October 12, 2022 • 29 mins
Nika King has been making her rounds in the industry for nearly 20 years. Before her breakout role playing Leslie on the Emmy-winning HBO series Euphoria, you have seen her on "Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History", "Greenleaf," "2 Broke Girls", "50 First Dates", and "Modern Family."
Nika joins Tanya as she tells us about her journey in the entertainment business. Transitioning from teaching to acting, her first acting paycheck, the struggles of pursuing her dream. She shares how stand-up comedy helped her find her voice. She talks about her tech startup, "Jeli Life," a platform for marginalized communities to help one another within the entertainment sphere, and her upcoming nonprofit Rose of Sharon.
Guest IG: @iamnikaking
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This episode is brought to you by MasterCard, bridging the
weld gap together with green Hey, Money Movers, Welcome back
to the Money Moves podcast powered by Greenwood. Euphoria is
one of the most well known television shows out right now,
and I think it's fair to say that most of
us are on the edge of our sheets and patiently
waiting for the arrival of season two, or at least
I know I am. And while the world has been
(00:22):
long trackings and daya since her Disney career, I'm here
to tell you about the woman who plays her mother
on the HBO series, Nika King. But Nika, Nika, Nika, Nika,
(00:47):
thank you for joining us today. This woman is incredible
and it is making her rounds in the industry for
nearly twenty years and is way past the time that
she gets her due. Prior to Euphoria, you've seen her
on Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History, Green Leaf, Two
Broke Girls, Fifty First Dates, and Modern Family Money Moves.
Let's welcome the beautiful, amazing and wildly talented Nika King
(01:10):
to the podcast. Hi, Nika, Hi, how are you? Thanks
for having me? I'm great, I'm so excited to chat
with you today and share your journey with our Money
Moves family. Yes, I have a lot of little nuggets
I want to drop. So thank you, Thank you again
for having me. Well welcome. So right now you are
on a super popular show and known for your role
(01:31):
as Leslie the mom in Euphoria, But you've been in
this industry for way longer than just Euphoria. Can you
take us back to how you got your start? Oh girl,
all the way back, all the way back. You want
to go way wait, wait back. So I came to
l A a little under twenty years ago, and um,
(01:52):
I was right out of college. I went to the
University of Florida, eventually changed my major to theater. I
wanted to be an act to I wanted to be
on Broadway. And so I graduated college and I went
to New York and I hated it absolutely. I could
not I could not hang. I did not like the
train system. It was too many people, was overcrowded. So
(02:15):
I went back home. I started teaching high school at
my old high school, Carol City in Miami, and I
did that for two years and then I came to
l A. And so when I came to l A,
it was more like Florida. You know, the weather was similar.
You had the palm trees, you had the beach, and
so then I just started hitting the ground, you know,
(02:35):
doing uh, sketch comedy, doing stand up, modeling, Braden hair.
I was doing anything, everything and every winding okay, I
grime mold. So it's just been a journey of like
following my dreams, but at the same time kind of
fueling my dreams with other jobs. So it kept me
(02:58):
balanced for the most part. This is why I love
to tell these stories and share these stories, because the
ups and downs, you know, when you look back twenty
years later, they're still there and they're really meaningful to
share with other people. You know, talk about that two
years where you're like, I went back to Miami, I said,
forget New York, I'm not acting. What was it and
what was the moment that you decided, Okay, two years
(03:18):
are down the drain, I'm going to l A and
I'm going to pursue those dreams. Well, the first year
I had to get a job, okay loans. My mom
was like, what are you doing. I told you not
to major in theater, but to beat it anyway. So
you need to find a job. So thank god my
my high school remembered me. I played sports. I was
the president of the class. So I was always, you know,
(03:40):
um doing my thing at a very early age. So
when when got a job, started teaching drama and dance
and then actually quit. I quit my first year because
I'm like, one year is enough and then I'll go
to l A. Well, then nine eleven happened, okay, and
you know the world was just like on Pauls and
(04:02):
I said, okay, I'll wait another year. So that's how
I ended staying. You know, I ended up staying two
years in Miami before coming to l A. But during
those two years, you know, I became more focused on
what it is that I really wanted, and I did
everything I could and Miami. I actually booked my first
(04:24):
pilot in Miami, called Miss Miami Funny Story, because it
was supposed to be an extra roll. I was supposed
to just walk by right and have a little line.
It was supposed to be like one little line. And
then the director loved me and he made me the
secretary of the chief of Police. Come on, come up,
and I was just like, oh my gosh. And then
(04:44):
I saw that paycheck, I'm like, oh, I'm definitely moving
to say no extra money. This is this is good Bundy.
So okay, I want to stop you right there. Do
you remember how much that first paycheck was that made
you like open your eyes wide? I think it was
like three thousand dollars, yeah, for the secondary for a
for a day player. Because you know, it was one
(05:06):
of those things where I wasn't a part of the union. You.
I was sad eligible. I didn't really really know how
much an actor made because I wasn't working as an actor.
I was working as a teacher. I know, as a teacher,
I wasn't getting paid thousand exactly. I think as a teacher,
I was making like under thirty thousand dollars a year.
(05:29):
Yeah yeah, and then I was coaching basketball, so that
kind of gave me, uh girl, it was it wasn't
a lot, girl, it was not a lot. Okay. So
now fast forward. You used that two years to really
and this is what I love about this, to really
understand who you were, what you wanted, and then you
(05:50):
hit the road to go to l A. Yes I was.
I got my car, ships I didn't know anyone I
knew one guy that I met at the A B
M and he was like, yeah, I'm out in l A.
I'm doing my thing, Like come out here, you need
to come girl. He picked me up from the airport
in a hoop tie and red who I don't know what.
(06:11):
That car was making so much noise on the freeway.
