JULIO TORRES STAR OF THE NEW HBO MAX SERIES FANTASMAS

Suit, Shirt, Boots, and Bag: Thom Browne (@thombrowne), Tie: Daniel Roa (@danielroaart), Tights: Calzedonia (@calzedonia), Gloves: Stylists’ own

Photographer: Yulissa Benitez Amaro @yu.lez

Fashion Stylist: Angel Emmanuel Ramirez @angelemmanuel

Makeup Artist: Cyler Daigle @cylersays

Hair Artist: Sean Bennett @uhmmwhat

Photo Assistants: Timothy Smith @tiwothy, Vinit Patel @uncl3swag

Stylist Assistant: Laura Napoliello @lauranapoliello

Interview by Marc Sifuentes

Celebrated for his distinctive storytelling and imaginative flair, Julio Torres emerges as a prominent figure in the world of comedy and filmmaking. Hailing from El Salvador, Torres has garnered widespread acclaim, earning prestigious accolades such as Emmy nominations, a Peabody Award, and a Writers Guild of America Award.

Last year, Torres made his impressive directorial debut with A24’s Problemista, captivating audiences and critics alike at the SXSW Festival. Notably, he not only directed but also wrote and starred in the film alongside luminaries such as Tilda Swinton, Isabella Rossellini, and RZA.

Now, venturing further into his creative journey, Torres presents Fantasmas, a six-episode series slated to premiere on HBO Max on June 7th. Serving as the writer, director, executive producer, and lead actor, Torres crafts a whimsical and introspective narrative revolving around the search for a lost oyster earring. Through a series of encounters and reflections, the story unfolds into mini-films, blending eerie comedy with poignant insights.

Julio shares his thoughts on embracing his evolving role as a multi-hyphenated creator, weighs in on the tough decision of voting in this year’s election, and delves into the captivating tale of a lost oyster earring—all while stepping into the role of Iris Covet Book intern for the day.

Full Look: Thom Browne

I just watched the first three episodes of Fantasmas and I love the series already.

Thank you.

Going into the show blindly, it reminded me of how we used to rent these art house movies from Blockbuster video or somewhere and maybe you have seen the trailer, or maybe you would know the movie poster, but you would rent these movies not knowing what you were going to get but you knew it would be avant-garde.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

And watching the series there are so many nods, I feel, to that era. It’s such a unique and unconventional concept and I don’t want to give too much away but can you tell me how did the idea for Fantasmas come about?

Well, I missed the short form writing I got to do on Saturday Night Live. And I missed feeling like I could make short stories that were these little character studies and have them be in short form. And so, you know, a sketch show was the obvious vehicle for that. At the same time I wanted to weave in and out of them and I craved for some kind of cohesion and then the idea of a through line came about. And then it was really solidified when I actually lost an earring that was the exact earring described in the show. And I was just so mad. And I thought I should just make a show about this to make this experience productive somehow.

Full Look: Thom Browne

Once you had this idea, how did you start shaping and refining it? It’s pretty consistent with your tone of comedy and writing, but how do you pitch a story of losing an earring to such a huge streaming service like HBO Max? Did they buy into the concept immediately?

They did because I think that it was more than a pitch. But I think that, if this show were distilled into one sentence in an email, then I don’t know what the likelihood would be that they would have made it.

Because by that point, they knew my previous series Los Espookys, because obviously HBO made Los Espookys and these executives had also made My Favorite Shapes, my comedy special. So, they were very interested in what this could be and I feel like they saw the potential in it. And even after they decided that they wanted to do it, the show kept morphing and changing and they were always very, very supportive of it. I feel like they got the concept due to a trust in me.

Full Look: Thom Browne

I feel like there are a lot of social commentary messages happening throughout Fantasmas, both subtle and overt. I’m curious of how it might resonate with younger viewers since it feels especially relevant to their experiences and challenges today. Did you specifically have a younger audience in mind while writing the show?

To be honest, I don’t know that I was trying to anticipate a reaction. I really make work that feels honest to me and honest to how I feel and how I see the world. But no, I don’t feel like I reverse engineer and be like, oh, young people are like this or young people feel this way and so I’m going to do something that caters to them. I think that if that ends up happening, then it is no longer organic.

