Lana Condor became known to most of us as Lara Jean in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. The third and final installment of the trilogy, To All the Boys: Always and Forever comes out next week. As promo for the film, Lana covers this month’s Self magazine, in which she speaks mostly about mental health. Lana discussed feeling gloomy and not knowing where to turn, especially when she became known for playing such a positive character. She talked about the importance of reaching out to others for help and leaving Los Angeles for a slower lifestyle. She also brought up her challenges with body dysmorphic behavior that started during her younger years in ballet. She discussed working out healthier, working on accepting herself and mainly being nicer to herself. It’s a great interview and I highly suggest reading it the full piece. I’ve pulled a few quotes that especially grabbed me:

On burning herself out: [The first movie] was received way better than I had ever imagined in my wildest dreams. It changed much of my life very quickly. And then I was shooting this television show that was really dark. I was just saying yes to everything because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you want to capitalize on it, and you want to feel like you’re fully embracing everything. But I’ve never felt more horrible mentally. I was so burned out…. I would go home at night and I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. I would shake going to bed and shake waking up because it was just so much stimulation.

On opening up: I was on the phone with my team and I had this moment where I just was in tears, telling them that I don’t feel okay. And they were all shocked because I wasn’t open about my feelings. No one knew. When I had that conversation with them, it was like a new beginning. Now I know the power of sharing that.

On overcoming body dysmorphic behavior: I’m not in a place where I can say, ‘Oh, yeah, it’s over.’ I have to work on it every single day. Working out in a healthy way has helped a lot because it makes me feel good. It makes me feel stronger. I used to work out constantly. Just go, go, go. And that was so unhealthy for me. So now I’m trying to do things that I just genuinely love and not in an overt, burnout way.

On being kind to yourself: If someone were to come to me asking for advice about body dysmorphia and any sort of mental health, I would just say you have to treat yourself like your best friend. You would never tell your best friend the things that you say to yourself in your darkest times. You would never in a million years. I think that we have to talk to ourselves kindly and gently.… I don’t know where I stand with the afterlife, but I think this is it. This mind and this body is the one we get.

[From Self]

I was surprising affected by much of what Lana said. Partly because I very much like Lana and found myself getting protective over her. The other part were the things in which I saw myself. I think it’s true that we speak to ourselves in a way we would never speak to those we love, which has horrible implications because we should love ourselves as much as our friends. And putting on a brave face for others is another area I bet many of us need to work on. Especially now when the walls constantly feel like they are closing in. I’m in a bit of a dark place right now so it’s hard to let Lana’s advice penetrate. I intend read this again when I am more receptive.

There is a lot more to the article. Lana speaks so romantically about living in Seattle, she almost had me looking at available rentals up there. She spends a portion of the interview discussing her five-year relationship with Anthony De La Torre. It’s complimentary without being performatively gushing, like they’ve found a comfort zone with each other and relish in what they have. It was refreshing to read for such a young couple. Lana also spoke excitedly about the increasing Asian representation in Hollywood and how much that has changed from when she was the only Asian face in the casting room. I love that Lana has found her voice and is using it in so many wonderful ways.

Photo credit: Jack Belli/Self and Avalon

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Angela Bassett’s roles are legendary, from Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It to Marie Laveau in American Horror Story to Queen Ramonda in Marvel’s Black Panther. No matter the role Angela seems to embody the character and is always unforgettable. This week People tweeted out a clip from an upcoming episode of their People Every Day podcast on iHeartRadio, in which Angela pays tribute to Cicely Tyson and is interviewed about her career. In the clip, Angela is asked which of her roles was the most difficult to embody and which was the most enjoyable. Angela states that portraying Tina Turner was the most physically, emotionally, vocally and spiritually taxing and embodying the power and spirit of Marie Laveau was the most exhilarating. Below is a transcript from the clip via Twitter:

Janine Rubenstein: “What would you say of your other roles has been the most enjoyable and then maybe the most difficult?”
Angela: “Definitely, nothing has been as difficult as Tina Turner. Nothing as difficult physically, emotionally, spiritually, vocally.

That last shot in the limo, that was the last day of filming and that day was literally 25 hours.

At the end of it, it was like, “Don’t ask me my name. I can’t give you that.”

One of the other characters that you mentioned that was enjoyable was Marie Laveau in American Horror Story.

Voodoo Queen of New Orleans in the 1800s who had all this sway in that city with all people. Black, white and even still to this day, her name and her spirit is referenced. “

[From Twitter]

Angela also admits in the interview that her children, 15 year-old twins Bronwyn and Slater, have yet to see What’s Love Got to Do With It. She received an Oscar nomination and earned a Golden Globe for her performance in that film. Angela says that when the time is right she is sure that Bronwyn and Slater will see the movie. Below are a few quotes from People:

Based on the life of singer Tina Turner, the movie follows the ups and downs of Turner’s illustrious career. Bassett’s portrayal of the singer is considered by many to be one of her best, earning her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe win for the role.

But despite the accolades the film brought her, Bassett says her kids “haven’t seen it,” and she’s not doing anything to change that. “Let them discover it,” she said. “Let their friends discover it … maybe [then] I’d get some more respect around here! … I tell them, you don’t know what I got up my sleeve.”

That’s not to say her kids are totally in the dark about their mom’s talents: “They really enjoyed [Soul],” Bassett noted of the recent Pixar flick, to which she lent her voice.

[From People via Twitter]

Angela will always be my auntie in my head. I love how she is just so joyous while always giving you the business. She cracked me up when she says that she hopes her children and their friends discover What’s Love Got To Do With It on their own because then would she get some respect around her house. She will definitely get some accolades from her children after they watch WLGTDWI. Angela embodied Tina Turner. I believe Angela when she says that playing Tina Turner took everything in her and left her with nothing, because you can tell that Angela bared her soul. I am sure having to portray that level of abuse and fear would be draining. It was in WLGTDWI that I fell in love with Angela. Angela was also seared into my heart when she played Bernadine Harris in Waiting to Exhale. That scene where Bernadine lights her husband’s car and effects on fire was THE scene.

I was reminded of Angela’s range when she played Marie Laveau in American Horror Story. I still use that scene of Angela as Marie laughing hysterically as one of my favorite gifs. Angela is a badass and there aren’t many actors that can come close to her range and depth as an actor. I hope to continue to see Angela on my screen both big and small and I look forward to her reprising her role as Queen Ramonda in the Black Panther sequel. Hopefully, she will also be bringing Ramonda to the Wakandaverse in the Disney+ series as well.

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A post shared by Angela Bassett (@im.angelabassett)

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A post shared by Angela Bassett (@im.angelabassett)

Confession : when I think of Tina Turner or hear a song by her, I instantly think of Angela Bassett and not the real Tina!! pic.twitter.com/Ojt7Yn7e8A

— ??Arian Allen?? (@ONeNaMillion22) February 3, 2021

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