  Speaker 1: seeing the changing of times of how black television goes
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  Speaker 1: from something like a Steve Harvey show to, you know,
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  Speaker 1: what we do or don't have now. And you're from Chicago.
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  Speaker 1: It's like a double whammy there. It's like you understand
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  Speaker 1: the importance of a show like The Chi, but you
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  Speaker 1: also are from Chicago and understand the importance of that
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  Speaker 1: as well, too. So what are you dealing with when
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: you're walking on set day to day because of that?
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  Speaker 2: Oh, man, that's another great question.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: I think that one of the things I'm most proud
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  Speaker 2: of with our show and being in Chicago is that,
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  Speaker 2: you know, we explore the elements of violence in street life,
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  Speaker 2: which is a reality in Chicago. And everybody knows that
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  Speaker 2: that seems to be amplified more in mainstream media than
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  Speaker 2: anything when people are referencing Chicago. But one of the
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  Speaker 2: things that I'm really, really proud about is that We
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: are showing the beauty of the community. We are showing
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  Speaker 2: the solidarity and the unity that does exist in the community.
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  Speaker 2: You know, yeah, the South side and West sides and
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  Speaker 2: some of the more underserved communities in Chicago and the
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  Speaker 2: Chicagoland surrounding Chicagoland area, yeah, are plagued with violence in
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  Speaker 2: certain ways. But, you know, there's also communities there with heart,
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  Speaker 2: like the community of Englewood has heart in history, the
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  Speaker 2: community of Woodlawn, Park Manor, Chatham, You know, I mean,
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  Speaker 2: there are so many communities there that are comprised of
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: black and brown people where, you know, those stories have
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: never been told. They've never been acknowledged. And they haven't
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: been told in a beautiful way to the way that
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: they're depicted visually. You know, I think Lena and the
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: directors and the producers do an amazing job of actually
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: presenting the South Side as a thriving, beautiful and colorful community.
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: You know, even when the show is like set in
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: the wintertime, the things that are shot interior, they feel
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  Speaker 2: very warm. The homes feel welcoming. You know, the conversations
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  Speaker 2: within the home feel relatable, even if you're not from
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  Speaker 2: the south side of Chicago. So that's one of the
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  Speaker 2: many things that makes me very proud to to be
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: associated with the show and represent on behalf of it
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  Speaker 2: as well.
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  Speaker 1: So your character, first I have a question. Last year,
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: or it may have even been earlier this year, I
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: can pull up, let me see what the date on
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: that was. I'll have to pull it back up. But
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  Speaker 1: I saw it was like a one of the trades.
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: So it was like deadline of variety. They announced that
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  Speaker 1: you and, what's her name? Hannah Hall were now going
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: to be series regulars, but you had been a regular
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  Speaker 1: on the show already.
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  Speaker 2: Yes. Well, that's, that's what a lot of people, that's
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: what a lot of people had assumed. I was always technically,
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: since I first came on the show on season four,
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: I was always technically and contractually referred to as a
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: recurring character. Wow. What, what ended up happening was, is
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: that I think, you know, cause with the shy, everything
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: is kind of unpredictable. And I think Lena is, plays
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  Speaker 2: a lot on synergy and connection and flow and authenticity
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: in her ability to tell a story. And I just
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: think over time, the type of character Shad is or
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: was and how his story was so relatable to a
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: lot of people, but also because he was so layered
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: as a character and nuanced, you know, as a character,
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  Speaker 2: I think it just made for interesting stories to be
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: built around him And the audience responded well to that.
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: And so over time, they just kind of kept me on. Right. And,
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: you know, I think when season eight finally came around
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: and they realized that that character in particular contributes so
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: much to the overall story arc and storyline of the show,
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: that's when they decided to, you know, promote me to
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: series regular, which I'm I'm very grateful for. I'm very
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: grateful that I got the opportunity to be recognized in
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: that regard in the last season. But even prior to that,
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: prior to becoming a series regular, you know, I was
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: still very honored and proud to be a part of
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: the show and, you know, anything that was required of me,
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: whether it was heavy lifting or just playing more of
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: a supportive role, you know, I was, I was always enthusiastic,
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: you know, to meet the challenge because again, you know,
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: for me, It's about telling a great story. And it's about,
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: you know, representing something that, you know, that I believe
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  Speaker 2: in and that I'm proud of. So, you know.
