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Susan Kelechi Watson Of ‘This Is Us’ Will Not Be Invalidated - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty
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Susan Kelechi Watson Of ‘This Is Us’ Will Not Be Invalidated
Oct. 10, 2018 03:27PM EST
Life's journey is often filled with times that are best described as happening by chance or by doing things on a whim. For Susan Kelechi Watson of NBC's This Is Us, a career in acting may have never materialized had she not decided to apply to Howard University in Washington, DC.
Watson says she wasn't even sure if she even wanted to go to college, but when she found out her good friend had applied, she did the same. This decision eventually led her to secure an acting scholarship to study Shakespeare abroad at Oxford University, and soon after, the acting bug bit her. Recently, the 36-year-old recently sat down with Glamour to discuss her career trajectory, her advocacy work, and why, as a Black woman, no one will invalidate her.
The New York native initially kept her career goals to herself and away from her parents. As any child of Jamaican parents can attest to (myself included), we are taught to provide for ourselves in more traditional ways. Jamaican parents value hard work and steady career paths over creative endeavors, and for Watson, she says that she went forward in pursuit of her dream job anyway, despite her parents' wishes. "I just kind of got into it without telling them," she told the mag.
And we are so lucky that she did! Watson's big break came when she landed the role of Janet on TV's Louie back in 2012. But once that show ended, she found herself back on the audition circuit hoping to secure another role. Watson says that after a particularly bad audition, she was on the phone with her good friend and fellow actress Danai Gurira. The two spoke her role as Beth Pearson on This Is Us right into existence. Of the conversation, she said:
"Danai says to me,' You know what, girl? Maybe God just has a pilot for you or something.' Then I get a beep on the other line—literally."
For the past two seasons, Watson has become one of the show's favorites on and off set. Her show husband, Sterling K. Brown, also really loves her, literally, He says he had to tell his own wife, "You don't have to worry, but I need to let you know that I love this woman." He continued:
"She's such a big giant heart of a human being. She's so Brooklyn. She's so New York—she's got the accent and everything—but underneath that exterior, she's just as warm a soul as you will ever come in contact with."
Watson doesn't take any of this for granted, however. She knows that it's the people that keep the show going. Now in its third season, there has been so much love show for her character as Beth Pearson. So much so that when rumors started circulating that perhaps the Watson's character's death was impending, fans started online petitions to "Save Beth Pearson." Watson revealed:
"It's always really cool as an actor to have a character that people want to see the best for… To know that people are behind her, to know that people are rocking with her and get her."
Watson readily recognizes her place as one of the few Black actresses forging a way in Hollywood, it's her work in the community that will leave the most lasting impact. She currently works with a New York City nonprofit called Drama Club, which provides mentorship to young people who are either currently incarcerated or are tied up in the court system. Additionally, she works with the Epic Theater Ensemble, an organization that provides access to theater for first-time audiences, promotes inclusivity in the arts, and engages students in the art of telling their own stories, which facilitates empathizing with the stories of others.
By lending her voice to these organizations, not only is she showing young people that they "can do it too", but she is also sharing love, compassion and optimism with disadvantaged young people who may not otherwise receive this validation. Watson's commitment to these organizations is helping these students find their value and pursue their purpose in live. She says of her work with these organization:
"As a black woman in a world that has tried to invalidate me, I just wasn't having it… We all need somebody to say, 'I love you. I see you. And I'm not going to give up on you'… Everybody has validity. Everybody has a purpose."
From the sounds of it, Watson's on screen character and real life share some commonalities. When asked about the future for Beth, the actress reveals:
"I feel like she's going to start a community project that's based on one of her artistic passions. She also has a background in dance, which you'll see this season...And still together with Randall, of course. I don't think he's going anywhere."
To read more of Susan's cover story with Glamour, click here.
Featured image by Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
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Michelle Schmitz is a writer and editor based in Washington, DC originally from Ft Lauderdale, FL. A self-described ambivert, you can find her figuring out ways to read more than her monthly limit of The New York Times, attending concerts, and being a badass, multi-tasking supermom. She also runs her own blog MichelleSasha.com. Keep up with her latest moves on IG: @michellesashawrites and Twitter: @michellesashas
Halle Bailey On The Revolutionary Act Of Wearing Her Locs As Ariel
When the trailer for The Little Mermaid dropped, everyone finally got to see Halle Bailey as Ariel. Black women and girls raved over the singer/ actress’s beauty as the beloved character while she belted out the Disney classic song “Part of Your World.” And one of the most noticeable things that many fans pointed out was that the character’s red hair was made of locs.
