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today Welcome and thank you for tuning in to
Black Women Amplified, the podcast. Your host
Monica Wisdom Tyson brings you downloadable conversations
that matter to women around the globe. We discuss
all things Black Girl Magic, amplify our voices
and transform our challenges into triumphs. Monica
calls on her league of extraordinary women to
push our boundaries, share their expertise and
stories of personal transformation. Welcome your
host of Black Women Amplified, Monica Wisdom
Tyson. Hello, everyone. This is your girl, Monica
Wisdom, and I am so excited that you're here
with us today. Welcome to the Black Women Amplified
podcast. If this is your first time listening,
thank you for joining us. And if you were a seasoned
supporter, thank you for rocking with us. Your
support means everything. And you know the routine.
Heading over to YouTube, click the subscribe
button. On wherever you're listening, click the
follow button and make sure you head to the show
notes and support our power partners. They help
keep the show going. Today, I'm so excited. I
have the immense pleasure of introducing to you
an entertainment phenom. Icy Parks. With a remarkable
career spanning over three decades and nearly
90 projects to her name, Icy carries the legacy
of her legendary parents, costume designer, Judy
Deering, and dancer and educator, Professor John
Parks. Their collective works have played a pivotal
role in shaping the very essence of Black theater
and dance on Broadway. While you may not be familiar
with her name just yet, Today, you are in for
a treat as you get to know Icy Parks and her
incredible journey. Like many remarkable women,
Icy immerses herself in her craft and allows
the work to speak for itself. Her Broadway credits
include iconic productions such as Fosse, Hairspray,
The Color Purple, and The Wiz. It's no wonder
that film and television eagerly welcomed her
to set. Her journey began with New York Undercover,
Oz, Taxi, and Broadway Empire. And her brilliance
led her to the call of a lifetime. Yes, the call
of a lifetime. To be the costume supervisor for
the highly anticipated film, The Color Purple,
produced by none other than Steven Spielberg
and Oprah Winfrey. Today, Icy Parks graciously
takes us behind the scenes of her incredible
career and shares her captivating story in this
exclusive interview. It is an absolute honor
to introduce and welcome Icy Parks to the Black
Women Amplified podcast. Hello, Black Women Amplified
family. I'm sorry, this offline conversation
was hilarious. Listen, Black women amplify family.
I am so excited about this conversation. It is
very special. It's a person that I met twenty
twenty two and just a force of nature within
herself and her industry and what she brings
to the world. Oftentimes we focus on the stars
of a movie. But making a movie is a puzzle of
a thousand pieces. And one essential part. is
the costume and wardrobe department. Costumes
help create the characters and they build the
fantasy for the watcher. The clothes transport
us into the story and even fashion designers
have proclaimed that the movie industry impacted
their fashion journey. Today we have one of the
icons in the game. You may not have seen her,
but you have seen her work. Today we have on
the legendary Icy Parks. And I tell you, this
is a special and rare conversation because she
is about her work. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring
to you Icy Parks, costumer, star dresser, and
all the things, wardrobe and costume from movies
and television and Broadway that you have seen
and had no idea who was inspiring you. We have
her with you today. Miss Icy Parks, how are you?
I'm so well, I'm so happy and happy that you
had me on the show and I feel like this is a
special thing. Yes, this is the rarest of the
rarest. Yes. And we are one day post -strike.
How are you feeling? Really, really good. ready
to get back to work. I mean, this industry was
completely shut down for so long. You know, first
we had the writers and then SAG. So I mean, I
had jobs that didn't happen, of course. So I
am happy to get back to work and ready. You know,
no one really realizes how many people are impacted.
were impacted by the strike. I mean from teamsters
to prop people to electricians to how many departments
it takes to make a movie or a television show
and how many people were not working. I know
I mean I was just thinking just the people who
clean up the place or provide bread and water
didn't have a contract. Exactly. It's like a
a movie company is like a universe. So every
piece of that universe was shut down, including
your department. Yep. But I tell you what, I
am proud because I was around when of the age
when technology took over the music industry
and it destroyed it. And I was so happy to see
that your industry said it's not going to happen
to us. Yeah. I mean, I have to say the fight
was a good fight. You know, it was a needed fight.
