They look great as per usual. Read what they had to say below about working in Hollywood as black actresses and dealing with all the gossip blogs... Pick up a copy now!ON BEING IN-BETWEEN JOBS AS A BLACK ACTRESS
Essence: What kind of year has it been for you?
Sanaa Lathan: Im happy to have gotten a job this year. You know one of the things I decided early on in my careerespecially because I only have me to take care ofis that I dont want to do anything just for money. As a result, I can be very annoying to my agents and pass on everything. To a fault. But something came along that Im really excited about. Im playing a Senegalese woman, and its the first time that Ill be able to do some real accent work. Its a small, really beautiful film. Other than that, Ive just been living my life. Living the life that you live as an actor between jobs, which is
Nia Long, Gabrielle Union: [Immense laughter]
Sanaa: You know, at this point in our careers, were all in our mid-thirties. Theres an art to being an actress, especially being a Black actress. And the truth is, to have persevered as long as the three of us have, you have to have some kind of philosophy about being in between work.
Essence: Because thats so much time, right?
Sanaa: So much time.
Nia: No matter how long youve been in it, there is no security. So you have to really do sort of that internal work to just say Im going to stay true to who I am, and also to have your heart open enough to be happy when other great things are happening for other people who do the same thing you do. Because that can be difficult if youre not in the right place. I think having that helps to attract your highest good to you.
Gabrielle: Thats a tough lesson we all have to go through. Its like, no matter how much you hate on somebody, it doesnt change your life. I mean, you feel kind of okay in the moment as youre dogging somebody, and then at the end of it you feel [bad] and you still dont have a job.
Nia: And you wont get one because youre putting all that negativity out there!
Sanaa: I truly believe that. And you know the thing is also, because we are artists, we feel. We have to nurture that sensitive side of ourselves, so of course were going to get jealous and envious. Were human. But the key is to have the emotion, recognize it, deal with it, and move on. Thats what being an adult is. I think in life you have to work on yourself, but its almost like being an actress in Hollywood is double the stress.
ON GOSSIP
Essence: How do you deal with the 24-hours-a-day gossip that comes out on the Internet?
Gabrielle: Just last week somebody gave me a baby. This isnt Perez Hilton or the White gossip people, these are women of color, specifically Black women who, for whatever reason, dont like the company I keep.
Sanaa: Shes talking about the gossip sites.
Essence: The blogs.
Sanaa: That are run by Black women.
Gabrielle: And now because everyone is clamoring for celebrity tidbits, the bigger gossip sites and even mainstream entities are picking up on it. No fact-checking, no nothing. And in one weeks time, there were like five different dudes, a babyIm a homewrecker. In literally seven days. I cant point the finger at the White media. They dont care about us. Paparazzi are not staked out in front of any of our houses. They are not going through our garbage because they dont care about us in that way. So when you hear crap about us, it is coming from our own community, which hurts.
Nia: We are some of the few Black actresses whose passions are rooted in our community.
Gabrielle: There is this idea that there is integrity in journalism; if its written it has to be true. But thats not the case. When blogs or any of the magazines get it wrong, theres no accountability. In the next breath, theyll complain on the blogs that we dont have enough Black stars. Well, you rip us to shreds every two seconds from our nose to the weave to the clothes to the shoes to the ashy ankles.
Credit: Thank you Essence for the pics and interview.
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