But yeah, I think the show is very much a product of its time and it’s in conversation with the anxieties of the time, it’s in conversation with how do we keep living in a world that puts us in boxes every day, a world where the threshold for being a part of the society keeps getting harder and harder. And seeing more and more people are being left outside and seeing who walks into it passively and who has no choice. These are questions that are very interesting to me. I think that there was a period in my life where I felt very much like institutionally an outsider and I’m fortunate enough that that chapter is not necessarily true of me anymore.

But it really makes me think of like when I see establishments that don’t take cash, for example, I always think of how that might seem convenient for a lot of people, but it makes it impossible for some. The idea that in New York now, the convenience that we can just tap our phone and that grants us entry onto the subway. I think that will come at a cost in perhaps the not so distant future. That this is the only way you can access public transportation, which means that you need a smartphone, which means that you need a bank, which means that you need to be in good standing with the bank. These are all things that so many of us take for granted but are not the reality for everyone. And this idea of people getting pushed out was conceptualized and metabolized for me as ghosts, as Fantasmas in them. And you don’t need to be in those shoes to feel like that way, but I feel like that was my way into that concept.

Top and Bottoms: Tanner Fletcher (@tanner.fletcher), Tie: Daniel Roa (@danielroaart), Shoes: Thom Browne (@thombrowne), Glasses: Stylists’ own

As I was watching Fantasmas I was thinking about how your comedy style is so unique. I was curious, who were your inspirations growing up?

That’s a good question. I don’t know, I’ve always been pretty visually driven, to be honest. Stand-up comedy came about for me as a way of attempting to get an into a world that I didn’t know how to enter, by that I mean entertainment. So, I started doing stand-up, not really actually having aspired to be a stand-up comic. Now, of course I love it. But I really like watching movies and when I was really young, seeing like a Wes Anderson or a Tim Burton, for example, just make worlds that are fully their own and develop a very specific style, that was always very seductive to me.

I feel like your bio has grown from comedy writer to executive producer to director. You are so many things now, what title do you end up with in the end?

I think I have warmed up to the title of director quicker than I thought I would. I think that it’s because it’s broader, but yeah, I don’t know maybe creator. Artist. Audiovisual Artist? Haha I don’t know, because to me all of those go hand in hand and yeah, it has kept growing to encapsulate everything I need to do in order to make the kind of work I want to do.

Top and Bottoms: Tanner Fletcher (@tanner.fletcher), Tie: Daniel Roa (@danielroaart), Shoes: Thom Browne (@thombrowne), Glasses: Stylists’ own

Because even for me to ask you what’s your comedy style, it doesn’t feel like you’re just a comic because there’s so many different layers to your work now. It seems that you transcend conventional comedic boundaries, making it challenging to categorize you only as a comic.

But I do wonder what would someone who is not too familiar but familiar enough with my work, what title would they use? And I kind of think that they would just maybe name the things that I’ve done that they’re familiar with, and that feels nice.

As I was researching for this interview, I couldn’t help but notice how it almost seems like everything always fell into place for you career wise. Were there any significant obstacles you faced on your journey to where you are today?”

Oh, I mean, I feel like the biggest challenge career wise was what’s explored in my movie Problemista. I mean, getting to a place where I was able to just be here in the. U.S., catch my breath and dedicate myself to work without having the cloud of immigration and all those things hovering over me.

But since then, I have been lucky that one thing has led to another and they all help the next thing. But I also feel like this is a blessing and a curse with the kind of work that I do where it either happens or it doesn’t. And there’s no years in between spent in artistic compromises because this is the only way I know how to do it, right? It’s like, I pitch a show, the streamer or whatever either buys it or it doesn’t. And if it does, I fully feel like I can make it my own and if it doesn’t, then I move on. I haven’t spent years and years doing work that I’m not super proud of, which I feel very lucky.

Top and Bottoms: Tanner Fletcher (@tanner.fletcher), Tie: Daniel Roa (@danielroaart), Shoes: Thom Browne (@thombrowne), Glasses: Stylists’ own

Your presence on screen serves as a source of inspiration for many writers and directors within the Latin community, particularly with the relatable story of ‘Problemista.’ Have you received significant feedback from individuals who have personally experienced similar immigration challenges, both in your own life and as depicted in the film?

