Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Porscha Coleman About Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!

Porscha Coleman is a dynamic quintuple threat who has taken Hollywood by storm with her talent. This year, she can be seen starring opposite Jamie Foxx and David Alan Grier in the must-see, laugh-out-loud comedy Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!. Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Porscha about her multifaceted career, Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!, and why this is the role she was born to play.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts?
Porscha: My passion for the arts started at a very young age. When I was five years old, I was in a school play. I was the lead. I sang and danced. I knew I loved being in front of the camera and in front of people. My mom and all of my aunts and uncles used to be in a very popular group overseas. I would always be at their rehearsals, watching everything going on. I was literally born into it. When my mom was pregnant with me, she was listening to music. I heard so much of that. By the time I was seven years old, my mom was like, “Let’s try an acting class.”

At the end of the class, they had agents come in. I did this monologue and an agent signed me practically on the spot and said, “I’d love to represent you.” I started doing a bunch of background work, from Ellen’s television show to Devil in a Blue Dress to Friday. I booked three commercials back to back. When I joined SAG around the age of nine or ten, I was starring in a lot of television shows already. I was playing Terrence Howard’s stepdaughter. I had a guest starring role on The Gregory Hines Show. I definitely started at an early age. I’ve been blessed to have done this my entire life and to have never had to report to a “regular job.” I would do this even if I wasn’t getting paid. It never feels like work.

PC: There are so many different facets to your talent and artistry. You act, you sing, you dance, you host. Is there one that comes more naturally than the others? Is there one that’s more challenging?
Porscha: The most challenging has to be dancing. When I was young, everyone thought, I’m a young little Black girl, I got rhythm, I can dance. But the moment I went to a dance audition and had to learn choreography, I had two left feet. I was like, “Wait a minute. This is really hard.” By the time I was eleven years old, I was getting up every day and training ballet, jazz, modern, tap, everything you could think of.

That was the hardest. I could dance, but doing choreography like the greats do—like Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Chris Brown, Usher—it isn’t easy to do that. People think they can dance because they have rhythm, but that’s a different ball game. That was the hardest thing.

The easiest has been music. That was always around. All of my family can sing. We were harmonizing in the car when I was a child. I was always doing it with my mom and brother. Those had to be the easiest and hardest things for me to develop. Now, for me to be around people that do the same thing, it’s so rewarding.

Jamie Foxx and David Alan Grier are such great artists. It’s great to watch their process. We’ll be in the middle of a scene and we’ll cut and break out into song. Jamie will start his boom box and he’ll be vibing to a song and I’ll be there dancing. It’s so fun to be on set. You would have to be a fly on the wall to watch those moments that aren’t on camera. I guarantee that when you see the show, you’ll see the camaraderie that we all had that came so naturally for us.

Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!

PC: Tell us about Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Porscha: Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! is an amazing comedy about the real-life relationship between Jamie Foxx and Corinne Foxx. It’s the ups and downs of raising a teenage daughter. If anyone has kids, they can relate to this show. “Oh my God, she likes boys? How do I act? I’m her father. She can’t like boys. I never want her to like boys.” But he has to play it cool and lay down the foundation. David Alan Grier as Pops and myself as his sister are there to keep him in check when he’s doing things that are completely out of line, which sums up the title Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! But we’re all technically embarrassing her in some way, shape, form, or fashion. [laughs] That’s what your family does. I’m the cool auntie.

I’ve known Jamie for about ten years. I’ve been around Corinne. I’ve been around Jamie’s sisters, DeOndra and Deidra. It’s a beautiful thing to witness his camaraderie with his family that lives with him. His mother lives with him. His sisters live with him. His stepdad lives with him. The show came so easily to me because I knew the ins and outs of his family dynamic already. Being able to put it on camera and let people see these real moments has been a beautiful thing.

PC: Jamie Foxx hand-selected you for the role. Did that bring a different kind of pressure? Did that change the preparation?
Porscha: Absolutely! It does bring pressure when someone says, “I want to give them this shot.” It’s like you’re expected to go in there and wow everyone and be this person that everyone is expecting you to be. It’s a blessing because he thought I was the perfect person for this role. But I still auditioned. I had to get on tape for Netflix. They had to see it and believe it. After the first episode, they understood it. They realized why Jamie wanted me in the role.

PC: If you had to summarize the first season in a hashtag, what would it be and why?
Porscha: #Hilarious. If I had to give you a sentence, I would say, “You will absolutely love this show and this family because we can all relate to it.” It’s not just because we’re a Black family. Any family can watch this and understand it. Whether you’re a Caucasian, whether you’re Hispanic, whether you’re Middle Eastern, you can understand the dynamic. Whether it was your niece living in your house, whether it was your daughter, whether it was your stepdaughter, you know how this works within a family, watching someone grow up and going through the ups and downs of life. That’s what I love. It’s not just one demographic that will be watching this show. You can sit down and say, “Let’s watch this together.” I’m so big on family.

PC: You were talking about improvisation earlier. Was there a scene that was improvised that you’re really excited for your fans to see?
Porscha: There are so many moments in the show that were actually improvised. One moment has to be in the very first episode. I don’t want to give away what happens, but we all break into song and dance. It was a viral moment that had already happened, but we took it to another level. On the show, one word that David Alan Grier says can spark a whole moment. If you’re watching, you’re like, “Wait a minute. That just happened.” [laughs] We do this all the time.

You guys are going to crack up watching little moments and you’re going to wonder, “Wow, was that scripted? Or did that organically happen?” There are so many moments like that and they left them in the show, which I’m so grateful for.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Porscha: Married at First Sight.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Porscha: The Fifth Element. Everything that Chris Tucker did in this movie was so funny, from his outfit to his hairstyle to his scream. He was panicking the whole movie while Bruce Willis played it cool. Watching their dynamic was so funny.

PC: Favorite book?
Porscha: The 48 Laws of Power has to be my favorite book. I love the audiobook as well as the actual book. When you read something and can truly apply it to your daily life, that’s what’s so important. That’s 48 Laws of Power. Who doesn’t want to be healthier? Who doesn’t want to be richer? Who doesn’t want to be more successful? Who doesn’t want to be smarter?

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Porscha: My favorite play is Romeo and Juliet. My favorite musical has to be The Wiz. I was able to play Dorothy in The Wiz at eleven.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Porscha: Nickelback.

To keep up with Porscha, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! on Netflix today.