Lena Waithe
Lena
Waithe
The
“Ready Player One” Interview
with
Kam Williams
Lena's
Towering Patina!
Born
on May 17, 1984, Lena Diane Waithe was raised along with her sister
on the South Side of Chicago by a single-mom. She showed an interest
in writing at an early age, and was encouraged to pursue her passion
by both her mother and grandmother.
After
earning a degree in Cinema and Television Arts from Columbia College
Chicago, she embarked on a showbiz career not only as a scriptwriter
but as an actress and producer as well. She is probably best known
for playing Denise on the Netflix series Master of None, although she
made history last fall by becoming the first African-American female
to win an Emmy for comedy writing.
Openly
gay, Lena was named Out Magazine's Artist of the Year for 2017. She
is also the creator of The Chi, a super-realistic Showtime series set
on the South Side of Chicago.
Here,
she talks about her role as Aech in Ready Player One, Steven
Spielberg's adaptation of Ernest Cline's young adult novel of the
same name. In the dizzying sci-fi thriller, she plays the
protagonist's best friend and member of a team of gamers
participating in a virtual reality Easter egg hunt with a grand prize
of half a trillion dollars.
Kam
Williams: Hey
Lena,
I'm honored to have this opportunity to speak with you.
Lena
Waithe:
Oh, I'm
honored to speak with you, too, Kam. How are you?
KW:
Great!
How about you?
LW:
I'm
good, thanks.
KW:
Actress,
producer, screenwriter. Which hat is your favorite to wear?
LW:
I'm a
writer first. The acting thing came along because I've been blessed
to cross paths with some phenomenal casting directors like Allison
Jones, Ellen Lewis [Ready Player One], and Leslee Feldman who runs
casting for Amblin Entertainment. These amazing women and God are the
reasons why I'm an actor. I believe God orders my steps. He saw this
for me, because I definitely didn't see it for myself. I've always
been a bit of a ham and a bit of a performer for my friends in my
circles, but I never, ever would have pursued it on my own. So, I'm
just very grateful to these ladies for seeing something in me. But at
the end of the day, I was born a television writer, and I'll die a
television writer. That's what I'm most comfortable doing.
KW:
Well,
congratulations on making history in winning the Emmy for Master of
None.
LW:
Thank
you so much, Kam.
KW:
What interested you in Ready Player One?
LW:
I got a
call from my agency at the time, saying, "Yo, we got a call
about the Steven Spielberg film. They want you to come in and read
for it." I said, "Sure. Why not?" So, I went in and
read, got a call back to read again, and then I call saying that
Steven had chosen me to be Aech in the movie. That was a moment you
can't even imagine. Obviously, the biggest draw for me was the
director, since I didn't know the book and they hadn't given me the
script to read, because everything was very top secret. All
I had were some sides. Spielberg is a famous brand, like Coca-Cola. I
felt that I could trust him no matter what the project was. And I'm
glad I did, because I love the movie and it's already getting a great
response. It's a classic Spielberg adventure that you'll never
forget. It's phenomenal!
KW:
Did you
read the novel before you began shooting?
LW:
Yes.
As soon as I was cast, I got the script and the book. I read the
script, which I loved, first. Then I read the novel which I also
thought was just phenomenal.
KW:
I
haven't read the book. How faithful is the film to it?
LW:
I
think people will have to go to the theater to see, because we have a
lotta fans of the book. Steven made a great point today. He said
there are about a dozen different movies you could make from the
book, because there's so much going on. I'm not sure which of those
twelve he would say he chose, but he did what he does best by making
a really fantastic film. And I think Ernest Cline's best seller
served as a wonderful blueprint.
KW:
How did
you prepare to play Aech?
LW:
Aech's
avatar is this 6' tall, half-man, half-robot, very swaggy guy. My
influences were Mr. T and Ice Cube. I kept them in mind while I was
playing the character, because it's an alter-ego, who you wish you
were. And who's cooler than Mr. T and Ice Cube? Nobody!
KW:
Did you
play video games as a child?
LW:
Definitely!
I remember my dad buying my sister and me the original Nintendo. I'll
never forget that day he brought it to the house. My mom was not
happy about it, because nothing got done for the next few months. We
were Nineties kids, so it was a big deal to us. We had a Gameboy and
played Tetris all the time, before graduating to Sega Genesis. And we
borrowed a friend's Nintendo 64. I went through those different
stages of gaming, since it was so easy to get sucked into it. But
when I got older, it got a little too complicated for me, because I
had homework to do. But I've always had an appreciation of the games.
They're a lotta fun, so I get why people do it.
KW:
What
message do you think people will take away from Ready Player One?
LW:
That
reality is more fun than fantasy. The movie is one, big, great
escape. But I think Steven's saying escapism is fine, but that you
don't want to escape so much that you lose the appreciation of what's
right around you.
KW:
Have
you managed to maintain a connection to Chicago?
LW:
I have
a show about Chicago [The Chi], so obviously I'm there very often for
filming. And my family's still there, too. So, I feel very connected
to Chicago. I have a great love for the city, and I strive to portray
it in a very honest and human light.
KW:
Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: With so many classic films being redone,
is there a remake you'd like to star in?
LW:
Honestly,
I'm not the biggest fan of remakes. If I could've been in a remake,
I'd a chosen Ocean's 11. I love that movie. And I'm still mad I'm not
in the new one, Ocean's 8. But Rihanna's holding it down for all the
sisters.
KW:
When
you look in the mirror, what do you see?
LW:
Wow!
That's a good question. I see a proud, gay, black woman.
KW:
Ling-Ju Yen asks: What
is your earliest childhood memory?
LW:
Moving
in with my grandmother on the South Side of Chicago when I was 2. I
remember running around a room full of people while she was playing
poker or hosting neighborhood watch meetings. I also remember getting
excited about going to Dunkin' Donuts and going to see movies like
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with my dad on the weekend.
KW:
The
Morris Chestnut question: Was there any particular moment in your
childhood that inspired you to become the person you are today?
LW:
Hmm... I think there were
numerous things that inspired me. TV shows like Family Matters and A
Different World, and movies like Jurassic Park and Forrest Gump. I
remember wanting to live in those spaces for a long time, not knowing
that ultimately I would want to create stories that would make people
feel the way I had felt watching those shows and movies. I was always
happiest when we were going to the movie theater, no matter what we
were going to see. I liked the idea of sharing that experience with a
group of people I'd never met and would probably never see again.
KW:
Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone
would?
LW:
I can't
think of one. But you've asked some good ones.
KW:
Finally,
Samuel L. Jackson asks: What’s in your wallet?
LW:
My Soho House card, my Amex and
my driver's license.
KW:
Thanks
again for the time, Lena,
and best of luck with Ready Player One.
LW:
Thanks
so much, Kam.
To
see the trailer for Ready Player One, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSp1dM2Vj48
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