It needed to happen. So in spite of being unhappy
about not working, the cause was just. And to
do it not shortly after the shutdown of everybody
a couple of years ago, it was still a beautiful
thing to see that people are like, we're not
taking this anymore. Yeah. And the question was,
can you just be fair? It wasn't Atlanta's ass.
It was just, can you be fair? Right. So everybody
got the answer that they, they might not have
got all the answers they wanted, but the strike
is over. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Now, what is the recovery
going to look like after the 118 days of this
strike? No, I've had this conversation many times
and I honestly, it's the one thing I can't figure
out. I don't know. how this has impacted the
business. I don't know if it's for the best or
for the worst. It's a frequent conversation.
What are we coming back to? And when we're down
for so long, I just don't know. We could be coming
back to rushing and deadlines and working us
like horses to get television and movies back
up because we're so far behind. It's like before
anything can even appear on a network or streaming,
it has to be shot first. We have to shoot it.
So I don't know yet. I don't know. I just don't
know if there's going to just be a blast of work,
a blast of tiring work or rushing. I don't know
if we're going to try to shoot episodes in less
days. I just don't know. It's the one thing I
can't put my finger on until I actually get in
it. Now, were you working on a job currently
when this happened or were you about to start
a process? No. The job that I was working on
had just went on hiatus. Okay. If we've been
going so long, I can't remember the name of the
job. I was doing the equalizer. Okay. The TV
show. And that job just went on hiatus. But then
I was up for a movie that was supposed to start
and that didn't start. And then the equalizer
should have had already been back working. So
that didn't happen. So yeah, the TV show and
the movie didn't happen. And now we're trying
to figure out when all that stuff is going to
start again. Because I don't think people understand
that when you choose jobs is based on a timeline.
So you can get multiple jobs in a year, but it
depends on the timing of when you pop in and
when you pop out and how long is this going to
shoot. And so you can get a TV show, a movie
and a play in, in one year. But if the timing
of one is off, everything is off for you. Correct.
Yep. You got it. So yeah, and then we still have
the holidays. So, you know, film business is
shut down for a good sometimes over two weeks
because of the holidays. So it's like the timing
is weird of this. Like, yes, we're going to start.
The strike is over, but we have Thanksgiving
and then Christmas and New Year's. I mean, the
business is completely shut down. I don't think
it's going to be shut down this year. I think
people are tired of their families. Let me get
to work. Right. And that may change too. They
may not do the regular two weeks that they, I
don't know. We just have to see. Well, you have
been in this game since the nineties. You have
seen much of it. So you've been through the ebbs
and flows. Tell us about the road to your first.
Yes. The road to my first. Yes. Well, My mother
was a costume designer. Okay, and she did Broadway
shows and I was actually in college home on a
break and He was talking about she lost her supervisor
and this and that on the phone with someone I
guess the producers and I said I'll do it and
She was like what I said, I'll do it And so I
went on the interview, I got the job, and it
was an off -Broadway show. And so that means
that I did everything. I was the, you know, the
costumer, I did the costumes, I could die. And
when I tell you, that was one of the hardest
jobs for me. I messed up so much, but it was
the best way to learn. And I also knew so much
more than I thought I knew. So I did that job
and that show, the Off -Broadway Show went to
Broadway. And they said that they were not gonna
go without me. So I got into the union on that
job. The cast petitioned for me because they
weren't gonna hire me because I wasn't union.
And they were gonna hire someone else. I had
to step down and not be the supervisor. I had
to be a... a dresser, but they said I have to
be on that show. And so I got into the union,
thanks to them, thanks to the cast. And that
show was Once on this Island. Now, I've never
heard of that show. Tell me about that show.
It's a Broadway Caribbean show, a small musical.
It had no intermission. It was like 90 minutes.
And actually, it went to Broadway twice because
they redid it. and brought it to Broadway again.
