Kia, founder of GLD, was able to catch up with the beautiful and always fabulous LisaRaye McCoy. Kia told us her interview with Ms. McCoy was refreshing and she walked away with a new admiration and respect for the "real" McCoy. Kia: Tell us something about yourself that people may not already know?
LisaRaye: That I am extremely sensitive. I cry at the movies, I cry at the news, I cry if I see somebody getting mistreated.
Kia: As a child growing up was acting something you always dreamed of doing?
LisaRaye: No, my father was a businessman. So I knew it would be something in business, either in the hotel/motel business or entrepreneurship.
Kia: How did you get into acting?
LisaRaye: It found me. I was modeling in Chicago and I liked that all eyes on me feel. So, I thought maybe commercials. Then a girlfriend of mine, Sharon King, called me and said there was a casting out of Chicago for an independent film and I think you would be great for this small role. And when she said small, she meant small. It had 3 lines (laughs). But to make a long story short, I went in and came out with the lead. And that was my first introduction into acting. Then I got the little bug and the director for that movie was Monty Ross, who used to be the executive producer for Spike Lee back in the day, called me and said I think you need to go to LA for pilots. I tried my luck and said hey I am going to try it. I gave myself a year to “make it”. Within 6 months I got Players Club.
Kia: Would you consider Players Club your “big break”?
LisaRaye: Yes, oh yes. Absolutely.
Kia: Do you prefer your reality show (the Real McCoy) or your scripted role (Single Ladies)?
LisaRaye: Both, because I think the perception of me is that I’m this strong, no nonsense, hustler, gold-digger, around-the-way kind of girl. And in the end, I think they forget that I’m a girl. That I cry, that I get hurt, that I’ve been cheated on, that I have issues, concerns, and everything else like the average woman. To give people the inside look on what you are really going through. And how they can support you and/or hate you more.
The scripted I love, because it allows me to showcase my craft, my skill - which is acting. It takes me in front of the camera, breathing life into the writers words. I think a lot of people relate to Keisha because she is the sassy one and so opinionated. I think we are hot and sexy and have our own values and opinions on dating. I think what’s refreshing about Keisha is that she is strong but shows vulnerability.
Kia: With the Real McCoy do you feel like you have gotten more supporters or more haters?
LisaRaye: More supporters, definitely. I think people thought well ok, she got a divorce. I don’t think they understood that getting a divorce from the head of state, is kind of different. Everything he did, I was guilty by association, by marriage. So automatically I had to disassociate myself from everything to save myself. And it was a big political battle I was involved in over in Turks and Caicos. I had to fight and I didn’t even know what I was fighting for. And I was trying to get up out of the scrutiny, and the allegations, and the charges the country was under.Kia: Single Ladies is constantly being compared to Sex and the City and Girlfriends, how do you feel about that?
LisaRaye: I love it. I think they hit the nail right on the head.
Kia: How do you feel about reality TV taking over most of the networks?
LisaRaye: I don’t like it. I don’t like some of the programming. I do understand that it's real stories told by real people, and that is their life. But I do believe that you have to exude a certain amount of privacy in what you do. And I had to learn that the hard way myself. But I think when they give us a platform to act a damn fool, it’s just degrading. I think it’s a better way of doing things with more integrity.
Kia: Does your daughter have any interest in becoming an actress? If so, how do you feel about it?
LisaRaye: Yes. This business builds you up to tear you down and not that she is not a strong cookie, but because the way the economy is going and the way the business is going you have to have a little bit more up under your belt. I even tend to believe that us actors are about to be extinct in a minute. You have movies like Avatar, movies that are animated, making up voices so who knows. Maybe in 20 years everything may be 3-D. And this business gives you a lot of rejection, you get more no’s than yes’s. So I would just like for her to have that piece of paper behind her and that career behind her.
Kia: What advice would you give someone trying to break into the business?
LisaRaye: Be in the right place at the right time, which means you can’t expect to be an actor and live in Oklahoma. I would encourage them to come for pilot season, to hit the pavement and meet all the people you can. It’s networking; it’s about who you know. But it’s also about your talent and knowing what you want to do.
Kia: For all those upcoming actors, explain what is pilot season?
LisaRaye: It is two times in a year. First time in February, there are a bunch of agents that are looking for new talent; there are a bunch of new series, documentaries, independent films, films, and sitcoms that are going on. So you can get a couple of auditions behind you. That’s the time you can look for a manager or agent.
Kia: What is your mantra? What do you live by?
LisaRaye: Keep it real!
Kia: What does living grand mean to you?
Lisa Raye: To live. To live life. To live life to the fullest because you don’t know if you are going to be here tomorrow.
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