Yeah, a lot actually. It’s ironic because I felt so lonely in those times of my life and come to find out that it’s so relatable and that many of us have felt those ways. And yeah, that’s always really humbling that you’re not just making a vanity project that just speaks to yourself or a few, but that you’re actually speaking to a greater human experience.

Your approach to storytelling is always unique and endearing, and it evokes a sense of childlike wonder and optimism, even while your characters are struggling. It’s a quality that often fades as we mature and encounter the reality of life. Do you find that you still maintain a childlike optimism about the world as an adult?

Yeah, for sure. I’m an optimist. I was raised an optimist by my mother and I feel like I’m continuing to be that way, I hope. And I’m a glass half full person and it takes a lot for me to despair and I just keep going, going, going. Yeah, that’s just my default. And I do feel like a kid when they hear the word “No”. Kids don’t go, “oh, okay”. No, they are like, “well why? Well, what about this? Well, what about that?” And I feel like I’m completely like that.

Top and Bottoms: Tanner Fletcher (@tanner.fletcher), Tie: Daniel Roa (@danielroaart), Shoes: Thom Browne (@thombrowne), Glasses: Stylists’ own

Would you say you’re stubborn?

Yes, very. Uh-huh.

Aquarius, right?

Aquarius, yeah. And either I care about it deeply and I’m so stubborn about it or I couldn’t care less and I’m like fine, yeah, whatever. So, for me, like, no, no, it’s gonna happen this way or we’re not gonna do it.

Blouse, Skirt, Jacket: Tanner Fletcher (@tanner.fletcher), Tights: Calzedonia (@calzedonia), Shoes: Thom Browne (@thombrowne), Glasses: Stylists’ own

Returning to the topic of Fantasmas, alongside yourself, Emma Stone serves as an executive producer on the show, and she also held this role for Problemista. Could you share the story behind your collaboration? How did you two initially connect?

We met when she hosted Saturday Night Live two or three times ago. And she really gravitated towards my writing in a way that was so humbling, and I really loved, loved getting to work with her. So by the time that I needed producers that felt like an obvious fit, but also because half of the production company is my friend Dave McCarrie who had directed everything I wrote on Saturday Night Live and he and I were like on lockstep together and creating for so long that it just made so much sense.

So, I’d like to delve into politics for a moment. I’ve noticed you’re quite active on social media, and given the current climate, particularly concerning the youth vote, it can be challenging to fully support a candidate. While there may seem to be an obvious choice, there’s definitely hesitancy among many voters in vocalizing support for Joe Biden this election year.

Yeah.

What are your thoughts on your role and influence as a celebrity in the political sphere, and what are your plans for engagement during this political season?

I don’t know. The big answer to that question is I don’t know because I feel the consequences of the worst of the two evils being elected are going to be catastrophic. And at the same time, I’m so furious, so furious that we have been painted into a corner where we have to choose someone who is going so against how we want the world to be, whose only selling point is that he is not as bad as the alternative. And that is such a gut punch to the youth and to the future and it’s very frustrating. And I don’t know, I think that like we will perhaps feel a greater sense of urgency to rally again, to rally for this person. I think we’re still in a bit of a denial period, maybe. Where we think they will be like “JK! Actually there’s this other option!”

Blouse, Skirt, Jacket: Tanner Fletcher (@tanner.fletcher), Tights: Calzedonia (@calzedonia), Shoes: Thom Browne (@thombrowne), Glasses: Stylists’ own

But it’s too late. We’re too far in at this point. And I’m looking for your optimism here!

I know, I know. I think that the optimism here is that I think the seeds for something greater are definitely planted. I think that things move as quickly as we want them to. I have never experienced such loud, anti-war movements as I have now. And for the longest time I have always felt like I sort of had to always bite my tongue about this.

Because this idea, this very like patriotic idea that there are countries that are good and countries that are bad. And those were already decided. I don’t know, I like that these things are being questioned and examined now. And so in that way it is hopeful, but I don’t know. It’s very much that that party is really taking those votes for granted. It’s tough.

