Checking in with DANIELLE BROOKS
There aren’t many actors who garner a Tony nomination for their Broadway debut performance. That’s a fact not lost on one such thesp, “Orange Is the New Black’s” Danielle Brooks.
“It’s only an actor’s dream to be recognized ...,” the 27-year-old product of Greenville, S.C., says of the nomination for her performance in “The Color Purple.” “I mean, I’ve prayed for a great career, but this early in the game, to have only been acting professionally for five years and this being my first Broadway show, to receive a nomination I was very, very grateful and humbled by it; because I know there are people who work their whole careers trying to get nominated. So it’s been a cool experience.”
Brooks, who plays Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson in the Netflix dramedy (which begins streaming its fifth season Friday, June 9), went right to work after graduating the prestigious New York performing arts academy the Juilliard School in 2011, landing roles in “Blacken the Bubble” and the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of “Servant of Two Masters.” She left both in 2013 when she landed a two-episode gig as Taystee in Season 1 of “Orange,” which was then upgraded to a full season. She became a series regular in Season 2.
In 2015, she made her Broadway debut as Sofia in “Purple,” for which she bagged a Best Featured Actress in a Musical nomination, and she was doing this alongside shooting Season 5 of “Orange,” two painful roles that she says took an emotional toll on her but also informed each other. “With TV, you have to move quickly,” Brooks explains. “You don’t have time to live in a place of fear. You have to make a bold choice and deliver, and I think it really helped me with going back into theater because I was able to step into Sofia in those first few rehearsals and just make bold choices, and I think it really helped me to find the (character without) wasting time.”
Name: Danielle Brooks Birth date: Sept. 17, 1989 Birthplace: Augusta, Ga. (grew up in Greenville, S.C.) Education: Graduated from the Juilliard School in 2011 Family ties: Father was a deacon, mother was a minister TV credits: “Girls,” “Master of None,” “Orange Is the New Black”
Movie credits: “Modern Love” (2012), “Time Out of Mind” (2014), “The Angry Birds Movie” (voice; 2016), “I Dream Too Much” (2016), “Lasso & Comet” (voice; 2016)
Stage credits: “Servant of Two Masters,” “Blacken the Bubble,” “The Color Purple” Favorite book: “It’s this book called ‘Mind Platter’ I’ve been reading lately. And it’s just kind of like inspirational lessons about life that one should always have, and I actually carry it with me. Anytime I’m on a plane or traveling, I take this book with me. Now, I’m also reading my close friend Gabourey Sidibe’s book ‘This Is Just My Face,’ which is an incredible memoir and she’s just a brilliant writer. So I’ve been reading her book right now, too.”
Favorite movie: “I’m young in spirit, so my favorite movie is actually ‘Cinderella,’ the black version, the diverse version, the Brandi version with Whitney Houston. That is my movie. That and ‘Sister Act 2.’ Those are my movies. Classics.”
Favorite musical artist: “I love India. Arie, Emily King, BJ the Chicago Kid. I love Jon Batiste and the Stay Human band. I love Chris Stapleton. A big Al Green fan. Etta James. That’s my world.”