Halle, who makes up one-half of the Grammy-nominated group Chloe x Halle, is known for sporting locs and has had them since prior to fame. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Halle shared that it was the director Rob Marshall’s idea to integrate some of her characteristics, such as her locs, into the character.
Teaser for ‘The Little Mermaid’ starring Halle Bailey debuts with over 104 million global views, Variety reports.
It beats out Cruella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Maleficent 2. pic.twitter.com/v2lSoMYib6
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 12, 2022
​"With Rob, he's so amazing and just saying, 'I see you and I want to bring you into the character,'" she said. "So it was a beautiful thing. My hair, for example — incorporating my locs into the red hair was something that was really special to me. The outfit, the fins, everything. It's just amazing. I'm just grateful that I've been able to take the essence of me and mix the two."
Rob first teased the news that Halle’s hair will still be in locs as Ariel in an August 2022 Varietyinterview. “She looks stunning in red hair; not everybody does,” he said.
And many fans of the “Forgive Me” singer can agree. When the trailer dropped, there was an influx of reactions. While she has unfortunately received backlash for being cast as Ariel due to the color of her skin, there was also a lot of praise and support sent her way.
Tina Knowles Lawson shared an Instagram post with Halle and wrote a loving caption to the singer.
“I remember talking about her role as Ariel to the beautiful And Super talented @hallebailey on my show " Talks with Mama Tina,”" Tina wrote. “She and her beautiful sister @chloebailey .She spoke about the pressure of filling the shoes of past Little Mermaids Roles. Well we could not be more excited or proud of you as Ariel. You are changing our little black girls perspective on them being not limited to certain spaces and to be seen!!!! Kudos beautifulHalle.❤️❤️❤️
Legendary actress Halle Berry tweeted that she couldn’t wait to watch it.
this means so much! Can’t wait @HalleBailey 👏🏽💕💕 https://t.co/5swsRyjyne
— Halle Berry (@halleberry) September 10, 2022
And Chlöe showered her little sister with love in a series of tweets.
“MY BABYYYYY AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,” followed by 11 mermaid emojis.
MY BABYYYYY AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️ https://t.co/2HvFOyOCvK
— Chlöe (@ChloeBailey) September 9, 2022
In the next tweet, she shared that she was “gonna cry” and lastly wrote “that’s my mfn sister. YUP.”
that’s my mfn sister. YUP.
— Chlöe (@ChloeBailey) September 10, 2022
The Little Mermaid - Official Teaser Trailer
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Featured image by Corey Nickols/Getty Images for IMDb
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5 Times Megan Thee Stallion & Pardison Fontaine Showed Their Love On The 'Gram
Another day, another photo of Megan Thee Stallion that went viral. But this time she had a little help from her boyfriend Pardison “Pardi” Fontaine. The “Pressurelicious” artist’s fans were in for a surprise a few days ago after Megan posted a photo of herself lying on the floor with her legs up and wrapped around Pardi’s waist. Pardi appeared to be focused on playing his video game while Meg’s derriere was tooted in the air but he managed to wrap his arms around it as he held the controller.
The hotties had a field day with this photo showing the couple’s playful side and some fans even posted themselves recreating the pose.
The Grammy award-winning rapper captioned the series of photos “📸Dump” which included another cute photo of the couple. They both made a silly face while taking a mirror pic this time. Meg confirmed that she was dating Pardi in February 2021 and since then they have broken the internet a few times with their adorable and sometimes risqué photos.
We’ve listed some of the couple’s viral moments on social media.
On Feb. 19, 2021, Pardi had everyone gushing over his Valentine’s Day surprise for his H-Town boo. The series of photos showed the “Backin’ It Up” emcee showering Meg with love, from a private jet to a room full of rose petals and balloons.
In March of that year, he posted a photo of the “Her” artist in bed wearing a bonnet and in the next photo, he is seen wearing the bonnet.