And it's just about this little girl on this
island. It's a cute show, musical. And so that
was the show. I did that. And then after that,
I just started going to different theaters and
saying that I was available for work. And before
you know it, I was in this business, like really
doing it. Now, is this something that you dreamed
of as a little girl or you just walked into it
and said yes? It was really weird. I went to
school for accounting. I used to assist my mom
on jobs, but it was nothing that I never saw
myself doing. And I'm up with it. when I started
doing it, and then I couldn't see myself doing
anything else. Oh, wow. And I did whatever it
took to stay prevalent. Like, I used to be a
swing for different shows, and a swing is when...
So we have... On Broadway, there's tracks. Every
dresser has a track. It may be, like, ten tracks,
however many. And I used to swing, which means
that I had to know everybody's track. And so
if they called me to come in, because somebody
was out, I used to have to know what track was
what. I even did tracks cold, having never done
the show before. Oh, wow. Just based on a book
telling me where to go and what to do. Wow. That's
like walking in and, here, sing this song. You're
like, OK. Uh -huh. And when I look back, I'm
like, I was crazy then I did it, but I did it.
You did it and clearly you have a great reputation
because your resume is long and strong. I mean,
I was like, okay, okay, okay, I'm just scrolling,
scrolling. I'm like, oh my God, I think I've
seen everything she's done. Oh my goodness, had
no idea. But before we get into that, talk about
your mom as a costumer. And how did she get into
the industry? And was there anybody else around
in your family that did it? Or was she the first?
She was the first to do it in that way. My granddad
was a tailor, and he used to build suits for
basketball play. He had a cleaner. He had a chain
of cleaners in Harlem. So she got that, I would
say, from him. And she was the first to do it
on her level. And then I came from an art family
because my mother was a costume designer, and
my dad, he was an Alvin Ailey dancer. Girl. Yeah.
So my mother... Okay, before you get into my
mother, my father, let's speak their name, because
they are icons in their own right. They really
are. Judy Daring and John Parks, my parents.
Okay. And my mother used to dance with Miriam
Makeba. who was my godmother, and Stokely Carmichael,
my godfather. Okay, hold on. I have chills. I
have chills. I mean, because you were speaking,
the people that I, I love Mary Makeba. Pata Pata
is one of my favorite songs. And you know, I'm
from St. Louis, so I know the music music. But
go ahead. I'm sorry. I digress. It's OK. My mother
used to dance. And that's how, because people
call me Icy, but my real name is Icytus, which
got from when my mother was pregnant dancing
with Miriam in Africa. And that's how I got my
name. And so she met my father through dancing.
And she would build the costumes for you know,
the dance groups and all of that. And she just
started costuming more than dancing. I mean,
she was, she's amazing. She was amazing. She
is actually, she was the original costume designer
for Color Girls. And Shizaki at first had names
for them, but they didn't have a lot of money.
And she came up with the idea, why don't I just
dye a bunch of dresses of different colors? And
we could name the actors these colors. And so
I got that aspect. And I grew up in theaters,
you know, meeting my mother at rehearsal or my
dad at Alvin Ali's or it's just in my blood.
And I grew up a lot. There was a place called
the Negro Ensemble Company, NEC, which my mother
did a lot of theater, a lot of costume for them.
So my whole thing was I would get out of school
and it would be... Who do I go to, my dad or
my mother? Do I go to this theater or to this
dance rehearsal? And it's in my blood. It's in
my blood. And actually, my mom, I remember funny
stories and she, because I used to assist her,
she was like, oh, now that you're union, you
won't do my job. You too good for us now. And
you're busy and I can't get you to work now.
I'm sorry. Like a mommy, but I got to do me.
You had to follow your own yellow brick road.
And my dad actually, he was in the woods. So
you said that my dad was, um, he did the wiz
on Broadway and he was in the movie. And he,
yeah. And it's funny because me and my dad were
just talking about it. We were just talking about
me on set playing with Diana Ross's kids and
meeting Michael Jackson. And it was a great time
for me. And actually, my dad was a bigger star
than my mom at the time. And then she became
a huge star. So it was in my genes. It is all
up in your DNA, your bloodline. So you are continuing
it's not that you're doing the work, you are
continuing the legacy of your parents, which
is beautiful. And so you are just this unit has
made such an impact on the arts. That's incredible.