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  Speaker 1: Because I have the regular folk watching.
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  Speaker 2: I'm like.
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  Speaker 1: Hold on, Ellen. I mean, did that, because I wasn't,
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: the reason I brought that up, because I was like,
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  Speaker 1: I know that the Chi has like so many twists
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: and turns in the storyline. So I wonder if you
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: on the talent side were ever like, okay, I know
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: I'm here and I know I'm a part of the story,
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: but is this something that happens just in case it'd
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: be like, no, bang, bang, you gotta go.
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: I mean, that's exactly what it is. You hit the
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: nail on the head. I mean, you know, Lena has
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: this saying during our table read, she was like, yeah, y'all,
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: you know, knock out these lines, get it right. You know,
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: sell these lines because, you know, anything can happen on
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: the shot. Nothing's guaranteed. Nobody's guaranteed. And, you know, as
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: an actor, it keeps you on edge because, you know,
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: each and every week you got to come with it.
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: You know, there's never a relaxed position that you should
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: ever find yourself in as a creative period. But, you know,
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: especially on that show, you were always kind of well, man,
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: is my character going to make it next week? Am
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: I going to get killed? And I think a lot
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: of that was based on your performance and how the
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: audience reacted to you and their engagement with your character.
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: So thankfully for me, I think a lot of people
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: genuinely liked Sean and could see that at his core,
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: he was a good guy and they ended up kind
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: of rooting for him. So that gave me that ability
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: to stay around a lot longer.
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: Think with shy it's like you feel like everybody everybody
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: has a shot in their family or knows a shot
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: like somebody who just honestly is just like trying to
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: do the right thing but you you're playing the cards
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: you were dealt to a certain extent but you are
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: you there is a boundary or a cutoff with you
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: as a human.
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: Yes yes now it's so funny that you would mention
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: that I have so many um I have so many
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: black men in particular that range in age you know
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: who have dealt with similar circumstances in their personal lives,
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: you know, that kind of run parallel maybe to what
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: Shad has experienced, even being incarcerated maybe at one point
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: in their lives and trying to reenter back into society
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: and be given a second chance. And not a lot
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: of those stories are told from an honest and respectful
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: point of view. You know what I mean? I think
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: with Shad's character, it really showed in a very authentic way,
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: the obstacles that he was being confronted with and that
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: he had to hurdle over And even the decisions that
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: he made in his mind, whether to sway left or right,
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: whether to stay legit or whether to go back into
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: the gangster world. Even when we explored those things, they
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: were explored in a very honest and respectful and authentic way,
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: which I think allowed, especially a lot of the Black
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: men who became later on familiar with our show, find
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: something to connect with. You know what I'm saying? In
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: the show. So that was good. And I was happy
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: that I was able to serve in that regard as
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: an actor and helping to tell that story because, you know,
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: that does impact me. It does matter to me when
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: other brothers come up to me and they share their
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: stories with me and how through, you know, watching the
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: show in some kind of way, it maybe gave them,
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: you know, some additional insight or maybe gave them, you know,
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: some more hope, you know, and knowing that there's a
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: silver lining, that there's light at the end of the tunnel,
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: even for them. So I'm glad that I was able
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: to serve in that regard.
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: I hear a lot of the cast members, you guys
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: tell those type of stories where people are like really
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: relating to the characters. Do you remember a time that
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: was like super like touching, like just, you have a long,
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: have had a long career, but just from the shot
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: and just was shot, a time where someone's come up
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: to you in the conversation or the specific topic that
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: they've talked about has been like, man, like I'm doing that. Like,
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: you know what I mean?