I was so embarrassed. I'm like, Okay, stay focused. You're
in l A. Your your car is gonna be here
in two weeks. You're in l A. Just just stay
just stay focused. But yeah, it was whoop girl. I
got my stories for days. They love it. So. Prior
to landing this roll as Leslie, most of your work
(06:32):
has been in comedy. Um, talk a little bit about
your journey through comedy, especially as a black woman on
your own in l A. You are pretty funny though,
so I can see how this is a natural talent
for you. Yeah. I've always been a class clown, always
been the person who's you know, coming to school, doing
the whole act Max Act from JEP Comedy Jam, doing
(06:54):
all the characters from the Living Color, Like that's just
been like my whole life, just always entertaining, making people laugh.
And then when I came to l A. I enrolled
at Growning's Improv school because I wanted I wanted to
be on and Living Color. That was my dream to
like be on a sketch show, Like that was sketch show.
I'm gonna be on a sketch show. So I was
(07:15):
doing that. I was doing stand up, and then I
started um performing with an all black female sketch group
in l A called Elite Delta Force three. So it
was like it was like six or seven of us
doing it, you know, doing the characters, going around the city,
performing throughout the city, really just honing our craft. And
(07:37):
then I kind of stopped that and started doing stand
up more seriously. And then because stand up gave me
my voice, you know, it made me feel empowered. I
didn't need anyone else. I didn't need music. I just
needed I needed some jokes and I needed to be funny,
you know. And after time, it just it just became
like my my saving grace because then it made me
(07:59):
feel like, Okay, yes, I'm in an industry where you know,
you're waiting for people to choose you, but here it
is I have a talent that I can do on
my own without you know, without having someone validate me. Yeah,
that's an interesting trajectory. It makes me like I'm already
proud for you because, you know, hearing you say, like, hey,
stand up, you have to have your own voice. You're
(08:21):
not telling someone else's jokes. You're not playing a role.
You're not you know, on a sketch. It's your own voice.
What was it like, you know, starting to really write
those jokes, perform them and realize that people wanted to
hear what you had to say. Well, it was tough
in the beginning because people didn't think I was a
stand up comedian. I didn't fit in the box, right,
(08:43):
I didn't fit in the box. You don't look like
a stand up comedian. Now we have stand up comedians
like Tiffany Hattish and you know, like breaking out of
that box where you can be pretty as well as
be funny. So but from the beginning, no, it was
a lot of like, oh you funny, make me laugh,
you know, But then I would have to do something
(09:04):
self deprecating, you know. But now my voice is more
solid where I'm like, this is who I am. Get
into it. You know, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna
like appease my audience. I'm gonna be myself. I'm gonna
tell my stories. I'm gonna talk about my family, being single,
working on the show, being in Hollywood, whatever comes to mind,
and and people people appreciate it when you're being yourself.
(09:27):
I love that. Yeah, I think the funniest comedians you
know certainly are authentic and they're telling stories that you
know are grounded in the truth. And that's because now
it's a girl as a whole. It's a whole new world,
you know, Like the people want to know the truth.
People want to feel like you're being honest with yourself.
You're being honest with them and at the same time
(09:49):
make them laugh. Because I always felt like doing stand
up was my calling because it was really healing people
by making them because I've seen people respond to a
joke or respond to me being silly. It does lift
your mood. I mean it does. Laughter is the best medicine. Like,
hands down, I got it out, absolutely all right. So
(10:13):
let's fast forward to Leslie. Um. The role of Leslie
Bennett is definitely a heavy one. What was it about
that role and Leslie's story that drew you into taking
on this, Like certainly very dramatic role. Well, I was
definitely appreciative of just the opportunity to do drama because
I do have a theater degree, and even even though
(10:35):
I love comedy, I also want to do drama. So
when I got the role, I'm like, yo, like this
is it, you know, this is my opportunity to show
Hollywood that I can, you know, break out of the
box and I can you know, do uh do really
good work. And so I just got Leslie and you know,
(10:56):
growing up for me, growing up you know, in the
inner city, having my parents be on drugs, my uncle's
be on drugs, like everybody, everybody girl, everybody hooked on something.
So it was a reversal, right because my daughter and
the show rude, she's but I was able to empathize
because I was also in a situation where as a kid,
(11:18):
you just feel helpless, you know, alone, you feel scared,
You really don't know what's gonna happen day to day.
And so I was able to kind of use that
as my internal work and project that in a way
where you know, someone who sees the parent of an
addict can can totally feel what what Leslie going through. Yeah,
(11:42):
And for those of us who have watched the show,
we really feel that coming through the screen. It's it's
it's it's a beautiful performance. Thank you. So let's um
talk a little bit about sort of the business side
of acting, you know and comedy. Um, can you share
with us, you know, some of more integral steps that
you've taken to help grow your career of course, so
(12:06):
you know, as an actor, um, you know, you spend
a lot of time kind of struggling unless you have,
you know, someone in the business who's gonna hook you up,
you have a uncle who's a big time producer, or
you know, nepotism. I didn't I didn't know anything exactly exactly, girl,
(12:26):
I don't know nobody name Spielberg. No, I know Stephen
that's it, but not for real fun. So, you know,
you spend a lot of time kind of like, um,
you know, like trying to make things work, keeping your
finances together. And then eventually you kind of have like
you have some wins, right, You're recurring, your your guest starring,
(12:49):
You're doing things, people are knowing your name, people are
becoming familiar with your talent, and then you you have
to really step into I am a business, right, Like
I am my business, So then you have to look
at yourself like a company. So for a long time,
I always wanted to be incorporated, but I didn't really
(13:10):
I wasn't really making the money to really incorporated. I
wasn't on a show as a series regular. Now with Euphoria,
I am a series regular, so that means I'm on contract,
yes girl, And so now I was able to do
all things exactly gir it feels good or it feels good.
