Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Ruthless’ Melissa L. Williams

Melissa L. Williams is a once-in-a-lifetime talent best known for her breakout role in BET’s number-one-ranked new scripted series The Oval. Created by Tyler Perry, the steamy drama follows a seemingly perfect interracial family who become the White House’s newest residents. But behind closed doors is a web of lies, betrayal, and corruption.

Melissa stars as not one but two characters for the project, bringing to life twins Denise and Ruth Truesdale. It’s Melissa’s dynamic performance that has caught the eyes of not only audiences but also Tyler Perry, who created a spinoff series, Ruthless, for her character Ruth. Pop Culturalist caught up with Melissa to chat about her career, her new series, and the importance of showing up for yourself!

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting?
Melissa: I discovered my passion doing musical theater. When I was a little girl, I saw Shirley Temple singing and dancing. These were things that I liked to do, and she was my age. I told my mom that I wanted to get into dance. I wanted to do the same thing that I saw this magnificent child star, Shirley Temple, doing. She put me in dance and theater. I started in church theater. My first play was an Easter play. I played the child extra. [laughs] I saw these older/adult actors who were so great at their craft, and it inspired me. I was like, “I want to be great like that.” So that’s when I started musical theater and started training my voice. I did musicals like Little Shop of Horrors, which is my favorite movie. I hope they do a remake of that! Those experiences in Oklahoma—specifically with a man named Ben Hall, who ran the Oklahoma City Theatre Company—really shaped my decision to pursue acting. I loved it. There’s no feeling like when I’m on stage or when I’m embodying a character.

PC: What’s that transition been like going from the stage to the screen?
Melissa: It’s been really cool. I feel like with anything if you want to get better, you have to study. When I moved to California from Atlanta, I had no clue how to break into the TV/film industry, coming from that stage background. Even in college, my major was theater. So I always knew stage. I went online and started researching where actors got their headshots, what classes they took, how to submit myself for an audition. Thankfully all of this information is online! [laughs] I was able to book my own role because I submitted on Actors Access. It was my first role and it was on The Game on BET. You just have to want it. There are ways. It’s available. Knowledge is free, especially Google.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Melissa: Personally, my mom. From a young age, my mom has always been an example of hard work. I grew up in a single-parent home. I have my father. I love my father, but my mom was the person who was there a majority of the time. She is a strong woman. Whatever she wanted to do she would do, even though she had two kids and was working three jobs. My mom has always been a vibrant, passionate, life-of-the-party, hardworking woman. It transferred onto me that when I was fourteen, I was like, “Mom, I’m ready to get a job.” [laughs] And I got one! My mom was really pivotal in the shaping of my character. Then later on, my dad in college. It worked out for me where I did have both parents, just not at the same time.

PC: You’ve had tons of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Melissa: Aw. Thank you so much for acknowledging that. I still feel like I’m at the “I’ve arrived” stage. The moment that stands out is when Tyler Perry called me on my phone. I’ve always had this attitude where I have to see it to believe it. That’s not always a good thing. Tyler Perry called me, and I missed the call because I didn’t have it saved on my phone. I was like, “Who is playing a weird trick on me?” I had just announced that I booked this role and that I would be working for Tyler Perry, and now I’m getting a call from this Atlanta area code number.

Then I called the number back because he texted me, “It’s Tyler Perry trying to reach you.” That text right there was the pivotal moment for me so far. I literally was like there are so many actors, people, entrepreneurs in the world that Tyler Perry could call, but he called me and then texted me because he needed to tell me something. It was unbelievable and wild. I screen-shotted it because I was like, “I’m going to remember this text forever.” I called and he was like, “Long story, I want you to do Ruth and not Denise because I’ve been wanting to work with you, and I want to do a spinoff with Ruth. I want to know if you want to do it.” I sat there and I was like, “First of all, hi, Tyler Perry.” [laughs] I’m listening to him talk, and I’m like, “It matches what I’ve heard on TV.” I never talked to him before. I was like, “Wow, this is Tyler Perry, and he wants to work with me in a role that will change my life.” This role is so against type. That’s why I will never forget that moment.