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I've had a brother stop me because I'm
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: a Cubs fan. And when I'm at home, I frequent
• 17:32
  Speaker 2: this restaurant called Harry Carey's. And it's like a Chicago
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: sports memorabilia type of restaurant, sports themed restaurant based on
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: the legendary Harry Carey. And as I was walking into
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: the restaurant, there was a young brother who approached me
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: and he was taking donations for something that they were
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: doing in their neighborhood. I forgot exactly. what neighborhood he's
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: from out South, but you know, he was just taking
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: donations for whatever it was that they was doing. So
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: I donated a couple of dollars and, um, and he
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: and I just struck up a conversation and, you know,
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: towards the latter end of the conversation, as we were
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: getting ready to part ways, he said, Hey man, I
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: just want to let you know, like, you know, I
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: know who you are, you know, I respect your work.
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: And man, thank you, man, for telling real stories, for
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: helping to tell real stories like related to us, man. Like,
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: you know, I just came home too. You know, I've
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: had my challenges and I felt like sometimes I'm just
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: kind of on my own island. And what that show,
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: what that character has shown me is that I'm really
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: not alone. There's a lot of brothers like me out
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: here that are really just trying to make it, you know,
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: but just have had to deal with the BS, man.
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: And like, you know, the circumstances and the cards that
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: they were dealt, he said, well, man, I just want
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: to let you know those stories matter in the way
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: that you portray it. And you do it so proudly
• 18:49
  Speaker 2: as a Chicagoan. That means a lot to me, man.
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: So God bless you. You know what I'm saying? Keep
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: doing your thing. And that meant a lot to me,
• 18:57
  Speaker 2: you know, especially coming from a young brother coming from
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: the city. Cause you know, so many guys from the city,
• 19:03
  Speaker 2: especially the young ones have gone through so much where
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: they're hardened and it's hard for them to be able
• 19:09
  Speaker 2: to be vulnerable like that and express themselves and share,
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: you know, some of the more intimate moments of their
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: lives that have made them feel uncertain or where they
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: question their future. And, you know, for that young man
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: to take time, even while he outside hustling and trying
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: to do his thing to let me know that he
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: sees me as I'm seeing him. It's those, it's those
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: kinds of interactions that, you know, make it even more,
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: even more rewarding, you know, pass a paycheck that you
• 19:36
  Speaker 2: can earn from it, you know, pass any kind of
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: surface level, recognition that you can receive is those kinds
• 19:42
  Speaker 2: of conversations on the street, you know, with the real
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: guys and I'm representing that, that, uh, that, that makes
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: me very proud. and and I'm thankful you know to
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: the Lord that I'm used as a vessel in some
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: kind of way you know to be able to provide
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: that that sense of hope and that encouragement to to
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: guys or people in general who can relate to that
• 20:01
  Speaker 2: kind of character You know.
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: I think about all of the characters that Lena Waithe
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: has either developed in front of us where The Chi
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: was the first time I met them, or these are
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: characters that I've known and loved and grew up with,
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: and now she reinvents them on The Chi. And just how,
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: no matter how big the celebrity of a person is,
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: you guys are all super approachable. We've been watching you
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: in various different ways for a very long time, but
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: I'm listening to you like, oh, I just am... you know,
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: out in the community, headed to my favorite spot in Chicago.
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: And I know people seeing you in the community also
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: means something too. Like they really feel connected to the character.
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: Cause like, no, he's here. He, he really is boots
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: on the ground. He understand what's going on.
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah. No, they can't. I mean, that's the thing with me.
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: I I've always been one of those people. I've always
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: viewed myself as an artist in, in, in order to
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: be able to tell the story of people, you have
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: to be amongst the people. You have to be able
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: to relate to and understand what people go through in
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: their everyday lives. And you can't do that behind an
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: iron fence. And you can't do that behind, you know,
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: a superficial point of view of, oh, I got money and,
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: you know, I got a little bit of fame and recognition.
