Born in New York City on October 1, 1986, Jurnee Smollett-Bell is an award-winning actress and activist of rare talent and conviction. She recently starred in the Emmy Award-winning series “Friday Night Lights” on which she portrayed the character Jess. She’s also been seen on “The Defenders” as Lisa, a new attorney at the law firm.
Jurnee starred in The Great Debaters with Forest Whitaker and Denzel Washington who also directed the historical drama. Jurnee received rave reviews and won the NAACP’s Best Lead Actress Image Award for her performance.
On TV, Jurnee has guest starred in the season finale of “Grey’s Anatomy”
as well as on "House," "E.R.," "Strong Medicine," and "NYPD Blue." Her other
television credits include "Wanda at Large" and "Cosby," for which she won
NAACP Image Awards in 1999 and 2000.
She began her television acting career at the age of 4 with a recurring role
on "Full House," later reviving the character for a season of "Hangin' with
Mr. Cooper." She followed that by starring on the ABC comedy "On Our Own"
alongside her real life sister, Jazz, and her brothers, Jojo, Jussie, Jake
and Jocqui.
Besides acting and singing, Jurnee is an activist and the youngest board
member of Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA), a nonprofit dedicated to
fighting the spread of HIV, advancing human rights, and to educating and
empowering AIDS orphans and other at-risk youth. She has been involved with
ANSA since the age of 11.
Working with the organization, Jurnee has traveled to South Africa, where
she has met with Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Tutu, as well as with victims
of HIV. She even went on an official mission for the U.S. State Department
to Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa to conduct AIDS awareness workshops.
Among Jurnee’s other charitable causes is the Children’s Defense Fund, where
she joined the board at the invitation of her longtime mentor, Marian Wright
Edelman. Here, she talks about starring as Judith opposite Vanessa Williams,
Kim Kardashian and Brandy in Tyler Perry’s latest morality play, Temptation.
Kam Williams: Hi Jurnee, thanks for the time.
Jurnee Smollett: Thank you for taking the time.
KW: The last time I had a chance to speak to you was when you
were doing The Great Debaters.
JS: Oh, man, it’s been a minute.
KW: What interested you in
Temptation?
JS: The challenge of the role. It’s kind of what you look for as an actor.
Something that you haven’t done before… something that can really make you
stretch… and honestly, I’d always wanted to work with Tyler.
KW: How did that come about?
JS: I was awakened by a call early one morning from an Atlanta number. When
I answered my cell phone, the person said, “Hello, this is Tyler Perry. May
I speak with Jurnee?” And I said, “Shut up, there ain’t no way this is Tyler
Perry.” [Chuckles] I thought it was one of my brothers doing a prank call on
me. Tyler just laughed, apologized for waking me, and then asked me to call
him back after I got up. When I hung up, my husband turned over and asked,
“Baby, do you think that maybe that really was Tyler Perry? You might want
to call back and see.” [Chuckles] Lo and behold, it was Tyler, and he said
he had been following my career and that he had written this script with me
in mind. He said Bill Cosby had actually told him years ago that he needed
to work with me.
KW: So, what did you think of the script?
JS: When I read it, I was like, “Wow! This is a lot to take on.” But I
wanted the challenge.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles says: Tyler Perry does very well at being
funny and at being serious. You, too, do well at both. How did you prepare
for the different emotional moods your character, Judith, is called upon to
convey in Temptation?
JS: I had to do a lot of research because of the complexity of the character
since she passes through so many different emotional colors. In preparation,
I spent time speaking with marriage counselors , therapists and relationship
experts in order to get into her head, to understand what leads to what, and
how a third person could come between you and your spouse and convince you
that your marriage and life isn’t what it should be. I wanted to get a sense
of how that could happen. Being a newlywed, it was so hard for me to imagine
that. Tyler and I would debate back and forth about the script. I’d ask,
“Would she really do that?” Sometimes, he’d make an adjustment, other times
he say, “Look, Jurnee, you have to remember this is not you in a happy
marriage.” Those were the moments when I had to rely on my research.
KW: What was it like having Tyler Perry as a writer and director?