That's absolutely incredible. How did you get
into the film industry? Because you have such
a rich background in the theater. Hello, Black
Women Amplified family. This is your girl Monica
Wisdom. In honor of season three, I've created
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link. Make your purchase and let the self -discovery
journey begin. One day, well, it's not just one
day. I know how it happens. I was doing ragtime.
I think that was the job we had changed. And
I was pregnant with my son. And I knew that Broadway
is eight shows a week. You work every time people
are off, holidays and all of that. And I needed
to do something else. And to be perfectly honest,
I also was, I just, I was, it was time for me
to do something different. I was over being in
the dark theater seven days a week. And I just
started putting out that I wanted to do film.
And it's funny, I always tell people, When you
want to do something, you have to put that out
into the universe and speak about it. Because
I went to a party, and a person just asked me,
what is it that you aspire to do? And I said,
I'm on Broadway now, but I really would love
to get into film. And it's so crazy. I did not
know that I was talking to someone whose boyfriend
was a wardrobe supervisor for film. I had no
idea. And he called me in, Tom Stokes called
me in, and this job was Oz. Girl. You know, the
prison HBO show. Yes. Yep. And I was actually
dressing Ben Varene at the time on Fosse when
the job happened. And I would get up at like,
whatever crack at 4 o 'clock or whatever in the
morning and I Tom said that he was willing to
train me, you know, I told him I never did so
before he said we'll train you and I did tell
them that I had this Broadway job so I would
get up in the morning shoot on and then run to
the theater and dressed in Marina Foxy to do
it all over again. I stuck it out for a while
I did that and then I ended up doing Oz for most
of their seasons. So then I let go of Broadway
and I just, one job led to another led to another
led to another. I did go back to Broadway sometimes
in between, but film kind of took over. And you
know, each job is a relationship that you form
with people. So word of mouth is very important
in our business. And word of mouth got around,
and I got more jobs, and here it is. I was in
film. Because I did everything. I did theater
tours. I toured with Havana Arce. I did tours.
I did everything that I could possibly do in
this business. Film, television, theater. So
what are some of the tours that you went on?
I did one tour, Have It On Say. I supervised
that tour. And then I did another tour of a Broadway
show, of a Broadway play, No Place To Be Somebody,
with Antonio Faragus and Philip Michael. Wow.
You have worked with everybody. Uh -huh. Yeah.
I know your family is deep in the theater, but
there has to be a level of integrity that you
have to have to get calls to work on a project.
What is your philosophy or your core values that
ensures that you continue to work? Because like
you said, it's about relationship. Like what
are your core values? Well, I work very hard
and I like to have fun while I'm working. I don't
like it to be a miserable experience. Just to
be good to people come in with a positive attitude.
I try to stay positive every day You know when
everybody's down. I want to be the one to pick
you up, you know and just be happy have a happy
work environment and You can't go wrong, you
know Be pleasant and work hard. I work hard from
beginning to end I take pride I don't stop. I
don't, I just, people are paying for a job and
I have to make sure that I do that. And I do
it to the best of my ability. And I want my crew
to do the same. I often tell people when you
get in the young people, when you get into positions
like this, you can never make it about you. You
have to make it about the work because as soon
as you think it's about you, you lose the work.
Exactly. You're right. you lose the work. So
I know that behind the scenes, a lot of magic
that happens. What, and not to tell any of the
secrets, what is one of those magic moments that
you can share with us that stands out for you?
When you say magic, what do you mean? You know,
like something that happens that It wasn't expected,
but it shifted something. It shifted the energy.
It shifted the moment. And you knew that there
was something else happening that you could not
see. Like I hear our mutual friend talk about
it all the time that this happened and we didn't
expect it, but it was amazing. It happened so
many times. It's kind of like hard to... pinpoint
one of our way down. Yeah, because I have to
say, in this business, it always changes. For
me, magic moments like when we shut the bridge
down, you know, we shut our whole New York City
bridge down and it's four o 'clock in the morning
in the city of ours, you know, those are magic
moments for me. It happens on the color purple
when I did the color purple. I had a magic moment
within myself just watching one of the scenes
and saying, wow, this is really going to be amazing.