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: And then coming from Chicago, too, you just can't be
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: that way. Like, you can't be from there and be
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: one of those kind of people that isn't approachable. You know,
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: this is a blue collar town. And, you know, everybody
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: works hard to put food on the table for their family.
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: What makes you so different just because you're on TV?
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: You know what I mean? So, you know, with me,
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: I also, I also recognize it's important for the youth,
• 21:34
  Speaker 2: for the younger generation to see me, to see me
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: in the neighborhood, to see me present and engaging with
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: them so that they know like it's tangible or it's
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: within reach. You know what I'm saying? And you can
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: accomplish and do the same thing too. Like anytime when
• 21:49
  Speaker 2: I'm home, people can see me on 75th at Liam's
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: Barbecue and You know what I'm saying? At any time
• 21:54
  Speaker 2: people can see me, you know, out South, like in maximum.
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: So you'll be at the real Smokies.
• 21:59
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I'll be at the real Smokies. Like no,
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: Chicago sees me and then I'm involved with the community.
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: I serve on the advisory board for a nonprofit that's
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: situated in, on the South side in Woodlawn called Hello Baby.
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: And Hello Baby is basically a center or in a
• 22:18
  Speaker 2: safe space for young families, particularly young mothers, and young
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: fathers to be able to build a stronger bond and
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: rapport with their child. Because in most underserved communities, especially
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: on the South side of Chicago, they're multi-generational homes that
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: really don't allow, you know, young parents to be able
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: to establish, you know, an even stronger bond and connection
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: with their young children, because there'll be so many disciplinarians
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: and so many different energies in the household. But what
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: Hello Baby does is it provides a safe haven right
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: there in the middle of the South side in the
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: community for young parents and for kids to come together
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: and just play and learn. We do giveaways like with
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: diapers and hygiene products and things like that, everyday essentials
• 23:07
  Speaker 2: that people need, we give those and donate those to
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: the community. And so it even goes past representing it
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: on screen as an actor. I'm just a firm believer
• 23:17
  Speaker 2: that also while representing it in that regard, I think
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: it's also important to give back to the community that
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: you're actually portraying or that you're trying to shed light
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: on as well.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: Do you think, okay, first question, do you think that
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: Not even just Chicago, in any underserved community, right? Like,
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: Lena Waithe does an amazing job. And I'm going to
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: keep saying this because if, I don't know who doesn't
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: watch The Chi at this point, but if you don't
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: watch The Chi, you should. And if you do watch
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: The Chi, like, I want people to say this more.
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: She does such a good job at painting the Chicago warm.
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: I remember my first time going to Chicago, like it
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: was maybe four or five months ago.
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: And I felt very ignorant because when I was there,
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: what I, even after watching the shot, cause I felt like, okay, that's,
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: and I think most people watching this will think, um,
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: or who've watched it may think this too, who've never
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: been there. When you watch something like this, you feel
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: like if you're not local, if you're not from there,
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: you're not going to ever find that. You'll go to
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: this place, but you might not find that community for
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: real because you don't know the people there. So it's
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: either you're on like the touristy outskirts or if you
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: go into the part where you see your people, now
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: we're thinking about everything we hear in the news when
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: it comes to Chicago, right? I went there though and
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: I saw, oh my God, I felt like I was
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: in Atlanta. Like I went to the Soho house And
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: I was like, the first thing I said was, it's
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: so many black people in here. The only place I've
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: ever seen so many black people spend money like that
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: was in Atlanta. It was like wealth and like luxury.
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: Do you think that even with shows like The Chi
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: that underserved and communities like Chicago talked about the way
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: that they do will ever get the justification they deserve,
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: even with shows like The Chi? Do you think that
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: that will actually ever happen? Like, will they be eradicated
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: through these you know, shows and movies, or will there
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: always be that stigma that you just got to go
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: see it?
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: Oh, no, no, no. Man, yet another great question. I
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: love these questions.
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: This is my job, Jason. You know, I be doing
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: little things.
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: No, Laura, like what I said, I'm a fan. I
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: watch you on the show, so I already know you're
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: going to come with it. But no, that's a great question.
