WEBVTT - INTERVIEW: Kerry Washington Talks 'Shadow Force,' NAACP; Tyler Perry, Producing Vs. Acting, Unprisoned + More 0:00:00.400 --> 0:00:02.480 Wake that ass up in the morning. 0:00:02.560 --> 0:00:03.600 The Breakfast Club. 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.240 Yes, since the world most dangerous morning show to Breakfast Club, 0:00:07.280 --> 0:00:10.480 Charlamage the God just's hilarious. Enva's not here, but Lauren 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:13.440 LaRosa is filling in, and we have the legend the 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:15.200 icon living Carrie Washington here. 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:16.079 How are you carrying? 0:00:16.320 --> 0:00:16.520 Good? 0:00:16.640 --> 0:00:18.200 I'm happy to be here, always good when I'm with 0:00:18.239 --> 0:00:18.480 you all. 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:20.080 Yeah, what's your energy like this morning? 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:23.960 I feel good, I feel centered, I feel grateful. Yeah, 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:24.720 I'm curious. 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:26.680 Did you have an intention this morning when you will go? 0:00:27.120 --> 0:00:30.240 I didn't state an intention when I woke up this morning, 0:00:30.280 --> 0:00:31.840 but I woke up with a lot of gratitude. 0:00:32.000 --> 0:00:33.559 Amazing, Yeah, amazing. 0:00:33.560 --> 0:00:34.440 What's the gratitude for? 0:00:35.600 --> 0:00:35.839 You know? 0:00:36.080 --> 0:00:38.440 I feel like this is gonna sound so cliche, but 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:42.879 I'm very aware lately. Maybe I'm trying to cultivate more 0:00:42.920 --> 0:00:46.000 awareness lately that as much as things are challenging in 0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:48.440 the world, like I feel like the circumstances in the 0:00:48.479 --> 0:00:51.640 world are tough at the moment for a lot of people, 0:00:52.400 --> 0:00:55.840 but also two things can be true. There's so much 0:00:55.880 --> 0:01:00.480 of my life that is truly answered prayers. I know 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:04.080 when I wake up that the career I have my marriage, 0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:07.760 my children, my health, that like I am living, I'm 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:09.440 walking in prayers answered. 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:12.640 This is a time for I mean, it always never 0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:15.400 a time, but I want people to return back to 0:01:15.760 --> 0:01:17.840 God in this moment. I really because if you are 0:01:17.880 --> 0:01:20.200 a person of faith and you got to believe, everything 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:22.760 truly does happen for a greater good, right, or at 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:24.720 least for some reason that we may not understand. 0:01:24.800 --> 0:01:26.280 I do believe that I do. 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:30.399 I think that I try to remember though, also that 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:34.440 that faith is not just about being like handing your 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:38.360 power over that. For me, faith is about listening for 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:41.160 God's will, which is also pointing me in the right 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:43.559 direction toward action. Right Like faith is not just about 0:01:43.560 --> 0:01:46.160 like sitting back and saying like other people will do 0:01:46.480 --> 0:01:47.560 or somebody else will provide. 0:01:47.600 --> 0:01:50.240 It's also about like, how can you use me today? 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:50.559 Lord? 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:50.760 Right? 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:53.400 How can I be of service today? How can I 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:56.640 show up? Because faith isn't just about being inactive, It's 0:01:56.680 --> 0:02:02.240 about like really stepping into your purpose, your responsibility. 0:02:02.520 --> 0:02:04.680 Action? Is that your word for this season? Since you're 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:05.280 in shadow for. 0:02:06.800 --> 0:02:07.960 I do you know? It's funny. 0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:10.600 I feel like the last time I was here may 0:02:10.639 --> 0:02:12.760 have been to talk about my memoir Thicker than Water, 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:16.200 And it was when I was writing Thicker than Water, 0:02:16.280 --> 0:02:16.680 I was. 0:02:16.639 --> 0:02:18.040 Making this movie. 