So I was able to kind of do the things
(13:31):
that I've always wanted to do when I wrote down
my plan of action then years ago. You know, so,
I think the biggest um part about being a performer
is making sure that you take care of the legal
side of the show business. Right if you don't have
the business part, you're just literally spinning your wheels. And
(13:54):
I mean you even said, like my plane of action
that you crafted years ago. You know, I think a
lot of people think people in the entertainment industry or
comedy they're just happy, go lucky, and you're like, I
just walked on set, I rolled out of bed, and
I got but like it's planning. It's a business. You
are your own business, and you have to write the
vision and make it plain. Like I used to have
(14:15):
binders where I was submitting myself to castings, and I
would write down what I wore that day, how my
makeup was, how my hair was, so if I got
a call back, I knew to have the same look
I was. I was very organized in that way, you know,
because I wanted to. I wanted to take my I
(14:35):
was taking my career seriously, and I wanted people to
take me seriously. So I wanted to show up cigificant
and show up in a way where I knew like
I did my absolute best. And if I don't get
the if I don't get the gig, that's okay because
I came. I came to win, and that's enough. Wow.
I hope you money movers are picking up what she's
laying down because these are nuggets and jewels, like binders
(14:57):
filled with information, you know, fucking her makeup. This like
this is serious business. Yes it is, girl, that is.
I love it. I love it all right. So aside
from just your acting career, you've got quite a few
other ventures going for the One of them is Jelly Life, Um,
and that is really trying to make a difference in
the entertainment field. Can you tell us a little bit
(15:19):
more about that? Okay, So Jelly Life is actually my
baby is a tech startup that look with and I know,
I know, like I look up to you, girl. I
don't send you a couple of lengths day messages like girl,
what you do good? We're connected? Now we're connected? Yes, bro,
(15:41):
I listen. It's it's all divine nothing, it's coincidental at all. So, um,
during the pandemic, of course, you know, production shut down.
You were like, I didn't know what was going to happen,
And so I said, I really started thinking about just
my purpose, you know, like, Okay, yeah, I'm an actors.
I'm gonna show that's wonderful and amazing, Like, but what
(16:04):
more can I get my platform for? So I started
thinking about the stories that I have and the stories
I like to watch, and the stories that are missing
from a lot of these networks and streaming services that
involve black and brown people. So why not create a
company where people who want to be in the business
(16:24):
in front of and behind the camera can come to
almost like an online community, get the support they need
and also tap in with other industry leaders, and so
jelly came, I mean it came to me. Yes, girl,
it came to me, and it jelly is actually a
West African term that means storyteller. It was like, okay, okay,
(16:48):
because it's like it's like peanut butter and jelly, and
then it's like, you know, shake your jelly. But then
it's like right exactly. It just made me feel more empowered.
You know, I was actually using you know, my gifts
and my talents to actually help other people. And so yeah,
(17:08):
that's how Yelly came to be. So it's a platform
where all these folks in the entertainment industry. Is its
specifically for black and brown people or just across the board,
black and brown people, marginalized communities, underserved communities. Yes, And
it's a double sided market, right you have the online
community and then you have the business resource hub. So
(17:30):
and right now, you know, I'm I'm I don't know
a lot about tech. I'm learning which anything for me
that is new, it's always it's like I want to
eat it up. I want to observe ours can So
every day I'm always kind of tapping in and seeing
what's going on. In the world and black women like
yourself doing their thing in this industry and I just
(17:52):
love to see it. So I'm I'm excited and I'm hopeful.
I'm so excited for you and what I love about
this And this is why I think you know, you
are picking something that you're super passionate about and like
this is your superpower. You've been in this entertainment field
for twenty years and you know what's broken, and you're
creating a resource and a platform to fix it. Because
the more and more I understand this field, it's so broken.
(18:14):
It's disjointed in terms of how people connect, they get hired,
they get jobs, and they can even tell their stories.
So being able to fix that solves like a huge problem.
And also the generation behind us, right, you know, letting
letting kids know like you don't only have to be
an actor, writer, director, You can be a storyboard artist,
you can be a visual effects artists, you can be
(18:35):
an editor. It's so many professions that are available to you,
but you don't know that because you're not empty. So
we create those mentorship you know, um pods where people
are connecting with with with the younger generation so they know,
like this is also available to you. And I've had
so many of these conversations, you know, working on just
(18:55):
different shows where we look around and we're like, why
are there no black people on the set? And I
think a lot of it comes from you know, I've
spoken We've spoken about this before on the show, Like
our parents went and they got jobs, and they wanted
us to, you know, either go into professional occupations and
work that job for the rest of their lives. They
weren't saying, hey, listen, there's a lot of money in
you know, working behind a camera, running the graphics, the
(19:18):
design that this. We just weren't exposed to it in
the way others might have been, and so being able
to like disseminate this and provide opportunities like this is
how we sort of take over the world. You're afraid,
I'll be afraid it also take off the world for
show and also just let people know that, like, you know,
the color of someone's skin should not be a hindrance
(19:40):
from them achieving their goals. And the man, you know,
of course, I live in a utopia, you know, mindset,
but I'm like, you know, I would love to just
be on set and see all kinds of not have
to say, ain't no black people on the set, you know.
So that's that's what jelly is about. Well, I'm with
(20:02):
you on your utopia because I feel like we'll get there,
and it's platforms like this, conversations like this. You know,
the past couple of years, we've had um that are
just helping us to move the needle slowly, but surely
we'll get there. Time. The time is now. Yes, So, Nika,
you wear many hats and you recently also launched your
own nonprofit. Can you tell us a bit about that too?
(20:23):
Of course, Tanya, this is UM. This is an honor
to my mom, who is a three time cancer survivor. Uh.