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: I think what The Chi has done, and I always
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: say this, I think it's opened up Pandora's box in
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: a sense. Well, no, that's the wrong thing. I think
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: what it's done is it just opened up the floodgates
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: to where more of these kind of stories can be told.
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: I think for so long, Black storytellers have been reluctant
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: to go deeper into the things that really affect our community.
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: You know, multi-generational families, mental health, LGBTQ plus issues. dealing
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: with incarceration, re-entry into society, but having a real conversation
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: about it. Men's healing circles, sisters healing circles. We have helped,
• 26:12
  Speaker 2: I think, introduce the conversation to where we can have
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: a more broader conversation and to be able to tell
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: more complex and diverse stories, even particular when it comes
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: to the city of Chicago, because yes, you do have
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: the South side in the West side communities of Chicago,
• 26:35
  Speaker 2: but you also have the Black families that live in
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: the suburbs, the outlying suburbs of Chicago in the overall
• 26:41
  Speaker 2: Chicagoland area, whether they live in Naperville or whether they
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: live in communities like where I grew up in South Holland,
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: South suburbs. And, you know, There's so many, as far
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: as the Black experience, when talking about Chicago and the
• 26:57
  Speaker 2: Chicagoland area, there's so many different stories to tell, so
• 27:02
  Speaker 2: many more interesting stories to tell. And I do believe
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: that The Chi has helped to just usher in that
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: new era of writing and storytelling, particularly with the Black
• 27:12
  Speaker 2: experience in Chicago. And just hopefully for the Black experience
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: just in America in general. I think some of the
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: things that we explored and that we touched on in
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: the shy, although it made some audience members uncomfortable, I
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: think it was necessary because what it, what it, what.
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: Was the most necessary thing you think that made people uncomfortable,
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: but was very necessary.
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: I'll be honest. I think a lot of the things
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: that we touched on LGBTQ plus related, particularly black men's
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: perspective with it, you know, with, I'm sorry, go ahead.
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: You and Trigg's character, Luke James' character, or Vic, in
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: the show are like best friends, but you're a straight male.
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: And I'm not for sure how Vic or Trigg identifies
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: in the show specifically, but I know that he is
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: dating a trans woman.
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Transgender woman. Yes.
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: Yes. So, and we get to see that relationship play
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: out on screen.
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: Yes.
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: And that's a big, you guys almost act like it's
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: not happening, even though we're watching it in real time.
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: Talk a bit about just, you know, character development there
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: and kind of, you know, feeling what you, why you
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: think that that's so necessary?
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: No, I thought, you know, what was so interesting about
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: that was the way that we, explore it with those
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: two characters, that dynamic. You had one, my character who
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: was staunch against that, like for him, anything related to LGBTQ,
• 28:43
  Speaker 2: especially his best friend. And he dated a transgender woman. Oh,
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: I'm just not, that ain't it. And there was conflict
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: in the very beginning in season four. And then over time,
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: as they began to connect more as brothers and be
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: there more for one another as brothers, Shia began to
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: realize that, man, that don't even matter. I just want
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: my brother to be happy. It's so, it's so much
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: shit that we go through out here in the real world. Anyhow,
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: as black men, the last thing I want to do
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: is lean on my brother like that and make him
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: feel even worse for just being who he is, but
• 29:22
  Speaker 2: simply just being who he is and what he likes
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: and how he chooses to love and what that did.
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: Cause I remember when, and kudos to Luke James, you know, for,
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: being the extraordinary artist that he was to be able
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: to dive into that as an actor. and to be
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: able to depict that and help tell that story. You know,
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: I think because I've been approached in the street by
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: other Black men. Again, when we first explored that storyline,
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: I had brothers coming to me like, yo, hey, man,
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: I ain't gonna lie to you. Like, you know, I
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: kind of stopped watching The Shire a little bit. You know,
• 30:00
  Speaker 2: because it just felt like, you know, proud of your
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: character coming on. They was like forcing the, you know,
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: the gay stuff on me, man. And I wasn't really
• 30:08
  Speaker 2: like feeling that. You know what I'm saying? I'd be like, OK,
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: I hear you. Well, man, when your character came on,
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: you know, because I saw you was on the show.
