By Darlene
Donloe
Simone Missick is
one of three black actresses who are leads on their respective CBS shows.
One-third of the
Black Girl Magic happening at the network that includes (Tichina Arnold/ The Neighborhood and Folake Olowofoyeku/Bob Hearts Abishola, Missick is the only
one starring in a drama.
Missick plays
activist Judge Lola Carmichael in the hour-long drama, All Rise that airs 9 p.m. Monday nights on CBS.
The show, which
also stars Marg Helgenberger (CSI)
and Wilson Bethel (HBO’s Generation Kill),
is about a former deputy district attorney who is a newly appointed judge. She is new to the job and decides to do
things differently from the status quo. She is going to dispense a fresh kind
of justice.
During her
career, Missick, who is married to actor Dorian Missick, has played Misty
Knight alongside Mike Colter on Luke Cage. She also appeared in the television film A Taste of Romance and the series Ray Donovan.
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| Simone Missick |
I recently
caught up with the Detroit native to talk about her latest role.
DD: What’s it
like to be a black woman lead in Hollywood?
SM: I’ve had the
fortune of seeing other black women as leads. I didn’t come up in a time when
there were no others. I watched people
like Tichina Arnold who had several TV shows. I’ve watched Kerry Washington’s
success. Thankfully, I don’t feel like I’m the only person out there. I can
also look around and see women I know – whose careers I’ve been rooting for –
and watch them shine. People like Yvonne Orji from Insecure, Maya Lynne Robinson from Unicorn and Kariman
Westbrook from All American. I’ve
known these people for a while and they are now getting their due. It’s great to look around the room and see
people you know.
DD: Has is sunk
in that, you have your own show?
SM: I’m hazing
to be able to be in a show that I’m the lead of with an amazing, outstanding
ensemble. Seasoned veterans and CBS royalty like Marg Helgenberger and
Tony-Award winning actresses and great actors I get to play with every day.
DD: How’d it
come about?
SM: I
auditioned.
DD: How many
times?
SM: Once.
DD: Talk about that.
SM: I found out
on a Thursday that they wanted to audition me on a Saturday but I had to work
all day Thursday and Friday. I flew in
Saturday morning, headed straight to CBS, had a two-hour long audition and flew
right back to go to work on Monday. That Tuesday I found out I got the job.
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| Simone Missick Photo by Darlene Donloe |
DD: How did you
prepare for this audition?
SM: The words.
That’s all you have is the script. I figured out who I thought this woman was
and so I went in and found the humor, the life, the realness. I tapped into
women I knew as well as parts of myself.
DD: Who is she?
SM: Lola is
smart. She is funny and goofy, insecure, a little neurotic and she’s fun. But,
she’s also the most powerful woman in the room with the biggest heart and the
desire to change the system.
DD: Are you encouraged
or discouraged about black people in Hollywood?
SM: I’m not
discouraged at all. I think there can be more. There should be more people of
color in the room, in the writer’s rooms, in the producer's meetings, helming films
and TV shows on the executive level, behind the camera – there can always be
more. But when I go on my set, I am astounded how much inclusion there is. It’s
not just racial inclusion. There are so many people represented in front of and
behind the cameras. It’s also gender variations, sexual orientations, and cultural
backgrounds. Our show to me represents
LA, which represents the world we’re trying to portray on camera. I go to work every day encouraged and
thankful.
DD: What did you
expect when you got in this business and what did you get?
SM: I think when
I started in this business I thought I was going to be famous by 28. I’m a
couple years past that. What I thought is nowhere near what God has blessed me
with. My dreams and goals have far exceeded what I’m getting. I’m gotten way
more than I deserve. It’s God’s grace.
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