You know, I just spent the last month at home
with her, you know, making her vegan meals, making her
fresh juices, and I just was like, you know, when
you when you're dealing with a family member who has can't,
(20:47):
you know, it's it's so palpable, and you're like, you know,
you don't want to have those thoughts, and you're like,
and I say, you know what, I'm gonna do something
to honor my mom while she's still here, you know,
created rows of share in community and trust. And my
main focus for this is just to create a black
(21:07):
utopia for black people and brown people. It's I'm black
and brown girl, I'm I'm pretty. That's my life right there.
That's my life to make sure our people are taken
care of, you know. And a lot of a lot
of communities around the world are going through food insecurities. UM,
the unhoused UM is a huge population here in Los Angeles,
and we just want we just want people to feel like,
(21:30):
you know, their mental health and their housing and their food.
It's it's not a luxury, it's a basic human So,
you know, with the nonprofit, it's just another one of
my streams of income. That once again my plan of
action five years ago when I when I was in
(21:51):
sitting in church and my pastor was like, y'all need
eight streams of income. And I'm not right, he was,
We're talking about it's multip screams of income so that
you can make true money moves. Yes, and and and
it's a she and she was and she had just
left South Africa where she was sitting with some dignitaries
(22:12):
and women, black powerful women, and they were like, girl,
where are you? You know, they like the days that girl, Well,
all your edge streams up income like eight. If you
do not have one, you need to four. You need it.
So I said, okay, well let me acting okay did
I said? Oh I gotta catch up. I started counting,
(22:34):
And so in my mind now, as like you said,
everything I do is fueled by my passion for people,
my my passion for just the world really to see
everyone in their own you know, humanness and where where
where color is not a thing, And of course we
(22:56):
know it is what it is, but let's let's start somewhere. Yes, Nika,
I love what you're doing, not just for your family
but your community around you. Oh my gosh, Nika, you
are so impressive. You know, not only are you a
critically acclaimed actress, you're super funny. Um, and you have
all these other outside business ventures that are continuing to
provide for yourself and your family. Um, what else do
(23:20):
you have coming up? If your plate is not already
full enough as we see, girl, it's very full. But
I think there's room for one more thing. And I'm
getting up for a stand up tour, stand up comedy tour. Yes,
we you know, think the world is opening up now girl.
(23:41):
So I'm ready to get on the road. I'm ready
to start going to different cities throughout the country and
and just get get people laughing. We need girl, yes,
because I know I love stand up like I I
do stand up, but I absolutely love watching and if
nothing like that one on one interaction, you know. So
(24:03):
hopefully by the end of the summer we're on tour
and the the goal is an all female tour. So
that'll be great. That'll be great, And you know what,
there's here's the thing. I feel like, stand up in
comedy got a lot of us through the pandemic. We're
at home in our houses and we're kind of like
watching and laughing by ourselves. I laugh out loud by
(24:24):
myself a lot. But there's nothing like a collective belly
laugh when you're surrounded by tons of people in a
comedy um in a comedy club like that feels good.
I miss that. It feels good. And also you never
know what's gonna happen. It's like live theater, you know,
so you any anything could could prompt uh ad lib
(24:47):
or a joke that maybe because I like doing stuff
off the cup, you know my set. But I also
leave room to I don't. I don't you know Jones
on the audience. But we will have a little give
and take. I will not send the front saying that
the front row girl. I wouldn't. I wouldn't. I might
miss with you. I'd be like, oh, so you think
(25:07):
you tire our banks? Huh? Oh so you you came here?
Oh you you're americath next time model you I have
been skinned. I might cry. Don't cry, don't cry. I
might cry. No, I'm just kidding. Well, maybe I'm not
the bands. Okay, one last question for you. You know
people look up to you, they look up to your
career directory and now all these businesses. What's the best
(25:30):
advice you've received um that you think has you know,
allowed you to get to this point of success. The
best advice I received was actually from Andre three thousand. Yes,
eons ago. I was doing a music video here in
l A and we had a lot of downtime, and
(25:52):
anytime I meet a celebrity, I like to ask, you
know what, what, what's some advice you can give me?
He said, you know what, my advice is always be yourself,
because that way you never have to worry about not
being yourself. You always know you're consistently showing up as
your authentic self. If you pretend to be somebody else,
(26:13):
you you gotta always do that. You gotta well, I
forgot do I have to do it? He said? Just
be you, Just be yourself. I said, thank you. I
appreciate you and always and I always remember that. And
and sometimes you know, we we we get into you know,
phases where we we create different uh personalities with characters
(26:39):
because we're not we're not comfortable and we're not rooted
in who we are. But as time and experiences go on,
it's an opportunity for you to be more and more
of yourself, you know what I mean? Like I and
I and I noticed that, like being in l A.
I love it, and you have so many different characters here,
(27:00):
but ultimately it's taught me to just leave the characters
for the TV. Just be yourself. Okay. So, Nika, now
that I feel like we've had this like in depth
girlfriend's chat, can you spill the t on some behind
the scenes entertainment um stories that you might want to
share with us? What do I want to share that's
(27:23):
not gonna get me in trouble? Uh? You know that
someone that has a life lesson in it a life
a life lesson. Yes. So I remember I was at
this comedy club right and my homeboy, he's a big
time producer on a show. So I walked up to him.
I'm like, yo, like, you think you can hook me
up with a writing gig on the show. He was like, well,
(27:45):
you know that's at least worth a blow job. I said.
I couldn't believe it. That was my face. I'm like, wait,
you just in the me too movement? Can you believe that?
I was like, what, who do you think I am? Right?