0:02:18.160 --> 0:02:21.959 And so there was like an awareness of a strength 0:02:22.080 --> 0:02:24.280 that was growing in my life, like an emotional strength, 0:02:24.320 --> 0:02:26.560 a spiritual strength with my family. And I feel like 0:02:26.600 --> 0:02:29.160 the film allowed me to put that in my body, 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:32.839 like in my cells, to be like, what does fierceness 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:35.040 really look like feel like on me? 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:36.480 Not that I know that. 0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:39.600 Thinking about back to that conversation, I can I've seen 0:02:39.639 --> 0:02:40.880 a movie, so I can kind of see what you're 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:42.919 talking about. Yeah, but did you ever think that you 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:44.720 would be taking on because this is your first action film, 0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:46.720 you'd be taking on action in your career in a 0:02:46.800 --> 0:02:47.280 role like this. 0:02:47.560 --> 0:02:50.520 So I mean, I'm just gonna be honest with you. 0:02:50.560 --> 0:02:53.960 I did an action film twenty years ago. I was 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:57.000 Angelina Julie's best friend and mister Missus Smith and I 0:02:57.040 --> 0:02:59.720 got to like climb that mountain with Angelina and shoot 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:01.680 some guy and I was like, I love this. 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:03.040 I loved it, so. 0:03:06.320 --> 0:03:08.919 Yeah until I then, I like my career kind of 0:03:08.960 --> 0:03:11.280 took a different turn, and I was doing drama and 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:14.040 TV and movies and comedy. But I'd never had a 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:16.240 chance to do action again, and I really wanted to, 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:19.160 so my production company, Simpsons Street. When Scandal ended, I 0:03:19.200 --> 0:03:21.760 was like, we need to find a great action film. 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:24.200 And when I read this one, I was like, this 0:03:24.360 --> 0:03:26.560 is it because I feel like my favorite action films 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:28.920 are the ones where you know why the explosions are 0:03:28.919 --> 0:03:31.040 happening right where you care about the characters, where there 0:03:31.040 --> 0:03:33.720 are real emotional stakes, and so I felt like to 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:38.080 have a big This film is like a crazy, big ass, 0:03:38.400 --> 0:03:42.480 splashy action adventure, but at its heart, it's about love. 0:03:42.600 --> 0:03:44.840 It's about family, It's about the sacrifices you make for 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:46.960 the people that you love the most. It's about what 0:03:47.040 --> 0:03:49.640 it means to be a parent, and like I think 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:51.960 most parents know what it feels like to be like 0:03:52.120 --> 0:03:54.120 I would go to the ends of the earth to 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:57.200 protect this child. But if you are a trained mercenary. 0:03:56.680 --> 0:03:58.880 Like my character and kill people for a. 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:02.000 Living, what does that look like to really do whatever 0:04:02.040 --> 0:04:04.360 it takes to protect your little black boy Joy? 0:04:04.480 --> 0:04:06.280 What was the training like at this point in your 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:09.120 career for this action film versus that first action film. 0:04:09.120 --> 0:04:11.480 I don't even remember the training for that one, And 0:04:11.560 --> 0:04:13.520 you know, maybe because I'm older or just it was 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:14.160 so new. 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:16.200 For me, but this was intense. It was great. 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:18.240 I mean there was a lot of just weightlifting and 0:04:18.279 --> 0:04:20.640 pilates even just to get in shape to be able to. 0:04:20.600 --> 0:04:21.800 Learn the choreography. 0:04:21.839 --> 0:04:24.600 And then there was stunt training and weapons training because 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:26.800 we're not just shooting guns where loading guns, were cleaning guns, 0:04:26.839 --> 0:04:30.680 where there was the fight choreography. I mean it was 0:04:30.760 --> 0:04:32.040 hours and hours of training. 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:34.000 Did you not a bust your gun before? No? 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:34.400 I didn't. 