And I'm so grateful to be a part of it. I have
personal magic moments. I'm used to things changing
as far as the job. And sometimes it's for the
best and sometimes it's not. But my magic moments
are just when I can take pride in what I'm working
on and just say, wow, I'm a part of something
great here. That's amazing. And speaking of the
color purple, not only did you work on Broadway
with the color purple, you're now on the movie
that we are so excited to see. Oh, I cannot wait.
Listen. OK, let me get back to being professional.
How did it feel when you got that call that you
would be working on this movie? I could not believe
it. I left my job to do it. I was doing FBI Most
Wanted. I was on, I think, second or third season.
And I couldn't believe that I got this call.
Like, I was so ecstatic. I was like, I have to
go. I gotta go. Did you grab your purse as soon
as you hung up the phone? I took some deep breaths
and was like, is this really happening? Am I
really going to be doing this? And those are
magic moments because so often, a job is a job.
But once in a while, you do something really
special. You get something special. And I went
to my designer and I said, listen, I, Ms. Francine,
the designer actually hired someone so that I
could give a proper two weeks notice. So she
hired someone to be a filler until I could, so
I could give a proper two weeks notice at my
job. And I told my design, I said, I have to
go. I just got offered the color purple. I'm
sure they helped you pack up. Come on, girl.
Let's go. And he was very happy for me and supportive.
Everyone got it. And I made sure that I replaced
myself with a good replacement. And we were kind
of towards the end of the season, so the timing
was good. There was basically, I think, just
one more episode left to shoot. So that was a
good thing. And like you said, that timing, timing
was everything. It was cute. How do you keep
yourself in that flow, like emotionally, spiritually,
in the flow? Because everybody, there are a lot
of people that want this job, but you have excelled
in a way that is very magical. I mean, you received
the call. You didn't go after the job. Even when
you got into film, it was a conversation that
moved on to the next piece, that moved on to
the next piece. How do you stay in the flow of
that energy? what God wants me to have, I will
have. I usually don't go after jobs. I pray on
what I want. I have that in my mind. And if I
don't get a job, I'm not, I mean, I can't say
I'm not disappointed. Some jobs I have been disappointed.
And I'm not like that now because I know that
you get what you're supposed to get and you don't
get what you're not supposed to get. And I just,
kind of have had a positive attitude about where
I'm supposed to be and what's coming my way.
I don't know. I've just been really blessed and
fortunate and that's all I can say. Like there's
no magic formula. There's just belief that this
is your journey and you're on your path and you've
been on your path for a long time. Some of us
are just getting there. Some of us are just getting
there raising my hand, but some of us have been
on this path for a long time. And it's a beautiful,
I mean, listening to your stories, I'm like,
if I had hair on my arms, it would be standing
up, but it's beautiful. And to hear the stories
of your family. Oh my goodness. I feel like you
all should have a PBS special about you, your
mama and your daddy. and your uncle in Harlem.
Now, with the Color Purple being such an iconic
film, iconic book, iconic Broadway play, what
was the approach to costumes to make this feel
fresh and new? Miss Francine is the designer.
She is an amazing designer and she knows the
period. You know, so we... looked at the director
wanted something that were kind of iconic from
the movie, but we just, I don't, to say new,
the newness I think was in the work, and the
characters were developed like any other character,
knowing the period, and no, we're just seeing,
pay attention to who they are, where they came
from, where they are, and where they're going.
And through that, she developed these characters
through the clothes. It's beautiful to see. It's
beautiful to see. Have you seen the movie? I
have not seen it yet. Except for, of course,
what we have shot. And I remember also taking
this job was I was nervous. I was like, this
is one of my favorite movies. They can't mess
this up. I don't want to be a part of... You
can't mess this up. Like you cannot mess up the
color part. You cannot. It has to be done in
a certain way. And let me just say, I don't think
they messed it up. Listen, when they said Oprah
was on the case, I said, Oh, she's going to get
this right. Oh yeah. She's going to get this
all. I mean, I trust Steven Spielberg, but I
was like, Oprah is going to make sure this is
right. And you get it. You know, the story itself
is timeless. And unfortunately, we're still dealing
with the themes of that story. So it's important
for this generation to see it. And it's important
for people to see themselves. Representation
is everything. And to see this cast of women
doing it who are part of our contemporary conversation
is just beautiful to me. I can't wait to see
it. I just can't wait to see it. Yeah. It's going
to be quite the movie. Like it's going to be
quite the movie. I'm already like, I need to
order my tissues from Amazon, have them under
one off. I need to see it twice in one day because
I'm not going to want to wait till the next year
to see it. My Merry Christmas will be at the
theater. Mine too. Oh my goodness. And you're
going to need those cleanness because honey.
