Diamond White
The
“Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” Interview
with
Kam Williams
Precious
Diamond Sure Does Shine!
Born
in Detroit on New Year's Day in 1999, Diamond White made a huge
splash auditioning for Fox-TV’s “The
X-Factor” at just 13 years of age. She stunned judges Simon Cowell
and Britney Spears and wowed the crowd with an unforgettable
rendition of "It's a Man World."
That
launched the multi-talented ingenue's singing and acting career
marked by memorable voicework on some of today’s most-popular
animated shows: “Transformers: Rescue Bots,” Disney’s “The
Lion Guard” and “Pinky Malinky.” She's also been making
live-action movies and, here, talks about reprising the role of
Tiffany in Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween.
Kam
Williams: Hi
Diamond, I'm honored to have this opportunity to speak with you.
Diamond
White:
My
pleasure, Kam!
KW:
I just
finished watching your original audition for "The X-Factor."
It literally left me in tears.
DW:
Really?
KW:
Absolutely!
It was especially moving because of Simon Cowell's condescending tone
towards you even before you started singing. It was like he was
deliberately trying to make you nervous. I was touched that you still
had the composure and confidence to bring your A game in front of
that huge audience.
DW:
Well,
thank you.
KW:
Have
you ever seen that video of James
Brown and Luciano Pavarotti's duet of "It's a Man World?"
DW:
I don't
think I have.
KW:
You, of
all people have to check it out. How did you come to try out for the
show?
DW:
I was
dared to audition by one of my friends. So, when I went in, I wasn't
really worrying about whether the judges might be super-mean or
super-intense. I was just there to have fun, and felt that whatever
happened, happened.
KW:
Speaking
of fun, have you had fun doing Boo! and Boo 2!?
DW:
Yeah!
And I actually had more fun making the second one, because I was less
nervous about working with [director/co-star] Tyler Perry.
KW:
Was it
hard working opposite so many comedians?
DW:
Not
really. Whenever I'm in a room with funny people, I kinda just play
off of them. My role here wasn't to be funny. It was just to give
people a hard time which I do naturally. [Chuckles]
KW:
Is a
Boo 3! already in the works?
DW:
I have
no idea. I'm not in the loop when it comes to that.
KW:
Which
do you prefer, acting or singing?
DW:
Acting
and singing go hand-in-hand. Whenever you sing, you act out a story,
especially in music videos. Acting is a muscle I like to use while
singing. I'd say I'm definitely an artist first.
KW:
Who have you been listening to lately?
DW:
I've
been watching alot of SWV [Sisters with Voices] and Aaliyah videos.
KW:
What
are you working on, musically?
DW:
Tomorrow, I'm releasing the video for my song "Cleopatron."
And I'll be dropping a new single every month until I go on tour
later this year. They're all written by me. No fake songs. So, I'm
letting people inside my head.
KW:
In
terms of acting, do you prefer live-action or voiceover work?
DW:
I'm a
really big fan of cartoons, and I've been doing animation for awhile,
but I've got to say live-action because there's a lot more going on.
And it's more fun to be able to watch as well as listen to myself,
even though sometimes I hate what I look like.
KW:
And do
you prefer doing TV or film?
DW:
Film! I
really want to get into indy films and play some riskier characters.
It's been a dream of mine to do an action film where I get to kick
some butt.
KW:
Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: With so many classic films being redone,
is there a remake you'd like to star in?
DW:
The
Bodyguard.
KW:
The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?
DW:
I
really like Gucci, but not very expensive things that take away
paychecks. Sorella's really nice, too.
KW:
Ling-Ju Yen asks: What
is your earliest childhood memory?
DW:
The day
a classmate painted on my Juicy Couture blouse at school. That was
the day I realized I was a bourgie kid. I was about 5. My mom got mad
and complained at the school like Madea.
KW:
What is your favorite food to eat?
DW:
I like
really, really, really pastas. A good fettuccine Alfredo with chicken
and shrimp is my go-to.
KW:
The Viola Davis question: What’s the biggest difference between who
you are at home as opposed to the person we see on the red carpet?
DW:
That's a very interesting question. At home, I'm really to
myself. I can write in my journal and listen to music for hours. I
like to be social, but some people are scary. So, I have to kinda
prepare myself mentally to be on the carpet. Once I'm in that frame
of mind, red carpets are easy.
KW:
When
you look in the mirror, what do you see?
DW:
I see a
human who's always changing. I never see the same person twice,
because there's always something different going on in my head. But
I've always seen a strong black girl in the mirror since I was
little.
KW:
Has
that strength served you well in your career?
DW:
In the
film industry and in the music business, you don't see many
dark-skinned females being shown in the light they deserve. I'm
hoping to change that because how we're represented is really
important. That's something I carry with me all the time.
KW:
Do you have a generic question that I could ask other celebrities?
DW:
I have
a good one. Ask them to share a thought that they've never even put
on paper?
KW:
Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone
would?
DW:
It's
always the simple questions, like: How are you feeling today? No one
ever asks: how are you actually doing?
KW:
Well,
how are you doing?
DW:
I'm
about to get my hair done. And I always feel really good after
getting my hair done. [Giggles]
KW:
Larry
Greenberg asks: Do you have a favorite movie monster?
DW:
The Demogorgon on Stranger Things.
KW:
Judyth
Piazza asks: What key quality do you believe all successful people
share?
DW:
I think
anyone who's creative is definitely a little crazy. It's tough to be
courageous enough to pursue a wild idea.
KW:
What's
the craziest thing you've ever done?
DW:
Auditioning
for X-Factor. But I still do something crazy everyday.
KW:
The Anthony Mackie question: Is
there
anything that you promised yourself you’d do if you became famous,
that you still haven’t done yet?
DW:
I hate
using the word "famous." I don't think it means much
anymore, because there are so many people all over the internet who
are famous for no reason. I see myself as successful. It's always
been a goal of mine to buy my mom a house in L.A. that's ten times
better than our home in Detroit that burned down.
KW:
“Realtor
to the Stars” Jimmy Bayan asks: What’s
your dream locale in Los Angeles to live?
DW:
She wants to be in Calabasas. But some parts of Calabasas are
apparently very ratchet [i.e., ghetto] now. And I can't have her
living in a bad area.
KW:
What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your
footsteps?
DW:
Have a goal, but don't have a
fixed plan on how to get there. Be flexible and make smart choices,
because you don't want to see yourself in a bad light.
KW:
Finally,
Samuel L. Jackson asks: What’s in your wallet?
DW:
I don't
have a wallet. I just have my driver's license, a credit card, my
allergy medicine and a few dollars in the bottom of my backpack.
[Laughs]
KW:
Thanks
again for the time, Diamond. I look forward to speaking to you again
soon. .
DW:
Me too,
Kam. Thank you soooooo much!
To
see a trailer for Boo 2! A Madea Halloween, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feRTw6OK_Ks
To
see Diamond White's audition performance of
"It's a Man World" on “The X-Factor”
at just 13 years of age, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGVZ82AEaWo
To
see James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti's duet of "It's a Man
World," visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Febr_t_qa9U
To
see Diamond's new music video, "Cleopatron," visit,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_-dy-CisUQ
To
order a copy of Boo 2! A Madea Halloween on Blu-ray, visit:
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B077XG5H29/ref%3dnosim/thslfofire-20
No comments:
Post a Comment