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:37.560 Yeah, yeah, I mean I had done a little bit, 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:40.599 but I really and on all different kinds of guns 0:04:40.839 --> 0:04:41.800 and I'm a really good shot. 0:04:41.880 --> 0:04:43.000 Didn't make you want to own one. 0:04:43.520 --> 0:04:45.120 It didn't make me want to own one, but it 0:04:45.120 --> 0:04:46.599 made me grateful that I could use it if I 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:46.960 needed to. 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:48.080 Absolutely. Yeah. 0:04:48.480 --> 0:04:49.719 Was it ever challenging? 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:51.240 What part of it was ever challenging? 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:55.000 The shooting was not challenging. Weirdly, it was weird like 0:04:55.040 --> 0:04:57.920 that it came. I mean, I have a one of 0:04:57.960 --> 0:05:00.240 our targets that I'm framing for my office that I 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:02.720 got like a bullet in each eye, like crazy. I 0:05:03.040 --> 0:05:05.040 don't know why I'm such a good shot, but I'm 0:05:05.279 --> 0:05:08.320 I'm not complaining. I think the physical, like learning the 0:05:08.360 --> 0:05:11.039 martial arts especially because a lot of my fights were. 0:05:10.839 --> 0:05:12.400 With people much bigger than me. 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:14.880 So to learn how to fight Omarci, who plays my 0:05:14.960 --> 0:05:16.760 husband in the film, who's the actor of many of 0:05:16.800 --> 0:05:19.200 You may love him from Lupin or Lupin if you're 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:22.640 saying it the French way, but he's so much taller 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:24.520 than me, and so to figure out, like what is 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:27.479 my fight approach to be able to take him on 0:05:28.120 --> 0:05:28.480 was fun. 0:05:29.080 --> 0:05:30.960 I'll be honest with you. Sounds very tiring, like what 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:33.560 was the recovery project? Like a lot of pacts. 0:05:35.200 --> 0:05:37.960 Are while you're yeah at all, But I loved it. 0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:41.560 I mean it's it was useful to have a husband 0:05:41.600 --> 0:05:44.400 at the you know, my husband who was a former 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:46.599 professional athlete, to be able to kind of help me 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:47.400 through some of that. 0:05:47.760 --> 0:05:48.400 But I love that. 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:51.320 I love challenging myself physically, and I love working out. 0:05:51.360 --> 0:05:53.520 I love getting into the body of the character. So 0:05:54.040 --> 0:05:56.960 it was exhausting, but I also felt, I don't know, 0:05:57.040 --> 0:05:58.760 I was really proud that when my kids would get 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:00.640 up on a Saturday morning, they would come downstairs and 0:06:00.640 --> 0:06:02.880 see mommy like with the boxing gloves on, kicking ass 0:06:02.880 --> 0:06:04.960 and the driveway with my trainer, Like there was something 0:06:05.000 --> 0:06:06.520 really exciting about that. 0:06:06.880 --> 0:06:08.920 Does the role like this help you to express your 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:10.120 shadow side war? 0:06:10.440 --> 0:06:10.960 I think so. 0:06:11.600 --> 0:06:15.400 I definitely, like I've I think my go to personality. 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:17.200 I'm much more of a lover than a fighter. I'm 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:19.479 not a person who likes to argue. I'm not really combative. 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:20.320 I'm not. 0:06:21.960 --> 0:06:24.960 I'm not avoidant, but I'm definitely not an aggressive person. 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:27.800 So this did help me tap. 0:06:27.640 --> 0:06:31.680 Into a level of anger and aggression and courage more 0:06:31.720 --> 0:06:32.320 than anything. 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:36.360 Ooh, courage. That's why courage. 0:06:36.160 --> 0:06:39.320 Because I think when you put yourself in situations where 0:06:39.360 --> 0:06:42.440 you can get hurt, it requires you to face those 0:06:42.480 --> 0:06:47.200 fears and you know the It's funny. I was talking 0:06:47.240 --> 0:06:51.839 to Omar because he's French and our word courage comes 0:06:51.839 --> 0:06:55.320 from the French word gul, which means heart. So it's 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:58.360 really about like having a strong heart, a capacity to 0:06:59.440 --> 0:07:01.680 challenge your heart. 0:07:02.279 --> 0:07:04.520 That's interesting because I was thinking about something earlier, like 0:07:04.520 --> 0:07:07.440 what do you think your characters have taught you that 0:07:08.040 --> 0:07:10.560 no human being our real life ever good? 