He was like, nah, since I'm kidding. And then I
(28:06):
was like, uh so now I'm writing on Blackish, so
you know things are going good. Joke, No, just know
you it's Hollywood. It may it may, it may come
off as you know, people trying to live their life right,
(28:28):
but you still got somebody tries lying like somebody's gonna
always be a producer, always gonna be a producer, trying
to get in your pants. The casting couch is real. Okay, yes,
it's real. Man. I was about to end with oh
my god, Nika, I needed that lot girl. That was
really funny, but The punchline is the casting couch is real.
(28:50):
The couch is very real. Stay off the couches, y'all,
stay off the couch. She's Oh my gosh, well, Nika,
it was such a pleasure. Thank you for showing up
in your offend, dick self. We receive it, we love it.
We've learned so much, and your journey is so incredible
and inspiring to so many, So thank you so much
for joining us. Thank you for having me, Daniel Okay,
(29:12):
Money Movers, thank you for joining in for another episode
of the Money Moves podcast powered by Greenwood. Make sure
you tune into our next episode as we continue to
find all the ways we can make our money move
Money Radios an I heart Radio podcast powered by Grads
executive produced by Sunwise Media, Inc. For more podcast on
(29:33):
iHeart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
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This episode is brought to you by MasterCard, bridging the
weld gap together with green Hey, Money Movers, Welcome back
to the Money Moves podcast powered by Greenwood. Euphoria is
one of the most well known television shows out right now,
and I think it's fair to say that most of
us are on the edge of our sheets and patiently
waiting for the arrival of season two, or at least
I know I am. And while the world has been
(00:22):
long trackings and daya since her Disney career, I'm here
to tell you about the woman who plays her mother
on the HBO series, Nika King. But Nika, Nika, Nika, Nika,
(00:47):
thank you for joining us today. This woman is incredible
and it is making her rounds in the industry for
nearly twenty years and is way past the time that
she gets her due. Prior to Euphoria, you've seen her
on Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History, Green Leaf, Two
Broke Girls, Fifty First Dates, and Modern Family Money Moves.
Let's welcome the beautiful, amazing and wildly talented Nika King
(01:10):
to the podcast. Hi, Nika, Hi, how are you? Thanks
for having me? I'm great, I'm so excited to chat
with you today and share your journey with our Money
Moves family. Yes, I have a lot of little nuggets
I want to drop. So thank you, Thank you again
for having me. Well welcome. So right now you are
on a super popular show and known for your role
(01:31):
as Leslie the mom in Euphoria, But you've been in
this industry for way longer than just Euphoria. Can you
take us back to how you got your start? Oh girl,
all the way back, all the way back. You want
to go way wait, wait back. So I came to
l A a little under twenty years ago, and um,
(01:52):
I was right out of college. I went to the
University of Florida, eventually changed my major to theater. I
wanted to be an act to I wanted to be
on Broadway. And so I graduated college and I went
to New York and I hated it absolutely. I could
not I could not hang. I did not like the
train system. It was too many people, was overcrowded. So
(02:15):
I went back home. I started teaching high school at
my old high school, Carol City in Miami, and I
did that for two years and then I came to
l A. And so when I came to l A,
it was more like Florida. You know, the weather was similar.
You had the palm trees, you had the beach, and
so then I just started hitting the ground, you know,
(02:35):
doing uh, sketch comedy, doing stand up, modeling, Braden hair.
I was doing anything, everything and every winding okay, I
grime mold. So it's just been a journey of like
following my dreams, but at the same time kind of
fueling my dreams with other jobs. So it kept me
(02:58):
balanced for the most part. This is why I love
to tell these stories and share these stories, because the
ups and downs, you know, when you look back twenty
years later, they're still there and they're really meaningful to
share with other people. You know, talk about that two
years where you're like, I went back to Miami, I said,
forget New York, I'm not acting. What was it and
what was the moment that you decided, Okay, two years
(03:18):
are down the drain, I'm going to l A and
I'm going to pursue those dreams. Well, the first year
I had to get a job, okay loans. My mom
was like, what are you doing. I told you not
to major in theater, but to beat it anyway. So
you need to find a job. So thank god my
my high school remembered me. I played sports. I was
the president of the class. So I was always, you know,
(03:40):
um doing my thing at a very early age. So
when when got a job, started teaching drama and dance
and then actually quit. I quit my first year because
I'm like, one year is enough and then I'll go
to l A. Well, then nine eleven happened, okay, and
you know the world was just like on Pauls and
(04:02):
I said, okay, I'll wait another year. So that's how
I ended staying. You know, I ended up staying two
years in Miami before coming to l A. But during
those two years, you know, I became more focused on
what it is that I really wanted, and I did
everything I could and Miami. I actually booked my first
(04:24):
pilot in Miami, called Miss Miami Funny Story, because it
was supposed to be an extra roll. I was supposed
to just walk by right and have a little line.
It was supposed to be like one little line. And
then the director loved me and he made me the
secretary of the chief of Police. Come on, come up,
and I was just like, oh my gosh. And then
(04:44):
I saw that paycheck, I'm like, oh, I'm definitely moving
to say no extra money. This is this is good Bundy.
So okay, I want to stop you right there. Do
you remember how much that first paycheck was that made
you like open your eyes wide? I think it was
like three thousand dollars, yeah, for the secondary for a
for a day player. Because you know, it was one
(05:06):
of those things where I wasn't a part of the union. You.
I was sad eligible. I didn't really really know how
much an actor made because I wasn't working as an actor.
I was working as a teacher. I know, as a teacher,
I wasn't getting paid thousand exactly. I think as a teacher,
I was making like under thirty thousand dollars a year.
(05:29):
Yeah yeah, and then I was coaching basketball, so that
kind of gave me, uh girl, it was it wasn't
a lot, girl, it was not a lot. Okay. So
now fast forward. You used that two years to really
and this is what I love about this, to really
understand who you were, what you wanted, and then you
(05:50):
hit the road to go to l A. Yes I was.