• 30:16
  Speaker 2: I want to tap back in and see what you
• 30:17
  Speaker 2: was going to do on there. And man, when I
• 30:19
  Speaker 2: saw your character in like Trigg going through they thing.
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: He said, man, you know, it helped me to come
• 30:25
  Speaker 2: to grips with my relationship with my brother. Man, because,
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: you know, my brother's either gay or my brother, you know,
• 30:32
  Speaker 2: has a preference, you know, what he likes and how
• 30:35
  Speaker 2: he chooses to love it. For years, we never talked
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: about it. And I didn't know how to talk to
• 30:39
  Speaker 2: him about it. He didn't know how to talk to
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: me about it. Well, man, we ended up just having
• 30:43
  Speaker 2: a conversation about it because we started talking about the
• 30:46
  Speaker 2: show and how shot and trig were on it. And so,
• 30:49
  Speaker 2: you know, unbeknownst to us at the time, as we
• 30:52
  Speaker 2: were filming it, you know, we knew it was going
• 30:55
  Speaker 2: to be a water cooler piece, so to speak, where
• 30:58
  Speaker 2: people were going to talk about it. But I don't
• 31:00
  Speaker 2: think we really had any idea how it was going
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: to serve in a therapeutic way, particularly like with Black
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: men to where we could have more open conversations about
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: it together versus it being a thing where oh, that's
• 31:14
  Speaker 2: them over there. And it's us. It was like, no.
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: That's what I meant by like, you guys are like doing,
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: like you are acting, like you're just moving around your world.
• 31:23
  Speaker 1: Like it's not even happening. That's what I mean by
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: that is like, it almost teaches us, which we should
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: know as simple human beings, but there are a lot
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: of people who do divide. Okay. You, them and us,
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: when it's like, for real, for real, we all just
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: maneuvering throughout this world every day.
• 31:38
  Speaker 2: And everybody's trying their best. You know what I'm saying?
• 31:40
  Speaker 2: And especially in the eyes of God, if you want
• 31:43
  Speaker 2: to talk about sin and all of that, man, we
• 31:45
  Speaker 2: all sinners in the eyes of God, man. And we
• 31:48
  Speaker 2: all sin each and every day. And it ain't, and
• 31:50
  Speaker 2: it's just my personal viewpoint and people can, can disagree
• 31:53
  Speaker 2: and they have their opinion about it. And, and, and
• 31:55
  Speaker 2: that's fine. And, and I'm not trying to impose upon anyone,
• 31:59
  Speaker 2: my beliefs or what I think, but I'm just the
• 32:02
  Speaker 2: kind of person where I just want to extend and
• 32:06
  Speaker 2: treat everybody with grace and respect. I don't have any
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: contempt or hatred towards anyone. And, It's none of my
• 32:12
  Speaker 2: business how you choose to live your life or how
• 32:14
  Speaker 2: you choose to love. It's not my job. That's the
• 32:17
  Speaker 2: Lord's job. You know what I mean? And my job
• 32:20
  Speaker 2: or the commandment that's been placed upon me as my
• 32:22
  Speaker 2: Lord and Savior ascending into heaven, we just love one another.
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: And that's all I try to do every day. Now,
• 32:28
  Speaker 2: I ain't perfect. You know, I definitely have my issues
• 32:31
  Speaker 2: like everyone else as well. And you know, there are
• 32:34
  Speaker 2: different things that I can do to improve as a
• 32:36
  Speaker 2: human being, but I do just try to keep it
• 32:39
  Speaker 2: at the forefront of my mind every day to just
• 32:41
  Speaker 2: treat people how I want to be treated and trying
• 32:43
  Speaker 2: to love from that frequency. And, you know, if more
• 32:48
  Speaker 2: people would embrace that, man, it would make the world
• 32:51
  Speaker 2: an even better place. But, you know, in the meantime,
• 32:54
  Speaker 2: those of us who, who may embrace that more, we
• 32:58
  Speaker 2: also have a duty to try to share that with
• 33:01
  Speaker 2: others and, and try to help them see a different
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: perspective as well. And, and that's what I try to
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: do through my art. So, you know, that was it.