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:15.200 M I mean, I'm lucky because every time I play 0:07:15.240 --> 0:07:16.800 a character, I get. 0:07:16.640 --> 0:07:18.440 To learn her greatest lessons. 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:21.880 So it's almost like reincarnation in this lifetime, like I 0:07:21.920 --> 0:07:24.400 get to learn what she learns and then fold it 0:07:24.440 --> 0:07:27.559 into my life to move forward. A lot of times, 0:07:27.560 --> 0:07:30.560 what characters remind me, they remind me to be grateful, 0:07:30.720 --> 0:07:34.120 you know, Like for this film in Shadow Force, it's 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:38.760 really about what it takes to protect the people you 0:07:38.880 --> 0:07:41.400 love from the systems that want to cause you harm, 0:07:41.480 --> 0:07:44.320 which I think is very relevant right now. But this couple, 0:07:44.360 --> 0:07:46.280 they used to be part of this spy unit. You know, 0:07:46.320 --> 0:07:49.560 they were trained killers together, they broke the rules, they 0:07:49.560 --> 0:07:51.640 fell in love, I got pregnant, So now we have 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:54.160 to go on the run to protect our kid from 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:56.040 the very unit that we used to be a part of, 0:07:56.040 --> 0:07:59.880 the Shadow Force unit. So for me, the film is about, like, 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:01.840 when there are systems that don't want you to have 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:04.360 freedom and love and joy, what do you do to 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:07.840 fight those systems? And I think that's a great lesson 0:08:07.880 --> 0:08:09.640 to be reminded of right now. It's a great question 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:11.360 for all of us to be asking ourselves right now. 0:08:11.400 --> 0:08:14.240 You know, Like I too, as a mom, want to 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:16.720 protect my black boy joy. I want my son to 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:18.800 hold on to his joy in the face of a 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:22.680 world that may not be invested in his liberty and strength, 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:25.000 and so that for the film. The film is a 0:08:25.040 --> 0:08:28.520 great reminder also, these two mercenaries, you know they have 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:31.040 to separate. I kind of back off from the family 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:33.840 to try to protect them from Afar, and Omar plays 0:08:33.840 --> 0:08:36.880 the dad. It's this beautiful. It's such a perfect date 0:08:36.920 --> 0:08:40.080 movie because the action is beast but Omar also plays. 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:42.600 He's doing the primary parenting of the dad, and that 0:08:42.679 --> 0:08:45.560 image of a black father who's so like locked in 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:49.560 and present is so beautiful in a film. But part 0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:52.240 of what they learn is about partnership, Like, if you're 0:08:52.360 --> 0:08:55.240 lucky enough to have a partner in parenting, you are 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:58.440 so much stronger when you lean into that partnership and 0:08:58.440 --> 0:09:00.679 in that partner could be your spouse, could be your sister, 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:02.720 it could be your mother, it could be your stepdad, 0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:04.480 it could be whoever is part of that village. But 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:07.679 leaning into that partnership and parenting. 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:08.960 Is also a gift. 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:10.520 So I think I walked away from the film feeling 0:09:10.600 --> 0:09:14.000 so grateful for my partner, for my kids, for our safety, 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:16.800 for our willingness to fight for our joy no matter 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:17.960 what's happening in the world. 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:20.640 I was going to ask you, because there's a lot 0:09:20.640 --> 0:09:22.800 of different scenes, don't want to get a move you away. 0:09:22.960 --> 0:09:26.000 I know, I know the first scene that stood out 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:27.559 to me where I was like, I think, this is 0:09:27.600 --> 0:09:30.720 what I'm feeling. I'm feeling like she's fighting the fact 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:33.320 that like this is a good man and he loves 0:09:33.520 --> 0:09:35.680 your son and you as much as you think he does. 0:09:36.040 --> 0:09:36.800 Just let him do it. 0:09:36.880 --> 0:09:37.960 Oh you got it, girl. 