But we can move back into more positive topics. Because I want to get back to Fantasmas and all the great guest stars that are in it, I’m on episode three now but I’m like very excited to see who else is on. Can you name a few people? Well, by the time this comes out, everyone will know, but who else can I expect to see? Are there different celebrities in each episode?

Yeah, yeah. I mean, to me, the celebrities are as much as a joy as much as the cast who are new to the audience who they’ll get to meet and fall in love with. Obviously, I think Martine is a revelation that people will fall in love with. And I have other friends that you’ll see in later episodes. I think that my friend Spike really blossoms in later episodes. And as for people that audiences may already know, I was so delighted to get to work with Rosie Perez.

Full Look: Thom Browne (@thombrowne)

That’s going to be great, I love her.

Yeah, so you’ll see her.

I like how the casting is a good blend of a lot of the New York scene kids mixing in there.

Yeah, obviously Rosie is very much one, too.

Yeah, for sure from all generations, it’s like very New York.

Very New York!

Suit, Shirt, Boots, and Bag: Thom Browne (@thombrowne), Tie: Daniel Roa (@danielroaart), Tights: Calzedonia (@calzedonia), Gloves: Stylists’ own

JOHNNY SIBILLY STAR OF THE HBO MAX SERIES ‘HACKS’

Tank – COMME DES GARÇONS SHIRT, Shorts – BCALLA / Tank – COURRÈGES, Boxers – ERL

Photos and Grooming by Michael J. Fernandez using Glossier and Oribe

Styled by Dustin Ellis

Interview by Adnan Qiblawi

Between his near omnipresence on social media platforms and his full-throttle work ethic, Johnny Sibilly has formulated his own secret recipe for stardom, and he cooks it all up with a limp wrist. Sibilly first gained attention by doing hilarious character impressions on Instagram with his iconic persona Julissa, a loud, opinionated Latina who could have grown up down the block from Cardi B. He soon played the somber, important role of Billy Porter’s boyfriend and AIDS patient, Costas, on the iconic, queer-101 show, “Pose.” Last month, he landed at the Emmys thanks to his role alongside Jean Smart in HBO’s “Hacks,” where he plays Wilson, local water inspector and neighborhood babe. The show won three Emmys for best lead actress, outstanding writing and outstanding directing in a comedy series, three wins of its fifteen Emmy nominations in its first season. Earlier this month, it was announced that Sibilly would be joining the cast for Peacock TV’s reimagining of “Queer As Folk.” Adnan Qiblawi sat down with Sibilly to talk about Hollywood, his future, and staying true to himself.

Suit – Acne Studios, Tank – Comme des Garcons, Ring by Spinelli Kilcollin

From Instagram to Tiktok to Twitter, you’re pretty much everywhere on social media, sharing a quip, a sultry selfie, or a clip of you voguing. How do you keep up with it all?

Yeah, I love it! From a very early age being online was my safe haven. I wasn’t a fan of going outside and playing with the neighborhood kids because I’d get made fun of or feel inadequate. Whereas online, I could create my own experience of who I wanted to be in the world and how I wanted to navigate that, which I feel is a very queer thing to do. You can’t be yourself in the real world so you escape to the Internet.

I was a scared, shy kid, and it wasn’t until I joined drama that I opened up. When I do videos as myself these days, I’m cringing. But when I get to do it as a character, I’m more confident. Doing characters really opens things up. So many of the things I say as Julissa I’m celebrated for, but if I said them as myself, people would be like, “Oh shut up.”

This reminds me of a RuPaulism: “The power you can access in drag is also available to you out of drag.”

I’ve grown to feel powerful in who I am without any bells and whistles. But for me, as a gay man, feminine energy is strong energy. When I have the hair or the nails or the lash or even the lipstick, I feel empowered. When I first started doing Julissa, I got a lot of flak like, “Why are you making fun of women?”. I’m not making fun of women, this is actually just a part of who I am, and Julissa is a vessel for that. Also, there’s nothing wrong with how Julissa is. Sure, she’s hyper and loud and in your face, but there are a lot of women who are like that and they deserve to be represented too. The haters are revealing their own judgement.