Yeah. We'll talk about the after effect another
time. But you are a movie supervisor. And from
what I gathered, from what I watched, you handle
the timelines, the budgets, and make sure that
everything runs smoothly. How do you manage your
self -care in managing all of those responsibilities?
Sometimes I don't. Everybody asks me that. And
I mean, self -care, I... I really have to learn
how to get self care in there because I can get
caught up and then not be doing well, you know
what I mean? So it's a dance. I mean, but what
I do is a dance. If you ever watch a scene like
I'm running to the truck, I'm going to this,
I'm hiring the crew, I'm getting ready for the
next day, I'm dealing with the producers, with
the budgeting, it's all a dance. My self care,
I had to take that seriously so that I can continue
to do this dance. So I just try to eat healthy,
stay hydrated. I use the job as my gym. I look
at it as my gym. If that makes sense. Well, I
can say this, you were dedicated to your craft.
I can say that 100%. Just from what I observed
I was like, uh, she gonna get out of that chair
like what's going on? At one point I was like,
let me just shut off her computer for like five
minutes I mean you had all the I don't even know
it looked like another language to me, but she
had it all together And then not only do you
have to deal with the computer, you have to deal
with each person and whatever they're going through.
So managing all of that is, and then you're a
mom. Being a mom helps me with the job because
I look at the people that work under me as my
family and we have to take care of each other.
And I have to make sure that they're always okay.
How I did this business and being a mom, I don't
know. People ask me all the time. I just did
it. I just did it. I don't know how. I just did
it. And I gave my kids all that I possibly could,
like before work, after work, weekends, because
I felt guilty about working. So I put a lot of
work into the relationship I have with my children.
My daughter is, she's registered with the union
and now she's starting to go to college. And
my son used to work for me, but he says he can't
dedicate 16 hours a day. You know, these kids
ain't built like we are. They're like, no. He's
into music. So his thing was, there's no time.
for him to dedicate time to his craft if he's
doing films 16 and 18 hours a day. So I got it
and I'm glad he did because sometimes the business
can suck you up and if you have other dreams
and aspirations you need to do them. Now as you
look back over your career from the standpoint
of an observer you're not just in it because
you're still in it. Looking back, what do you
see? Because you're not just your career, but
you're multi -generational in this. When you
look back, what does that film of Icy look like?
When I look back, what does that film of Icy
look like? You asked a really good question.
Well, can you see I'm trying to get you to write
a book? I'm just setting it up. Actually thought
about that. I have thought about that. Been many
places and seen many things. And the funny thing
is, I'm not done. So the film of Icy has some
crazy moments, some love stories, great home
life with her children, and a whole bunch of
jobs with a whole bunch of stars and personalities.
I know you have a vault of icy. I won't even
ask about that. Not gonna open that door, but
speaking of, you know, when we get into our late
forties and our late fifties, we, like you said,
you're not done. And this generation of 50 year
olds does not look like the previous generation
of 50 year olds. So if you were to pick a second
career, What would that be? Well, you know, I
really want to produce. I want to go out as a
producer. But I guess it's kind of like the same
career, just a different job title. Well, here's
the difference. You got a Rolodex now, you can
call people. Hey, I want to produce a film. But
that's what I really would like to do. I could
see you doing that because then you could produce
some really great movies because I can imagine
the stories that you have collected. I want to
tell our stories, our stories of the people,
women's stories. I just feel like there should
be more of that. And the fullness of our stories.
We're not just like people say, we're not a monolith.
We have all kinds of stories. Exactly. And I
want those other stories, not the boys in the
hood, not enough to say anything wrong with that.