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:40.679 When y'all were at the gun range. 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:46.760 And don't give no, and y'all y'all had the back 0:09:46.800 --> 0:09:49.640 and forth there and you left and his shot was perfect, 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:52.760 and I was like, man, it talked about a lot 0:09:52.800 --> 0:09:55.400 about how men have to sacrifice in family and relationships 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:56.640 versus how women have to do. 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:57.520 It and how we feel it. 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:00.240 Yes, and now we come together because you really kind 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:02.640 of twisted the gender norms in this film where the 0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:05.680 woman is out there working protecting from Afar, trying to 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:07.439 you know, not just bring home the bacon, like bring 0:10:07.480 --> 0:10:10.360 home the dead bodies, to protect this family. But he's 0:10:10.720 --> 0:10:12.960 even though he's badass and strong, he's also like the 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:16.320 more sensitive parents. He's like really present. I was talking 0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:18.520 to my girlfriends, like, to me, there is nothing sexier 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:20.600 than watching a man be a good dad. It is 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:24.000 just like so beautiful, so I just love that we're 0:10:24.040 --> 0:10:27.240 kind of playing in those gender norms and asking people 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:30.360 to challenge your idea of even what family looks like today. 0:10:30.679 --> 0:10:32.960 Did that cause any conversations for you at home with 0:10:33.080 --> 0:10:35.280 your family of like, Okay, here are some things that 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:37.920 you know, I want to I don't know, let you do. 0:10:38.040 --> 0:10:39.960 Let you I'm gonna I'm gonna lean and allow you 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:41.560 to do. Because that was like the biggest thing. 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:44.040 It's like, yeah, I don't know that the film caused 0:10:44.080 --> 0:10:46.679 me to have those conversations in my marriage. But I 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:49.119 think one of the reasons why the film really resonated 0:10:49.120 --> 0:10:52.760 for me is because I do really understand the value 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:55.320 of the partnership that I'm in, and I really do 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:59.800 have you know, I love parenting with my husband, you know, 0:10:59.880 --> 0:11:02.600 I love our marriage, and I love how we are 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:06.239 a team with these kids, and both are really important. 0:11:06.240 --> 0:11:09.360 Like to cultivate the time to just be a couple 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:11.520 and then to cultivate the time to pour into the 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:12.120 family too. 0:11:12.240 --> 0:11:13.840 All of that is just so important. 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:15.520 So when I read the script, I was like, Oh, 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:19.400 this just feels so good to see black love portrayed 0:11:19.400 --> 0:11:22.760 in this way. Black power like they are so badass, 0:11:22.880 --> 0:11:26.680 but also to see black love sort of explored in 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:27.240 this way. 0:11:27.720 --> 0:11:30.200 You play so many different roles, like when you go home, 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:31.520 how do you remain rooted? 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:33.480 And who Carrie Washington is. 0:11:33.640 --> 0:11:36.480 Yeah, I have rituals that I do at the end 0:11:36.480 --> 0:11:39.600 of the day, like a lot of times, you know, 0:11:39.600 --> 0:11:41.200 a lot of times I'll play a character, for example, 0:11:41.200 --> 0:11:43.400 who's married to somebody else, right, And so for me, 0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:46.200 when I take off my wedding ring and put it 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:47.719 back on at the beginning of the end of the day, 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:50.120 that's a small ritual that grounds me and who I 0:11:50.160 --> 0:11:52.840 am because it's such a big part of who I 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:54.560 am and how I walk in the world. And I 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:57.280 just I have like ways that I close out the 0:11:57.360 --> 0:11:59.640 day because in the beginning of my career I used 0:11:59.640 --> 0:12:00.000 to try. 0:11:59.880 --> 0:12:01.640 To live in these characters all day long. 