Shirt – Collina Strada

Growing up, and even today, we always hear about actors having to stay in the closet for fear of being blocked out of straight roles. Is this ever a concern for you?

So many queer people try to fit in boxes to book a job, but one thing I’m not willing to compromise is my queerness. It took me so long to love it and feel comfortable with it. And you know when we talk about white supremacy and the patriarchy, there’s this expectation that we want to play what other people consider valuable. People say things like, “But what if you only get gay parts?” And honestly, I’m only really interested in playing gay people. No shade, I would play straight parts, I did it for a very long time. Straight roles don’t interest me as much because they’ve been told, whereas our stories haven’t been told.

I worked on “Pose” two years ago and now I’m in “Hacks.” Those roles are so impactful and important to me, and they’re stories I want to see put out in the world. I’d rather play parts that speak to me whenever I can. It’s important for me to not compromise on who I am essentially, because the more I am myself, the more I give others the courage to be themselves. While I was growing up, there were a handful of actors who didn’t hide that they were gay, but lots of others did and still do. I’ve been out since I was 14, I wasn’t going to go back into the closet for this career. I had to decide on the cost I was willing to pay for it.

And would you say your decision has held you back at all?

Frankly, I feel my queerness has helped me in my journey. It sets me apart. The world is moving away from trying to fit a mold. All the greats from the showbiz industry have something undeniable about them. I’m not saying that’s what I am, but that’s how people should look at it. Why try and be Beyonce? Or J-Lo? I look at J-Lo and I admire and model myself after her work ethic, but I don’t try to be her. I can’t be anyone but me. I didn’t have a choice.

Tank and shorts – Acne Studios, Shoes – Celine

So it’s not just that Hollywood is changing, it’s the world that’s changing.

It still happens in Hollywood here and there. I auditioned recently for a role to play a straight part and I turned it down because I wasn’t interested in it. If I had a choice, I’d play interesting queer characters until the end of time.

So in that sense your own personality comes through in your role as Wilson on Hacks? Just like him, you have your values and you’re not willing to compromise them.

Wilson doesn’t really care about work, he found his job online, but he’s got strong interpersonal boundaries. When he’s on a date with Marcus, who plays Jean Smart’s character’s manager, he realizes how Marcus’ dedication to his job means he has no room for a romantic relationship and so he walks out. While doing read throughs I was like, “Werk, I need to channel this more.” When it comes to career, in many respects Johnny the person is more like Marcus than Wilson. I have Marcus’ drive to keep going and make things happen. I don’t want to be the biggest star in the world, but I want to be able to look back at my life and say wow I gave that my all. I already feel that way in some respects, even when I look back at my career from five years ago starting on social media, my journey’s been different from everyone else’s. All the advice I’ve been given, it hasn’t really worked for me the way they said it would.

Top – Xander Zhou, Pants – Prada, Boots – Gucci, Ring by Spinelli Kilcollin

Everyone’s got their own journey, and some people’s journey has them making a sound-bite on TikTok that goes viral. Your “Hit It” sound on there is universally loved.

Ha! Honestly, that was just me being a gay boy gassing up another gay boy! And it really is universal. Straight guys come up to me telling me their girlfriends play it while they’re getting ready for dinner. These DJs, Moodshift, picked up the sound and turned it into a song. The day after it was released, it made it to number 12 on the iTunes dance chart. At first I was like, “Oh yeah, this will be cute,” but then when it was actually making the charts I was like, “What?” It was channeling that ballroom energy from “Pose” or “Legendary,” so it had all the elements people love but it literally was just me vibing in bed.

So what’s the next stop on the ride? What can we expect?

Well, “Hacks” is coming back for Season 2. I don’t know what’s happening with my character so I can’t really say much about that. I also just wrapped season 2 of my show for Logo. I’d never hosted anything before. There are so many industry rules if you’re an actor. They say you can’t be on reality tv, you can’t be a host, and whatever. Whereas now in the social media world I feel like you can do anything and have a successful career.

Sweater – Acne Studios, Shirt – Troy Dylan Allen, Shorts – JW Anderson

I feel like this question is the modern-day equivalent of asking a woman her age but, what is your screen time like?

