Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Kelly Jenrette

It’s hard to believe that when Emmy-nominated actress Kelly Jenrette moved to LA, it would take her six years to land her first costar role. But with persistence, prayer, and a few tears, Kelly has built an illustrious career with coveted roles in projects that include Grandfathered, The Handmaid’s Tale, Limetown, and Manhunt. This year, she has not one but two exciting projects out: All Day and a Night and Uncorked. We caught up with Kelly to learn more about each, and she shared her definition of success.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Kelly: It’s so funny. I was thinking about that as I was driving home today. I feel like it started pretty early on. I have a cassette tape of a radio station that I started. Growing up in Atlanta, the popular radio station was Z103. So my radio station was Z105. I was the DJ. I was the artist. I would sing. I would interview myself. I have four brothers and one sister. I would interview them. I did stand-up comedy.

It was really interesting to go back to that memory. My very first play was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where I got to play Charlie. Then I saw this amazing movie, The Five Heartbeats, written and directed by Robert Townsend. I feel like that took it over the edge. It cemented in me that that’s something that I wanted to do.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Kelly: My mother. She’s always rooted for me. We joke about it now. We look back at talent shows and I’m like, “Mom, I was terrible, but you were there rooting me on like I was the best thing in the world,” and that’s how she is today. She’s still in Georgia, but she will come out here to see a play that I’m doing. Or when I was nominated for an Emmy, she came out to be my plus-one for that. She’s been a fierce cheerleader, prayer warrior in my corner, and I know that she will always be there for me. I would definitely say she’s one of my biggest influences.

PC: You’ve been open about the realities of the industry. It took you six or seven years after moving to LA before you landed your first costar role. How were you able to keep yourself motivated? What did you learn about yourself during that time?
Kelly: It took a lot of prayer—a lot of prayer, a lot of crying, a lot of pep talks, a lot of temper tantrums—and I finally had to get to the place where I understood that I needed to redefine what success was. When I first came out here, success was being on the red carpet, getting all the accolades and awards, and being “famous.” The longer I stayed out there, the more that definition of success morphed into what it is now and understanding that the fact that I stayed out here for as long as I have, that’s success. I have friends that are no longer here because they couldn’t make it in LA. Growing over time helped me to understand that success does not have to look a certain way or look the way that society tells you it’s supposed to look.

PC: When you look at your journey, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Kelly: Before I moved out to LA, I was submitting my headshot and résumés to different theater companies out here. One of the places that I submitted to I ended up auditioning for and booking the role. From there, I met a woman named Sue Hamilton, who is now a friend and my acting teacher. I can trace so many things back to Sue Hamilton. I worked with her on that play. She auditioned me for another play as an understudy. Then she worked with ABC and I auditioned for the diversity showcase and ended up booking that. Through that, I ended up getting my agents and was able to get into rooms. So I feel like being prepared before I got out here and not waiting until I got here helped me get ahead of the curve.

PC: You have not one, but two movies out now. Tell us about All Day and a Night and Uncorked.
Kelly: All Day and a Night was written and directed by Joe Robert Cole, who is by far one of my favorite directors to work with. It stars Jeffrey Wright and Ashton Sanders. Ashton plays my son. Jeffrey and I are his parents. We are very broken individuals trying to raise a son from that brokenness, and as a result, our son ends up making some devastating choices that have an impact on him for the rest of his life. There’s such a redemptive quality to the end of the piece that is tragically beautiful.

Then with Uncorked, it’s about this ordinary black family, and you get to peek behind the curtains and see what life is like for them. I play the sister of the main character, the daughter of Courtney B. Vance and Niecy Nash, and my brother, the lead, Mamoudou Athie, wants to be a master sommelier. But our father, Courtney B. Vance, wants him to run the barbecue business that’s been in the family for a couple of generations. No one is looking at my character to do that because she can’t cook. That’s the running joke for my character. What I love about Uncorked is that it is this normal middle-class African American family going through life and the ups and downs and the challenges and struggles they face as a family.

PC: Both films have been well received. What do you think is resonating the most with audiences?
Kelly: With Uncorked, it feels good to see a black family in this light. I’ve never seen a film about a black character wanting to be a master sommelier. Fortunately, I knew what that was because a couple of years prior, I had been introduced to someone who also wanted to be a master sommelier. I was like, “This is fantastic.” It feels good to see us in that light. On the other end, with All Day and a Night, there is a culture that the movie really resonates with. It was shot in Oakland, based in Oakland, and it’s great for people to be able to see themselves. But then we can relate to the mistakes and lessons that they learn. We get to see them grow.

PC: Besides All Day and a Night and Uncorked, do you have any other upcoming projects that you can chat about?
Kelly: Well, I have Manhunt, Deadly Games on Spectrum on demand. I’m also working on a play. I’ve been commissioned by Black Rebirth Collective to write a piece about Betty Shabazz and Coretta Scott King, who are often referred to as the widows or wives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. We’re hoping to do the word premiere in September, but with the coronavirus, everything is on hold.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Kelly: I love the reality shows that I watch, like World of Dance. My husband and I are glued to the TV—and Titan Games.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Kelly: Dinner for Schmucks. I love Steve Carell in that film. If I want to laugh and be silly, I’ll pop that in.

PC: Favorite book?
Kelly: I don’t know if I would call it my favorite. It’s extremely challenging. It’s called Humility by Andrew Murray. It talks about how we as believers, the role that humility should play in our lives.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Kelly: I have to say The Color Purple. I had the opportunity to play Nettie in The Color Purple out here with the Celebration Theatre. It was such a moving piece. It was done in a black box with seventeen actors. I remember Allee [Willis] came to see the play. She did the music. I remember her coming to see it and she said that she felt it was the closest thing to what she had envisioned in her mind and the intimacy of the piece. I was able to form relationships that I still have with people today.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Kelly: Ólafur Arnalds

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Kelly: Marsai Martin

To keep up with Kelly, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Catch All Day and a Night and Uncorked on Netflix today.

Photo Credit: Johnathon Jenrette