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:03.240 But when you get married and have kids, You're like, 0:12:03.280 --> 0:12:05.400 I don't need to go home and be sharing my 0:12:05.480 --> 0:12:07.800 shadow self with people that don't deserve that. 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:11.319 Or need that. So I try to really create containers. 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:11.720 You know. 0:12:11.960 --> 0:12:13.400 Some of that has to do with the hair and 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:15.360 the makeup. When I take off the costume, I just 0:12:15.480 --> 0:12:18.000 try to leave what needs to be left there. It's 0:12:18.040 --> 0:12:20.440 not always perfect there's You know, I'm a person who 0:12:20.760 --> 0:12:23.000 thinks a lot about the work even when I'm not 0:12:23.040 --> 0:12:24.560 at work, but I do try to make sure that 0:12:24.600 --> 0:12:26.640 I'm as present as I can be with my family 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:27.520 because they deserve that. 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:30.080 Have you ever bought a home and called you your 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:31.360 man the wrong name? 0:12:31.520 --> 0:12:34.400 Characters has called you the characters now? 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:40.120 No? 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:41.560 No, okay, no no no. 0:12:42.040 --> 0:12:43.880 I feel like I got to say congratulations to you too, 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:48.560 because the six triple Late received the Congressional Medal, Yes, honor. 0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:49.959 I feel I feel like. 0:12:49.920 --> 0:12:52.839 The Netflix series Louten Nicole Avon and Tyler Perry, I 0:12:52.840 --> 0:12:55.400 feel like that amplified that story. 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:56.280 That was our goal. 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:58.720 You know, when when Tyler and Nicole came to me 0:12:58.800 --> 0:13:01.480 with that project, it was so clear to us that 0:13:01.640 --> 0:13:04.040 this story needed to be told because these women needed 0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:06.839 to be celebrated, and that the most important thing was 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:10.880 that we made a movie that really resonated with people, 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:13.800 so that no one would ever forget these women existed 0:13:13.840 --> 0:13:16.120 and what they did, the sacrifices they made for this country, 0:13:16.160 --> 0:13:18.560 and the courage they had to do what they did. 0:13:18.640 --> 0:13:20.679 So the fact that it like broke records. 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:23.840 It was Tyler's biggest film ever on Netflix, that fifty 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:26.200 million people watched it in the first few months, like 0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:29.240 it was just an insane success for the platform. And 0:13:29.720 --> 0:13:32.080 I'm really proud of that because what that says to 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:34.520 me is that at a time when our history is 0:13:34.679 --> 0:13:37.680 so under attack, that that is a story that cannot 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:40.319 be taken away from us, and that we understand our 0:13:40.520 --> 0:13:42.880 role to do good and to make the world a 0:13:42.920 --> 0:13:45.000 better place, and that has been a part of the 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:47.040 history of this country forever. 0:13:47.520 --> 0:13:50.559 That feels psychologically to see the same administration has taken 0:13:50.600 --> 0:13:53.959 so much from us to also reward the six triple late. 0:13:56.360 --> 0:13:59.160 I don't know if it was this administration that made 0:13:59.200 --> 0:13:59.760 that decision. 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:01.280 It happened prior to. 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:06.040 Speak, yeah, yeah, yeah, But I would just say, whoever 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:08.960 gives them their flowers, they deserve their flowers. It doesn't 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:12.160 make me say that the other decisions they're making are okay, right, 0:14:12.200 --> 0:14:13.920 Like they don't get a pass because they've done this 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:16.600 one thing. These women deserve to be honored and celebrated 0:14:16.880 --> 0:14:19.040 despite whoever is in power at any time. 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:22.360 And then the NAACP Image of work moments. 