I got my car, ships I didn't know anyone I
knew one guy that I met at the A B
M and he was like, yeah, I'm out in l A.
I'm doing my thing, Like come out here, you need
to come girl. He picked me up from the airport
in a hoop tie and red who I don't know what.
(06:11):
That car was making so much noise on the freeway.
I was so embarrassed. I'm like, Okay, stay focused. You're
in l A. Your your car is gonna be here
in two weeks. You're in l A. Just just stay
just stay focused. But yeah, it was whoop girl. I
got my stories for days. They love it. So. Prior
to landing this roll as Leslie, most of your work
(06:32):
has been in comedy. Um, talk a little bit about
your journey through comedy, especially as a black woman on
your own in l A. You are pretty funny though,
so I can see how this is a natural talent
for you. Yeah. I've always been a class clown, always
been the person who's you know, coming to school, doing
the whole act Max Act from JEP Comedy Jam, doing
(06:54):
all the characters from the Living Color, Like that's just
been like my whole life, just always entertaining, making people laugh.
And then when I came to l A. I enrolled
at Growning's Improv school because I wanted I wanted to
be on and Living Color. That was my dream to
like be on a sketch show, Like that was sketch show.
I'm gonna be on a sketch show. So I was
(07:15):
doing that. I was doing stand up, and then I
started um performing with an all black female sketch group
in l A called Elite Delta Force three. So it
was like it was like six or seven of us
doing it, you know, doing the characters, going around the city,
performing throughout the city, really just honing our craft. And
(07:37):
then I kind of stopped that and started doing stand
up more seriously. And then because stand up gave me
my voice, you know, it made me feel empowered. I
didn't need anyone else. I didn't need music. I just
needed I needed some jokes and I needed to be funny,
you know. And after time, it just it just became
like my my saving grace because then it made me
(07:59):
feel like, Okay, yes, I'm in an industry where you know,
you're waiting for people to choose you, but here it
is I have a talent that I can do on
my own without you know, without having someone validate me. Yeah,
that's an interesting trajectory. It makes me like I'm already
proud for you because, you know, hearing you say, like, hey,
stand up, you have to have your own voice. You're
(08:21):
not telling someone else's jokes. You're not playing a role.
You're not you know, on a sketch. It's your own voice.
What was it like, you know, starting to really write
those jokes, perform them and realize that people wanted to
hear what you had to say. Well, it was tough
in the beginning because people didn't think I was a
stand up comedian. I didn't fit in the box, right,
(08:43):
I didn't fit in the box. You don't look like
a stand up comedian. Now we have stand up comedians
like Tiffany Hattish and you know, like breaking out of
that box where you can be pretty as well as
be funny. So but from the beginning, no, it was
a lot of like, oh you funny, make me laugh,
you know, But then I would have to do something
(09:04):
self deprecating, you know. But now my voice is more
solid where I'm like, this is who I am. Get
into it. You know, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna
like appease my audience. I'm gonna be myself. I'm gonna
tell my stories. I'm gonna talk about my family, being single,
working on the show, being in Hollywood, whatever comes to mind,
and and people people appreciate it when you're being yourself.
(09:27):
I love that. Yeah, I think the funniest comedians you
know certainly are authentic and they're telling stories that you
know are grounded in the truth. And that's because now
it's a girl as a whole. It's a whole new world,
you know, Like the people want to know the truth.
People want to feel like you're being honest with yourself.
You're being honest with them and at the same time
(09:49):
make them laugh. Because I always felt like doing stand
up was my calling because it was really healing people
by making them because I've seen people respond to a
joke or respond to me being silly. It does lift
your mood. I mean it does. Laughter is the best medicine. Like,
hands down, I got it out, absolutely all right. So
(10:13):
let's fast forward to Leslie. Um. The role of Leslie
Bennett is definitely a heavy one. What was it about
that role and Leslie's story that drew you into taking
on this, Like certainly very dramatic role. Well, I was
definitely appreciative of just the opportunity to do drama because
I do have a theater degree, and even even though
(10:35):
I love comedy, I also want to do drama. So
when I got the role, I'm like, yo, like this
is it, you know, this is my opportunity to show
Hollywood that I can, you know, break out of the
box and I can you know, do uh do really
good work. And so I just got Leslie and you know,
(10:56):
growing up for me, growing up you know, in the
inner city, having my parents be on drugs, my uncle's
be on drugs, like everybody, everybody girl, everybody hooked on something.
So it was a reversal, right because my daughter and
the show rude, she's but I was able to empathize
because I was also in a situation where as a kid,
(11:18):
you just feel helpless, you know, alone, you feel scared,
You really don't know what's gonna happen day to day.
And so I was able to kind of use that
as my internal work and project that in a way
where you know, someone who sees the parent of an
addict can can totally feel what what Leslie going through. Yeah,
(11:42):
And for those of us who have watched the show,
we really feel that coming through the screen. It's it's
it's it's a beautiful performance. Thank you. So let's um
talk a little bit about sort of the business side
of acting, you know and comedy. Um, can you share
with us, you know, some of more integral steps that
you've taken to help grow your career of course, so
(12:06):
you know, as an actor, um, you know, you spend
a lot of time kind of struggling unless you have,
you know, someone in the business who's gonna hook you up,
you have a uncle who's a big time producer, or
you know, nepotism. I didn't I didn't know anything exactly exactly, girl,
(12:26):
I don't know nobody name Spielberg. No, I know Stephen
that's it, but not for real fun. So, you know,
you spend a lot of time kind of like, um,
you know, like trying to make things work, keeping your
finances together. And then eventually you kind of have like
you have some wins, right, You're recurring, your your guest starring,
(12:49):
You're doing things, people are knowing your name, people are
becoming familiar with your talent, and then you you have
to really step into I am a business, right, Like
I am my business, So then you have to look
at yourself like a company. So for a long time,
I always wanted to be incorporated, but I didn't really
(13:10):
I wasn't really making the money to really incorporated. I
wasn't on a show as a series regular. Now with Euphoria,
I am a series regular, so that means I'm on contract,
yes girl, And so now I was able to do
all things exactly gir it feels good or it feels good.