But there's so many other stories, real stories
of our people done great things. Well, we're
going to put icy productions in the atmosphere
and see what God brings us back. And yes, I'll
take the job, whatever it is, I see. Whatever
you call it, ask me to do, yes. You got it. So
you have lots of stories, you've been all over
the world. What inspires you and what brings
you joy? Dancing brings me joy. And I used to
be a dancer before. I used to be a major ballet
dancer. And then one day I just, I was with the
New York School of Ballet. And then one day I
just said, I don't want to do this anymore. A
good book brings me joy. And you know what always
brings me joy? A very good meal. Girl. Let me
tell you. Okay. So let me be unprofessional for
one second. When I see and I went to dinner in
Atlanta, we had the best food and I don't think
we talked while the plates were on the table.
We were passing food back and forth. We were
both in heaven. I don't know about anybody else
on tape, but we were in heaven. We sure were.
There's nothing like it. Like, I don't know,
at the end of a work day, it's like, I just love
that. I had such a great time with you. Like,
it was just, and to me, and that's another thing,
just connecting with good people, breaking bread
with good people is always a great thing for
me. That's so Kevin. I said, I like her. I really
like her. And I met a lot of people with him.
I was like, I like her. Like she's my people.
Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. We did. It was
magical. And you know, I try not to get like,
cause you know, this is his job. So I try not
to get personal with people, but when it came
to you, I was like, I'm crossing that fourth
wall. Let's go. That's why I could never tell
you no to an interview. I'm still so excited,
especially when I realize how private you are.
I really do appreciate this. Surprisingly, you
succeeded at being that way. I don't know how
you did it. Now we're going into tech AI and
virtual reality, like your reality is I was here.
You will see my name on the credits, and that's
all you're going to see. You are literally personified.
My work speaks for itself. Well, now when they
look back until you write your book, they have
a bit of your story. And it will be available
for other people to hear. And I hope that it
is a, just a stepping stone into your next, whatever
that's going to be for you. Because once this
movie comes out, I can't imagine your phone is
going to be like on fire. Yeah. That's what I'm
hoping for. Do you design as well? Yes. Okay.
I have done some designing. I did two, I designed
two movies. One was called blackout. The other
one was the tune. And I also designed an off
-Broadway show. I, when it comes to designing,
it has to be, I don't know how to say it. Like,
I won't just design anything. The context is
very important to me on what it is. So, yeah.
You're like, yeah, I designed. Well, okay. You're
a New Yorker and it is the fashion capital. Have
you ever thought about doing your own fashion
line or peeking over into that world? Or is film
and television your thing? No, I have thought
about that. And I do have an idea that I have
not executed yet. So you'll see that too coming.
Coming soon. I see productions and fashion house.
Let's put that out there. Listen, this has been
a joy and I could talk to you forever and I will
be talking to you, but I have to ask one last
question and I ask everybody. What is your black
girl magic superpower? My black girl magic superpower.
I feel like. The fact that I'm a working single
mom, getting the job done, what needs to be done
in life, not just work in life, getting it done,
doing it, that's my black girl superpower. That's
amazing. Because a lot of people don't complete
things. So that is a superpower. That is a superpower.
Well, I will say this. I normally say, how can
people find you? But I'm going to say this about
you. Look for her name in the credits. When you
go to see the color purple, wait to the end.
And when it gets to the costume section, she
will be up front and center. And you'll be like,
that's that lady that was on Black Women Amplified.
Yes, that's her. Looking for her in the equalizer
and some of our favorite films like The Manchurian
Candidate, television shows like Nurse Jackie.
Her name is everywhere, just like McDonald's.
So I see again, I can't say thank you enough.
I really appreciate this. And I could not have
timed this better the day after the strike. I
mean, I didn't time it. God timed it. Because
I had no idea. But I'm grateful that your industry
stood up for themselves. And I'm curious to see
how it unfolds. And I pray that everything goes
well for you and your people. And I can't wait
to see your name across the screen when I go
see the color purple. Thank you again. I appreciate
it. And I appreciate you. I appreciate you. Thank
you so much. Have an amazing day. Oh, you're
welcome. All right. Good night. Good night. Goodbye.
Thank you for listening to Black Women Amplified.
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