My screen time is wild. I’m always on my phone. The other day I was wishing I could get off social media for two months. Even when I take a break for a week, I come back to it so differently. I approach it differently and enjoy it until I slip back into my old habits. I do take breaks every now and then until a friend texts me worried about me and then I’m back. Take breaks, you should! I promise you won’t miss too much. My best friend and I are always joking about going the way of the old Hollywood ladies and becoming recluses but I don’t see that happening.

THE MANY FACES OF DOMINIQUE FISHBACK

Jacket by Carolina Sarria

Photography by Dustin Mansyur | Styling by Julia Morris @theindustrymgmt| Interview by Benjamin Price | Hair by Monae Everett | Makeup by Daniel Avilan using MAC Cosmetics @theindustrymgmt

Talent: Dominique Fishback

Dominique is a theatrical chameleon. Whether playing a prostitute in 1970’s New York on HBO’s The Deuce, or a high school girl in a violent and disenfranchised neighborhood in the upcoming The Hate U Give, or playing in a series of sketch comedies in HBO’s midnight show Random Acts of Flyness–Fishback effortlessly glides between personas. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Fishback started her artistic path in her local elementary school. Dominique has propelled herself both onto the silver screen and onto one of the most globally recognized cable networks as an inspirational young voice.

The Hate U Give, Random Acts of Flyness, Night Comes On, and much of Dominique’s personal writing and performances celebrate diversity and critique the constructed barriers between us. The writer, actress, and artist clearly has a wide breadth of talents, but what is truly spectacular is her ability to apply these to helping shed light on systemic problems in our society. Watching Dominique perform is a true joy, as you are immersed into the world of the characters she embodies and witness a complex array of emotion enfold on screen. Here, with Iris Covet Book, Dominique dives deep into the many layers of social discourse in her work, her roots as a child drama queen, and her plans to change Hollywood.

Jacket and Skirt by Victoria Hayes

We recently attended a screening of The Hate U Give and your performance felt so natural that it made me wonder how you first got into acting. Were you always a natural?

When I was 10 years old my mom said I was so dramatic and should give acting a try! She really believed that I could do it which was awesome! I had been writing little poems and I wanted to perform anyway. My mom tells stories of when I was 5 years old and pretending that I was the Wicked Witch of the West saying, “I’m melting! I’m melting!” When I was 10 I auditioned to be part of a children’s theater organization called Ta-Da! I auditioned three times but never got accepted…but 10 year-old Dom didn’t let it stop her, she just kept going! We got pulled into one or two scams after that, but when I was 15, I got into a company that requires you to write and perform your own material which I think helped make me into the artist that I am today.

But you know there is so much rejection and hate out there with actors, especially on social media. Everyone has an opinion or something to say about your performance, your look, or a mistake you make. It’s hard; you need a tough skin.

Speaking of exposure, social media, and having a tough skin–do you think your exposure in The Deuce and The Hate U Give has changed your day to day life or are you still that girl from Brooklyn?

I’m definitely still that girl from Brooklyn! Sometimes I bump into people from my childhood who say I still look the same and are surprised to see I’m still down-to-earth, but I think I am really a chameleon personally and professionally. But because of The Deuce I have had some people come up to me on the street, as well as my episode on (HBO’s) Random Acts of Flyness. I have been receiving such a great reception.

It seems like you are cast in roles that exist in chaotic and disadvantaged environments – playing a sex worker in The Deuce in 1970’s New York, convicted felon in Night Comes On, and a young girl in a rough, drug-filled neighborhood in The Hate U Give. What attracts you to these roles and what would you say is the common thread with the characters you like to play?

The characters really find me, and they refuse to let me go! For Night Comes On I was introduced to the character and the story after playing Darlene on The Deuce and I didn’t want to be typecast into tough characters all of the time because I am fun and silly…but I took the weekend and read the script considering what my agent was saying, and I just really felt like I had the experiences and authenticity to really go after this character! But I love to play dress up and dance and perform too, which I think really shows another side of me, like the photoshoot we did for this. When I was a kid I would watch I Love Lucy, and Lucille Ball was a big inspiration for me and I would stay up and watch her until 1:00 am every day! I would love to do a show like that, whether I write it myself or not.