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: For me. I'm just sitting here listening to you talk
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: and I'm thinking about how amazing you and Luke James's
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: chemistry as, as best friends and as brothers on screen is.
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: I'm wondering what it's like off screen. And I'm wondering
• 33:25
  Speaker 1: because that becomes a responsibility that can be as positive
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: as it is, it can be kind of dark and
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: heavy and, Have there been moments where as brothers off screen,
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: you guys have had to remind each other of like
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: the responsibility of the, of the silver lining of it
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: because of some of the, you know, people who aren't
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: as positive and receiving messages and stuff like that.
• 33:44
  Speaker 2: You know what I mean? Nah, well, I will say this. If,
• 33:48
  Speaker 2: if there are any boos from the crowd, when it
• 33:51
  Speaker 2: comes to that and helping to tell stories in that regard,
• 33:54
  Speaker 2: we don't even hear it. We're so, we're so immersed
• 33:57
  Speaker 2: in the work and so focused on the work and,
• 34:01
  Speaker 2: making sure that the art is displayed beautifully and maintains
• 34:07
  Speaker 2: its initial integrity and how it's supposed to be presented
• 34:09
  Speaker 2: from the writer's perspective. We don't pay attention to that.
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: When Luke and I get together and go over scenes
• 34:16
  Speaker 2: and talk about our characters and we just hanging out, period.
• 34:19
  Speaker 2: It's just, man, we're in a bubble of positivity and
• 34:23
  Speaker 2: in a bubble of creativity to where none of that
• 34:27
  Speaker 2: is even discussed. I think the main thing that we
• 34:29
  Speaker 2: discuss is between the both of us is how can
• 34:33
  Speaker 2: we be better? Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, okay,
• 34:36
  Speaker 2: last scene that we did, that was good. But now
• 34:39
  Speaker 2: how can we, how can we turn it up a
• 34:41
  Speaker 2: little bit more to be able to provide, you know,
• 34:43
  Speaker 2: a different, a different point of view, you know, with
• 34:46
  Speaker 2: this character. So the, and I might add to Luke James,
• 34:50
  Speaker 2: it's just an absolute pleasure to work. He was a
• 34:54
  Speaker 2: pleasure to work alongside with consummate professional, true artist, true actor.
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: I will forget sometimes that he's a phenomenal vocalist because
• 35:03
  Speaker 2: the way that he just, he commits as an actor, he's,
• 35:07
  Speaker 2: he's just awesome. So it was an honor to work
• 35:09
  Speaker 2: with him.
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: Well, I mean, it's, it's been amazing watching you guys
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: on screen and even in this new season and the
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: last season, oh my God, I'm like, Why? Like, I
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: feel like my family's about to leave me and like
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: move somewhere or something. Like it really, I'm like, why
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: does it gotta be over? And I, I know every
• 35:27
  Speaker 1: show has its time, but because we don't get a
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: lot of this good feeling all the time, it's like, why?
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: I felt the same way when Insecure wasn't going to
• 35:35
  Speaker 1: do any more seasons. Love Is, when that didn't get
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: more seasons. Like there are certain things on television where
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: you're just like, why? Yeah.
• 35:44
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: You know, I always, I.