In celebration of their one-year anniversary, Megan shared (but later deleted) some naughty photos. In one photo, Pardi is drinking a cocktail from her butt.
The next one showed the 27-year-old squatting on the ground in front of Pardi while her face was pressed against his nether regions. Talk about spicy.
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Featured image by Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images for 40/40 Club
The Mamie 'Till' Movie Wants To Empower Us
Sitting in the theater getting ready to watch Nopefor the third time, I was excited, like a good film nerd, to see my friend's first-time reactions to the fun UFO horror-comedy. My heart sank immediately when a trailer for the film Till, which follows the life and legacy of Emmett Till's mother, Mamie, started playing first.
My knee-jerk reaction, of course, comes from years of watching film and TV that have exploited Black trauma onscreen and were created with little (if any) consideration for what could emotionally trigger the Black audience. The 1955 murder of Emmett Till is so heartbreaking and inherently violent; would this film make us live through that violence on screen?
This week, before watching Gina Prince-Bythewood's incredible The Woman King, a featurette for Till played in place of a trailer and it soothed my fears.
"There will be no physical violence against Black people on screen," the film's award-winning director and co-writer Chinonye Chukwu says in the featurette. "I'm not interested in relishing in that kind of physical trauma. We're going to begin and end in a place of joy," she says.
Starring Danielle Deadwyler (whose heartfelt performance on HBO's Station Eleven stole the show) as Mamie, Till is a celebration of Mamie's tireless activism which sparked the civil rights movement that continues today and ultimately culminated in President Biden signing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act into law just a few months ago in March 2022. "Mamie Till Mobley is a hero," says Alana Mayo, president of Orion Pictures, the production company behind the film. "I'm really, really committed to making movies not just by us, but for us," Mayo says in the featurette.
After a private screening of Till, this week, Trayvon Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, tweeted that the film was "#Powerful" and "a must see."
I attended the private screening of the Emmett Till Movie TILL Movie
🎥 🍿 Coming to a theater near you this October #Powerful#TillMovie#MamieTillpic.twitter.com/QP4BTkavuk
— Sybrina Fulton (@SybrinaFulton) September 21, 2022
Mamie's story of courage in the face of unspeakable tragedy deserves to be told--especially as we continue the fight for civil rights today. Knowing that the Black filmmakers behind the film are centering Black joy and aiming for our empowerment through the film makes a world of difference.
TILLis in theaters October 14.
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5 Black Women TikTokers To Binge Watch
This is a safe space: You spend hours watching videos on Tik Tok when you should be doing something else, don’t you? You swear that it’ll just be a few minutes and then a few minutes becomes thirty minutes and before you know it, you’ve been laying in your bed for over an hour watching dozens and dozens of videos of precocious babies and people doing the latest dance challenge. No judgment here – we’ve all been there. To feed your addiction to the ever enticing scroll of the Tik Tok “For You” page, xoNecole has compiled a list of some of our favorite accounts on the app.
If you’ve ever come across the account of this professional therapist your first thoughts might have been, “Now why is Kelly Rowland in my business?” Despite the striking similarities, Simone Saunders is not one of the members of Destiny’s Child – but that’s not stopping the Canadian-based trauma therapist from helping you learn how to be a Survivor. With her advice on how to heal from abusive and toxic relationships learned through her years of training, Saunders, or “Dr. Rowland,” as she playfully calls herself, will definitely be your Motivation to get your life right.
@thecognitivecorner 🫡 #therapytiktok#healingtok#parentifiedchild#traumatok♬ gford._ gets no maidens - $avøry-$adisticpai
“Everybody saying they need love, they need peace, they need happiness – b-tch I need 30 bands right f-cking now!” is one of the many viral sounds that TikToker Aliyahs Interlude1 has spawned. The self-described “It Girl” has over a million followers who look to her for her bold fashion looks and her off-the-cuff style of humor.
@aliyahsinterlude1 literally stop guys 🙄🙄✋🏿 #fyp♬ original sound - aliyahsinterlude
If you are looking for a funny Black lesbian’s perspective into pop culture who will explain why Megan thee Stallion is a queer icon or why Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are a lesbian couple, look no further than the pop culture breakdowns of Homo Honey0. With her witty perspective, you’ll find yourself going down a queer and glorious rabbit hole of her page.