Dress by Kelsey Randall, Gloves by Livne NYC, Earrings by Laruicci

Bralette, Pants, and Clear Jacket all by Livne NYC

It sounds like you really are a chameleon and are interested in so many genres! So back to The Hate U Give and the messages and layers that it has within it such as racism, police brutality, Black Lives Matter, etc. — how did that layer of commentary affect your performance?

Well, actually, I have a one-woman show that I wrote and have performed for the past 5 years called Subverted where I play 22 different characters, and it’s about the destruction of black identity in America. The show has a slavery-era side and a modern-day-era side, and both comment on issues like police brutality, education deficits, lack of healthy food in areas like East New York, Brooklyn where I grew up. So I was already very aware of these issues and the injustices that African Americans experience, and that I experienced, in my neighborhood or when I was working at the local movie theater just praying and hoping to be on the screen. When I was at Pace University I was often the only African American person in my classes. I remember in one of my classes this caucasian boy said that African American males in low-income communities would not be stopped by the police at random if they “dressed normally.” I was infuriated, choking on my words, debating with him, and I realized that no one around me could understand my point of view, so instead of getting mad and yelling and cursing I decided to use this as an opportunity to start my one-woman show, educate people, and have them watch and relate to a character who they normally wouldn’t. Just like the few scenes of Khalil in The Hate U Give change the way you see the representation of him later on through the movie. I graduated from my high school as valedictorian in Brownsville, BK, but when I got to Pace I was admitted as below average in a curriculum for students who needed more academic attention. Then I looked around and realized that these schools only prepare you for colleges at the same level…but we need to overcome this adversity and talk about this issue on a bigger scale.

I think The Hate U Give really achieved that and personally it took me from laughing to crying to anger…What are the main points that you want people to take away from the movie?

I would want them to take away the moments where they felt sad for Kahlil, where they laughed with him and saw his eyes twinkle at the beginning of the film, and when another (police brutality) event like this happens in America they can care about that victim in the same way. I really believe that art changes people’s minds and hearts the most and gives power to our feelings. Being able to see it, not just hear a name or see a mugshot, is so powerful.

Jacket and Pants by LEHHO, Gloves by Livne NYC

Jacket and Skirt by Victoria Hayes

As a woman of color, how do you feel about the changing castings and views of POC and women in Hollywood?

I definitely believe that it has changed over the years, and as a younger person I can sometimes only see the injustice because that’s all I know, but when you ask people who came before and hear their stories then you can really see how far we’ve come. I have been honored to have my first feature film on demand and online called Night Comes On, starring myself and this 10 year old African American girl named Tatum Marilyn Hall, and it is great to be able to watch African American girls not have to be super funny or sexy in a film, but that wasn’t possible a few years ago. It was still hard, and the director would tell us about how difficult it was to get funding with the subject matter, and as a female director, but we are fighting the fight and are very hopeful.

I am very excited to see Night Comes On, and hopefully it just means we will see even more diverse story-telling in the future. What would you want to change or add to the world of film and television if you owned a studio?

I would want to tell more stories about African Americans and people of color and celebrate diversity from the casting to the writers’ room. I don’t want to have the question of “What was it like working with a female director?” Like why does that matter if you are a woman or a person of color? I really don’t know though, and I am just researching, writing, and taking it day-by-day. I just finished writing my feature film that takes place in 1968 which is about a male Black Panther who falls in love with a girl who isn’t a part of that culture and over the course of the film they learn more about each other, and I think that is an important story to tell.

I hope we can see that soon! What can you tell us about upcoming roles or screenplays that you are working on?

The Deuce is coming back September 9, and then The Hate U Give comes out so of course I am very excited for both of those opportunities! I am very excited about my role in Random Acts of Flyness on HBO, and it’s just a really fun way to show different sides of myself as an actress. I am excited about the projects I am writing and being seen as a writer for theater, films, and graphic novels. I am excited to start my own production company one day and have longevity in the industry as a CEO.

Jacket by Victoria Hayes