• 35:46
  Speaker 2: Always say this cause I've been in the business for
• 35:48
  Speaker 2: so long and, you know, I've had my fair share
• 35:51
  Speaker 2: of productions that have like ended or, or, um, you know,
• 35:56
  Speaker 2: all good things must come to an end. Right. And,
• 35:59
  Speaker 2: and every show serves its purpose for the time that
• 36:02
  Speaker 2: it's supposed to be on there. And, uh, yeah, although
• 36:05
  Speaker 2: it's bittersweet for us to, as the cast and the crew, uh,
• 36:09
  Speaker 2: We all walked away on rap day feeling like we
• 36:13
  Speaker 2: served our time and our purpose. And now it's time
• 36:17
  Speaker 2: for a new show or a new creative to come
• 36:21
  Speaker 2: forward and a new story to be told and presented
• 36:24
  Speaker 2: in a way also to the audience where we can
• 36:28
  Speaker 2: truly benefit from it. You know, I think that's another
• 36:31
  Speaker 2: thing too. And I say this with all due respect
• 36:35
  Speaker 2: because I'm still a part of the machine, if you will.
• 36:38
  Speaker 2: and kind of came up under the old Hollywood system. But,
• 36:41
  Speaker 2: you know, I'm encouraged now to see that there are
• 36:44
  Speaker 2: more black independent creatives, filmmakers who are now finding ways
• 36:50
  Speaker 2: to get their story out of there and to be
• 36:52
  Speaker 2: able to monetize it to where they can benefit from
• 36:56
  Speaker 2: it financially as well. And not just giving like a
• 37:00
  Speaker 2: small piece of the pie, but actually have an ownership
• 37:03
  Speaker 2: in the work that they're, that, that they're doing and
• 37:06
  Speaker 2: that they believe in. So, I think we're in a
• 37:09
  Speaker 2: very interesting chapter right now as you're seeing more of
• 37:13
  Speaker 2: us segue or transition out of the traditional Hollywood mold
• 37:20
  Speaker 2: and now transitioning more into independent filmmaking and hitting our
• 37:29
  Speaker 2: niche or our base audiences and being able to benefit
• 37:33
  Speaker 2: from that. And so I feel encouraged from that. And
• 37:36
  Speaker 2: I think that you're going to see a lot more
• 37:38
  Speaker 2: young Black filmmakers who are going to be willing to
• 37:40
  Speaker 2: step out on faith and tell their stories truthfully and
• 37:45
  Speaker 2: authentically and unapologetically and serving the audience who will be
• 37:51
  Speaker 2: able to appreciate that and who will be willing to
• 37:54
  Speaker 2: pay for it. So, yeah, you know, I'm grateful for
• 37:59
  Speaker 2: shows like The Chi and many others that came before us.
• 38:02
  Speaker 2: We served our purpose and now it's time for the
• 38:06
  Speaker 2: new creatives and the new generation to you know, now
• 38:08
  Speaker 2: carry the mantle moving forward.
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining me. I feel like
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: I've taken up so much. I had so much prepared
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: to talk to you about. We would be here for
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: like five hours, honestly. So we got to do this
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: again sometime.
• 38:21
  Speaker 2: No, we'll definitely do it again. Like I said, it's
• 38:23
  Speaker 2: been an absolute pleasure. You know, I really and genuinely
• 38:26
  Speaker 2: respect you, the journalist you are, the accomplished Black woman
• 38:31
  Speaker 2: that you are. I wish you nothing but success moving forward.
• 38:34
  Speaker 2: I definitely look forward to, um, to linking up with
• 38:37
  Speaker 2: you guys when I eventually.
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: Come to New York.
• 38:39
  Speaker 2: And then even before then, if you're in Atlanta, once
• 38:42
  Speaker 2: we get the show up and running, I'll have Christy
• 38:45
  Speaker 2: reach out to you, one of our reps from 85
• 38:46
  Speaker 2: or from the show, and we'll make it happen.
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: Got you. Okay. I'm going to hold you to it.
• 38:51
  Speaker 2: All right. All right.
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: All right, y'all. This has been another episode of The
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: Latest with Lauren LaRosa, your daily dig on all things
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: pop culture. Entertainment news and all of the conversations that
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: shake the room. I tell you guys every single episode,
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: y'all could be anywhere with any old body talking about
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: all of the things, but you guys choose to be
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: right here with me and I truly appreciate it. My lowriders,
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: I'll see you in my next episode.