@homohoney0 Reply to @winteranddsummer #greenscreen#zendaya#zendayaandtomholland#euphoria#spidermanfarfromhome♬ original sound - PEYTON DIX
All it takes is watching one video from the precocious toddler Cami Fro Babe and her mother before your baby fever activates. This sweet North Carolina mama and daughter duo will have you smiling and laughing as they go shopping, vacationing, and getting into all the cuddles and sweetness that one could barely handle.
@camifrobabe Someone is excited about the new Little Mermaid 🧜🏾♀️ , she said they have the same hair 😩🥹😩 @halle ♬ original sound - CamiandFamily💕
Who doesn’t love hearing the messiness that celebrities were getting into decades ago? Tea with Britt gives you that good chamomile about what stars of yore were getting themselves into, including the sordid details of the many loves of Julia Roberts’ life or about Jerry Seinfield’s past creepy behavior, you’re going to want to keep your notifications on for the hot cup of what Britt is serving next.
@teawithbritt#greenscreen#derekjeter#mariahcarey#music#celebs#messytea☕️#popculture#fyp♬ Always Be My Baby - Mariah Carey
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Ari Lennox Talks Therapy And Strained Relationship With Her Father
Ari Lennox is one of R&B’s most talented songbirds but she’s also one of the most relatable celebrities. While she entranced us with her debut album Shea Butter Baby, her down-to-earth personality has made her everyone’s homegirl. But she has had many human moments that have played out on social media. From her modest response to LaKeith Stanfield seemingly shooting his shot at the “Pressure” songstress to some of the backlash she has received for tweeting her feelings on topics and experiences, Ari has endured it all on social media, which caused her to sometimes go on a deleting spree.
In an interview with The Breakfast Club, Ari explained how therapy has helped her deal with the trauma she experienced as a child that has played into her anxiety and her actions as well as her strained relationship with her father.
The Grammy-nominated artist shared that her father always told her that she was going to be a star. Unfortunately, they are not speaking at the moment. “I do feel like when you instill certain things like that, it really does go a long way,” she said before breaking into tears. “It goes a long way for sure cuz that is the one area in my life where I feel like I did really good.”
Ari explained that her dad’s trauma has fractured their relationship and while she’s trying to extend him grace, she also has to focus on her healing.
“It’s so much sh-t. I really think it’s important for people to be healed when they’re bringing kids into this world,” she said. “Because I just feel like that alone probably innately helped me in so many ways like always grinding and stuff. But I can see the other side of sh-t that I carry and I’m sure it has to do with the other sh-t that you go through; trauma.”
One of the ways she began her healing journey is by going to therapy. The 31-year-old has been open about her anxiety and going to therapy in the past but during her The Breakfast Club interview, she shared how she made the connection between her childhood trauma with her father and dating.
“I feel like there needs to be a lot of group therapy (with her father) and of course, I want to continue my therapy alone. But I think that would probably be best because I know these are things that I’m even carrying into my dating life and I don’t want to have that weight on me,” she said. “I do want to be more compassionate because he went through a lot with foster care and abandonment issues, all kinds of dark things so I do recognize why he is the way that he is.”
When asked what was the moment that prompted her to begin her therapy journey, she revealed that she finally reached her breaking point.
“This year I was just tired of just being a big ball of trauma like just being unaware of what was going on inside. A lot of times I could be so triggered and it’s like well why? And now I’m realizing now I see why somebody pretending that I don’t exist or not even looking at me or somebody having this arrogant nature can be so triggering,” she explained.
“Like where did I see that? Like earlier in my life or I experienced that,” she said. “I’m starting to realize it never stops. It’s like a cycle. If you don’t realize that you’re carrying all of this weight it comes out in different ways. People be like, ‘why she freak out? It wasn’t even that serious?’ It was a reminder. It was a flashback. A trigger without even realizing where it came from.
While it may be difficult to work out all her trauma, Ari said the experience has “been really beautiful and eye-opening for sure.”
Ari Lennox Talks "Age/Sex/Location", Former Uber Driver Horror Stories, Dating In 2022 + More
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