On Using Real-Life Pain in Her Acting Work

The technique that I use with all of my acting is called the Chu technique. You use real moments in your life — real people as substitutions. It’s like an onion: layer upon layer of moments. Without the technique, I think I would have spiraled. A lot of actors can spiral.

I’m very open about the abuse that I had when I was a child, and also how active I am in human rights. From George Floyd to refugees to systemic racism — these are things I’ve spent a good chunk of my life trying to raise awareness about. Obviously, I’m not doing that because those things make me feel happy. I’m doing it because I get angry enough that I need to do something about it. I have to make sure that that anger is controlled in the work that I do.

On Standing in Her Truth

If you’re being bullied, or if you’re being singled out based on your age, your race, your religion, your sexual preference — don’t just push it away or accept it as “just how the world is.”

Trust that there are people in this world who have your back. The hardest thing to do is to stand in your power.

It’s easy to turtle in — to put your head in the sand and cover up who you naturally are to avoid negativity. But when you do that, you betray yourself. That’s when some of the most traumatic, most dangerous outcomes can happen. You’re betraying yourself by not saying, ‘This is not right for me.’

There’s external stuff that affects your mental health, and then there’s stuff that’s internal. I’m not a mental health expert — my husband is — but I always say: talk to a professional if you feel like you’re dealing with something you can’t get above. Before turning to alcohol, drugs, or going back to a bad relationship — get support. There’s BetterHelp, YouTube, articles, books, even if you don’t have the finances. There’s support out there for you. You just have to be honest with yourself first, and then ask for it.

On Losing Her Mother and Keeping Her Spirit Close

Losing my mom — it’s hard. It’s a more complicated grief because of the circumstances around it. She had been sick for a while. I still wish I could pick up the phone and call her. But I honor her by continuing to do human rights work, by continuing to be a grounded person, by working my ass off and not taking any shit. I continue on the legacy that she started for me. And I’m a spiritual person. I believe we are spirits having a human experience for a brief time. Then we’re coming back to where we came from. So I don’t treat this reality as the end-all, be-all. She’s still around — she’s just in a different dimension. I have access to that when I choose to.

On Black Excellence and Surviving Childhood Stardom

I’ve been the same since I was about nine years old: extremely focused, not interested in what the other kids were doing. It was my choice to do homeschool. I didn’t want to go to a regular high school. I just wanted to train and be a great artist. I was that bossy Virgo kid keeping everyone in line.

People talk about how child actors struggle, but I was like, ‘There’s no room for that.’ I’m not saying Black kids in entertainment don’t struggle — but if you compare it, it’s less common with minority kids. We can’t fall apart. There’s a different kind of pressure. You have to work ten times harder just to get in the room. You’re not gonna blow it when you finally get the opportunity.

There’s so much rejection we go through just to even get the shot. That creates a different level of expectation — not just from family or culture, but from ourselves. That starts young.

On Fighting for Her Mental Health Every Day

Some losses you don’t ever heal from. Whether it’s a breakup or death — it’s not about ‘getting over it.’ It’s about how you’re healing yourself every day. Meditation, prayer, friends, food — what are you putting in your body? What are you putting on your body? How are you treating people? How do you stand up for yourself? It all adds up.

People ask me about mental health a lot and I’m like, ‘Why are you asking me? I’ve gone through so much shit.’ But maybe it’s because I fight for it. And I think if people take one thing from our interview: you’ve gotta fight. For your health. For your relationships. For your joy.

You’ve gotta put up a real fight for your happiness.

On Celebrating Wins Without Losing Balance

I love food. I’ll do a cute dinner. But I don’t over-celebrate anything or give myself a hard time. I’m pretty even-keeled. I love celebrating my friends, though — if someone’s having a kid, got a promotion, got honored — I’m on it. But with myself, I have to stay grounded.

I have an audience of people online who always have something to say—positive or negative. I can’t be affected by it. So I don’t let myself get too excited or too sad. I do my job, I go home, and the quality of my life remains. I try my best. I do the best with what I got. That’s gotta be good enough for me. It’s not always good enough — but it’s gotta be.