So I was able to kind of do the things
(13:31):
that I've always wanted to do when I wrote down
my plan of action then years ago. You know, so,
I think the biggest um part about being a performer
is making sure that you take care of the legal
side of the show business. Right if you don't have
the business part, you're just literally spinning your wheels. And
(13:54):
I mean you even said, like my plane of action
that you crafted years ago. You know, I think a
lot of people think people in the entertainment industry or
comedy they're just happy, go lucky, and you're like, I
just walked on set, I rolled out of bed, and
I got but like it's planning. It's a business. You
are your own business, and you have to write the
vision and make it plain. Like I used to have
(14:15):
binders where I was submitting myself to castings, and I
would write down what I wore that day, how my
makeup was, how my hair was, so if I got
a call back, I knew to have the same look
I was. I was very organized in that way, you know,
because I wanted to. I wanted to take my I
(14:35):
was taking my career seriously, and I wanted people to
take me seriously. So I wanted to show up cigificant
and show up in a way where I knew like
I did my absolute best. And if I don't get
the if I don't get the gig, that's okay because
I came. I came to win, and that's enough. Wow.
I hope you money movers are picking up what she's
laying down because these are nuggets and jewels, like binders
(14:57):
filled with information, you know, fucking her makeup. This like
this is serious business. Yes it is, girl, that is.
I love it. I love it all right. So aside
from just your acting career, you've got quite a few
other ventures going for the One of them is Jelly Life, Um,
and that is really trying to make a difference in
the entertainment field. Can you tell us a little bit
(15:19):
more about that? Okay, So Jelly Life is actually my
baby is a tech startup that look with and I know,
I know, like I look up to you, girl. I
don't send you a couple of lengths day messages like girl,
what you do good? We're connected? Now we're connected? Yes, bro,
(15:41):
I listen. It's it's all divine nothing, it's coincidental at all. So, um,
during the pandemic, of course, you know, production shut down.
You were like, I didn't know what was going to happen,
And so I said, I really started thinking about just
my purpose, you know, like, Okay, yeah, I'm an actors.
I'm gonna show that's wonderful and amazing, Like, but what
(16:04):
more can I get my platform for? So I started
thinking about the stories that I have and the stories
I like to watch, and the stories that are missing
from a lot of these networks and streaming services that
involve black and brown people. So why not create a
company where people who want to be in the business
(16:24):
in front of and behind the camera can come to
almost like an online community, get the support they need
and also tap in with other industry leaders, and so
jelly came, I mean it came to me. Yes, girl,
it came to me, and it jelly is actually a
West African term that means storyteller. It was like, okay, okay,
(16:48):
because it's like it's like peanut butter and jelly, and
then it's like, you know, shake your jelly. But then
it's like right exactly. It just made me feel more empowered.
You know, I was actually using you know, my gifts
and my talents to actually help other people. And so yeah,
(17:08):
that's how Yelly came to be. So it's a platform
where all these folks in the entertainment industry. Is its
specifically for black and brown people or just across the board,
black and brown people, marginalized communities, underserved communities. Yes, And
it's a double sided market, right you have the online
community and then you have the business resource hub. So
(17:30):
and right now, you know, I'm I'm I don't know
a lot about tech. I'm learning which anything for me
that is new, it's always it's like I want to
eat it up. I want to observe ours can So
every day I'm always kind of tapping in and seeing
what's going on. In the world and black women like
yourself doing their thing in this industry and I just
(17:52):
love to see it. So I'm I'm excited and I'm hopeful.
I'm so excited for you and what I love about
this And this is why I think you know, you
are picking something that you're super passionate about and like
this is your superpower. You've been in this entertainment field
for twenty years and you know what's broken, and you're
creating a resource and a platform to fix it. Because
the more and more I understand this field, it's so broken.
(18:14):
It's disjointed in terms of how people connect, they get hired,
they get jobs, and they can even tell their stories.
So being able to fix that solves like a huge problem.
And also the generation behind us, right, you know, letting
letting kids know like you don't only have to be
an actor, writer, director, You can be a storyboard artist,
you can be a visual effects artists, you can be
(18:35):
an editor. It's so many professions that are available to you,
but you don't know that because you're not empty. So
we create those mentorship you know, um pods where people
are connecting with with with the younger generation so they know,
like this is also available to you. And I've had
so many of these conversations, you know, working on just
(18:55):
different shows where we look around and we're like, why
are there no black people on the set? And I
think a lot of it comes from you know, I've
spoken We've spoken about this before on the show, Like
our parents went and they got jobs, and they wanted
us to, you know, either go into professional occupations and
work that job for the rest of their lives. They
weren't saying, hey, listen, there's a lot of money in
you know, working behind a camera, running the graphics, the
(19:18):
design that this. We just weren't exposed to it in
the way others might have been, and so being able
to like disseminate this and provide opportunities like this is
how we sort of take over the world. You're afraid,
I'll be afraid it also take off the world for
show and also just let people know that, like, you know,
the color of someone's skin should not be a hindrance
(19:40):
from them achieving their goals. And the man, you know,
of course, I live in a utopia, you know, mindset,
but I'm like, you know, I would love to just
be on set and see all kinds of not have
to say, ain't no black people on the set, you know.