JS: It was such a great experience. He’s so down-to-earth… he’s a fun guy…
and he keeps a great set. Everything’s on time. He’s the first one to show
up, the last one to leave, and he’s really open to suggestions and
collaboration. For instance, if I said, “I don’t feel that that dialogue is
truthful,” he’d respond with, “Okay, let’s work that out. Let’s adjust it.”
He was very open to play, which is what you look for as an artist.
KW: What was it like working with your leading men Lance and Robbie, as well
as Kim, Brandy and Vanessa?
JS: It was great to work with the guys, because they really brought their
“A” game. I was really grateful to them for being so open and emotionally
available, since half of my performance involved looking into their eyes and
reacting to them. And what an amazing cast of women. Vanessa Williams, who
plays my boss, is such a legend. I’ve always looked up to her. Not only is
she so gorgeous, but she is a pro. She gave me some great advice and
support, that little stamp of “You got this, girl!” which you never can get
enough of. Brandy, I already knew. Although I didn’t have many scenes with
her, I was happy that she was in the film because she’s such a talented
actress. And Kim was just so sweet to work with. She was very eager and very
professional. It was a great, diverse cast.
KW: What message do you think Tyler wants his audience to take away from the
film?
JS: I think he really wants the film to start a dialogue among couples about
relationships. That you cannot take your loved one for granted. You have to
continue to communicate. You always have to work on the relationship. And
then there’s another message about choices. The film at its core is really
about how thoughts can infect your mind that might lead to choices that can
lead to actions and behavior you never thought yourself capable of, if you
don’t watch yourself. Since the movie, in a way, is a cautionary tale, Tyler
wants the message about relationships to reach younger people, too.
KW: Children’s book author Irene Smalls asks: Has the transition from child
to adult actress been a smooth one for you?
JS: I’ve been blessed that it has been a smooth one, not without its
challenges, of course. But for the most part, I’ve always been able to work.
I’m very picky about the kind of work that I do, and I’m fortunate to have
been able to work with great directors and great actors who’ve helped me
grow as an artist.
KW: Marcia Evans asks: Do you have any upcoming projects with any of your
siblings?
JS: Ahh! Possibly. My siblings are so talented. My sister’s a producer, and
my brothers and I all write. We’ve been developing some stuff. We’ll see. It
would have to be the right project. But for now, I’ve recently joined the
cast of True Blood.
KW: Marcia also asks: Is there an historical figure you would like to play
in a biopic?
JS: Ahh… that’s a good question. But there are too many to pick just one.
[Chuckles]
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: How did you come to develop an
interest at such an early age in AIDS in Africa and the Children’s Defense
Fund as charitable causes?
JS: I love that question. When I was 12 years-old, I got involved with an
organization called Artists for a New South Africa. One of its missions is
to help with HIV/AIDS awareness. My best friend is Hydeia Broadbent who was
one of the first people in America born HIV+. Between those two, I’ve always
been passionate about HIV from a young age, because I’ve seen, personally,
how it can affect someone’s life. Obviously, HIV/AIDS isn’t a death sentence
anymore. Hydeia will be 28 soon and she’s a walking example of that. But
still, as her best friend, I see how hard it is to live with this disease.
She wakes up with stomach aches, because the medication is really harsh on
your body. It’s nothing that anyone would choose to have. So, I do what I
can to educate young people about this disease, because it is preventable.
KW: Patricia also says: I loved your performance in The Great Debaters. She
asks: What does it mean to you to have African-American, Christian and
Jewish roots?
JS: It means that I’m a mutt. [LOL] My mom is African-American,
Native-American, Irish and Creole, and my father is of Jewish, Russian and
Polish descent. It’s made me who I am. Because of my diverse background, I
think I can relate to many different people, different stories and different
communities.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
JS: [LOL] I see my big ole smile. No, I see this young woman that I pray God
can use for a bigger reason.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Jurnee, and best of luck with the film.
JS: Thank you, Kam.
Related Links
Jurnee Smollett & Denzel Whitaker The Great Debaters Interview with AALBC.com's Kam Williams in 2007
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