Ruthless

PC: Tell us about Ruthless.
Melissa: It’s going to be on BET+ on March 19. It’ll come out every Thursday following. They haven’t said how many episodes they’re going to come out with or how it’ll work in conjunction with The Oval, but it will all tie in. So you’ll want to watch Ruthless and The Oval to understand the story. I think it’s really cool that he’s taken a season break on The Oval to give audiences time to focus on Ruthless because there were a lot of questions about my character when he introduced her in The Oval. People were like, “What’s going on? What is this cult?” It all worked out. He teased my character, and next thing you know, she’s in her own spinoff. Everyone’s excited that they’ll get to discover what the cult is all about. I kidnapped my daughter Callie, who you’ve seen on The Oval, and I’m taking her to this fanatic cult where there are things that they believe in that society may not. It’s a powerful story of a woman trying to find herself and the lengths that she goes to do that. It’s good! That trailer had me speechless.

PC: How similar or different are you to your character? Has anything surprised you about her journey either on The Oval or Ruthless?
Melissa: What I’ve found in Ruth and Denise is that if they want something, they’ll get it. For Denise, she aims for the President of the United States. That’s pretty high. She gets him! She has him wrapped around her finger. He’s giving her stock tips. She’s got her own store. As far as Ruth, she’s like, “I’m going to get my daughter no matter what. I don’t care if you have custody. I’m going to get her even if I have to say I’ll watch her for five minutes with you supervising and then kidnap her.” [laughs] They’re both very determined, and I identify with that.

The other twists in the show have surprised me—less so the evolution of my character. I’m so interested to see what happens with Sharon and Kareem and how Barry finds them in that pharmacy. If you’re watching, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re not, I won’t spoil it. But there are so many juicy storylines. When I talk to my mom about it, she thinks I’m making it up.

PC: What is the process like playing two characters on the same show who are so different?
Melissa: The process wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I feel like God prepared me for this moment. He was like, “I’m showing you this Denise role” because I was offered that role first. Then I got the call from Tyler that I would also do Ruth. I had the insight on Denise before he called me the second time with the now-saved contact Tyler Perry. I answered and he was like, “Hey! What do you think about making Ruth and Denise twins?” I was like, “Cool! [laughs] Because I didn’t know he meant me.” [laughs] He was like, “Well, do you want to do it?” I was like, “Oh! Yes, yes, I do want to do it.” [laughs] I was like, “Can you send me the script again?” I had just wrapped and was about to get on a flight. [laughs]

PC: When you look at your time on The Oval and Ruthless, what’s been the biggest takeaway?
Melissa: The biggest takeaway has been to show up for yourself. Show up for yourself in terms of being prepared and of sound mind. You never know who’s watching you on set. I had a lot of people who came up to me after we wrapped The Oval who were in different positions, not necessarily actors, that said thank you because I had treated them a certain way. I guess they hadn’t experienced that before. I would say that the best advice I’ve gotten on my personal journey is to show up for yourself. You do that by treating people kindly and knowing your stuff. And the literal showing up. [laughs]

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Melissa: This isn’t a guilty pleasure, but I wish they would make a movie of Schmitt’s Creek. I want to find Moira and be her friend. I want a Moira in my life.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Melissa: I’m thrown off by the word guilty pleasure. When I think of guilty pleasure, I think of sexual chocolate, which makes me think of How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Melissa: First and foremost, it’ll always be Little Shop of Horrors. I’m a huge fan. I want to do it. I’d love for that to be part of my history. As far as play, I would say The Skeleton Crew. It was phenomenal! It was here in LA.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Melissa: My boyfriend still looks at me crazy when I sing Alanis Morissette’s “Hand in My Pocket.”

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Melissa: Quvenzhané Wallis from Beasts of the Southern Wild. She’s so young, and I think she’s going to have a longevity in the game. When it comes time to do my story, I think she can do it!

To keep up with Melissa, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Catch Ruthless on BET+ on March 19.

Photo Credit: Tommy Flanagan