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:26.520 But thank you to Tyler Perry, congratulations actress motion picture 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:27.440 for us. 0:14:27.480 --> 0:14:29.200 And then we also won Best Picture, which was so 0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:31.760 proud as an executive producer of that film. 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:35.080 Yeah, the movie was perfectly cast to Oh my god, 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:40.640 all those girls. 0:14:40.640 --> 0:14:41.120 It was. 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:43.720 As a producer, I was really proud to be introducing 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:46.560 all of that young talent, all those incredible young black 0:14:46.600 --> 0:14:48.800 actresses to the world. They were so amazing and in 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:51.880 shadow force too. I mean Julia as a producer when 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:54.280 I when we audition Omar and I auditioned Julia, who 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:56.120 plays our son in the film, I mean, he like. 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:57.120 Steals the movie. 0:14:57.200 --> 0:15:00.920 He's so adorable and lovable and he has to be 0:15:01.000 --> 0:15:03.760 right because every explosion, every kick, every punch is for him, 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:05.640 so you have to fall in love with him, and 0:15:05.680 --> 0:15:06.320 he's so good. 0:15:06.360 --> 0:15:09.080 And then method Man's in the film Divine Joy. 0:15:09.360 --> 0:15:11.480 We were lucky we got her before her fancy Oscar. 0:15:12.120 --> 0:15:13.600 But the cast is incredible. 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:14.080 It's stacked. 0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:17.520 Randa, I love. Yeah. 0:15:18.400 --> 0:15:20.920 I wanted to ask you when the NAACP image of 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:23.520 word moment happened, where you think Tyler Perry again? And 0:15:23.560 --> 0:15:25.880 then he posted online talking about how that brought him 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:29.000 to tears. Y'all talked after. I'm sure was it an 0:15:29.000 --> 0:15:29.960 emotional conversation? 0:15:30.200 --> 0:15:33.800 It was because again, like we don't you know we 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:37.440 had just made this film to give flowers to eight 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:42.280 hundred and fifty two women in heaven and three who 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:45.880 were still with us, to honor their sacrifice and their service. 0:15:46.480 --> 0:15:49.520 And he was like, I'm so grateful that you take 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:51.360 that you took the time to give me my flowers 0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:54.920 now right, we can't wait for people to go to 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:57.000 say how great they are. We need to let people 0:15:57.040 --> 0:15:59.400 know in the real And I didn't. I just didn't 0:15:59.440 --> 0:16:00.680 know that I had thanked him twice. 0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:03.560 I blacked out. I really really. 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:05.000 Really did not think I was gonna win, Like I 0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:07.000 told Nandi to stay home, like, you know, gotta come 0:16:07.000 --> 0:16:07.920 to this baby, Like I knew. 0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:10.760 I knew that Cynthia Rivo was winning that award year 0:16:10.800 --> 0:16:11.800 she was nowminated for an Oscar. 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:15.200 I'm such a crazy, wicked fan, like I voted for Cynthia, 0:16:15.560 --> 0:16:19.000 so it was amazing. I really was shocked, like like 0:16:19.080 --> 0:16:22.160 Beyonce Album of the Year shocks, Like just couldn't believe 0:16:22.320 --> 0:16:25.440 that that had happened. And then when I got up 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:27.480 on stage, I blacked out, so I didn't remember having 0:16:27.480 --> 0:16:29.480 said him, and the idea when I was walking off 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:30.840 stage that I may not. 0:16:30.880 --> 0:16:32.760 Have said his name was so devastating to me. I 0:16:32.840 --> 0:16:33.920 just blew up the whole show. 0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:35.240 I love that though. 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:36.960 I love that level of gratitude, you know what I mean, 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:38.480 because I feel like a lot of people who don't 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:38.720