So that's that's what jelly is about. Well, I'm with
(20:02):
you on your utopia because I feel like we'll get there,
and it's platforms like this, conversations like this. You know,
the past couple of years, we've had um that are
just helping us to move the needle slowly, but surely
we'll get there. Time. The time is now. Yes, So, Nika,
you wear many hats and you recently also launched your
own nonprofit. Can you tell us a bit about that too?
(20:23):
Of course, Tanya, this is UM. This is an honor
to my mom, who is a three time cancer survivor. Uh.
You know, I just spent the last month at home
with her, you know, making her vegan meals, making her
fresh juices, and I just was like, you know, when
you when you're dealing with a family member who has can't,
(20:47):
you know, it's it's so palpable, and you're like, you know,
you don't want to have those thoughts, and you're like,
and I say, you know what, I'm gonna do something
to honor my mom while she's still here, you know,
created rows of share in community and trust. And my
main focus for this is just to create a black
(21:07):
utopia for black people and brown people. It's I'm black
and brown girl, I'm I'm pretty. That's my life right there.
That's my life to make sure our people are taken
care of, you know. And a lot of a lot
of communities around the world are going through food insecurities. UM,
the unhoused UM is a huge population here in Los Angeles,
and we just want we just want people to feel like,
(21:30):
you know, their mental health and their housing and their food.
It's it's not a luxury, it's a basic human So,
you know, with the nonprofit, it's just another one of
my streams of income. That once again my plan of
action five years ago when I when I was in
(21:51):
sitting in church and my pastor was like, y'all need
eight streams of income. And I'm not right, he was,
We're talking about it's multip screams of income so that
you can make true money moves. Yes, and and and
it's a she and she was and she had just
left South Africa where she was sitting with some dignitaries
(22:12):
and women, black powerful women, and they were like, girl,
where are you? You know, they like the days that girl, Well,
all your edge streams up income like eight. If you
do not have one, you need to four. You need it.
So I said, okay, well let me acting okay did
I said? Oh I gotta catch up. I started counting,
(22:34):
And so in my mind now, as like you said,
everything I do is fueled by my passion for people,
my my passion for just the world really to see
everyone in their own you know, humanness and where where
where color is not a thing, And of course we
(22:56):
know it is what it is, but let's let's start somewhere. Yes, Nika,
I love what you're doing, not just for your family
but your community around you. Oh my gosh, Nika, you
are so impressive. You know, not only are you a
critically acclaimed actress, you're super funny. Um, and you have
all these other outside business ventures that are continuing to
provide for yourself and your family. Um, what else do
(23:20):
you have coming up? If your plate is not already
full enough as we see, girl, it's very full. But
I think there's room for one more thing. And I'm
getting up for a stand up tour, stand up comedy tour. Yes,
we you know, think the world is opening up now girl.
(23:41):
So I'm ready to get on the road. I'm ready
to start going to different cities throughout the country and
and just get get people laughing. We need girl, yes,
because I know I love stand up like I I
do stand up, but I absolutely love watching and if
nothing like that one on one interaction, you know. So
(24:03):
hopefully by the end of the summer we're on tour
and the the goal is an all female tour. So
that'll be great. That'll be great, And you know what,
there's here's the thing. I feel like, stand up in
comedy got a lot of us through the pandemic. We're
at home in our houses and we're kind of like
watching and laughing by ourselves. I laugh out loud by
(24:24):
myself a lot. But there's nothing like a collective belly
laugh when you're surrounded by tons of people in a
comedy um in a comedy club like that feels good.
I miss that. It feels good. And also you never
know what's gonna happen. It's like live theater, you know,
so you any anything could could prompt uh ad lib
(24:47):
or a joke that maybe because I like doing stuff
off the cup, you know my set. But I also
leave room to I don't. I don't you know Jones
on the audience. But we will have a little give
and take. I will not send the front saying that
the front row girl. I wouldn't. I wouldn't. I might
miss with you. I'd be like, oh, so you think
(25:07):
you tire our banks? Huh? Oh so you you came here?
Oh you you're americath next time model you I have
been skinned. I might cry. Don't cry, don't cry. I
might cry. No, I'm just kidding. Well, maybe I'm not
the bands. Okay, one last question for you. You know
people look up to you, they look up to your
career directory and now all these businesses. What's the best
(25:30):
advice you've received um that you think has you know,
allowed you to get to this point of success. The
best advice I received was actually from Andre three thousand. Yes,
eons ago. I was doing a music video here in
l A and we had a lot of downtime, and
(25:52):
anytime I meet a celebrity, I like to ask, you
know what, what, what's some advice you can give me?
He said, you know what, my advice is always be yourself,
because that way you never have to worry about not
being yourself. You always know you're consistently showing up as
your authentic self. If you pretend to be somebody else,
(26:13):
you you gotta always do that. You gotta well, I
forgot do I have to do it? He said? Just
be you, Just be yourself. I said, thank you. I
appreciate you and always and I always remember that. And
and sometimes you know, we we we get into you know,
phases where we we create different uh personalities with characters
(26:39):
because we're not we're not comfortable and we're not rooted
in who we are. But as time and experiences go on,
it's an opportunity for you to be more and more
of yourself, you know what I mean? Like I and
I and I noticed that, like being in l A.
I love it, and you have so many different characters here,
(27:00):
but ultimately it's taught me to just leave the characters
for the TV. Just be yourself. Okay. So, Nika, now
that I feel like we've had this like in depth
girlfriend's chat, can you spill the t on some behind
the scenes entertainment um stories that you might want to
share with us? What do I want to share that's
(27:23):
not gonna get me in trouble? Uh? You know that
someone that has a life lesson in it a life
a life lesson. Yes. So I remember I was at
this comedy club right and my homeboy, he's a big
time producer on a show. So I walked up to him.
I'm like, yo, like, you think you can hook me
up with a writing gig on the show. He was like, well,
(27:45):
you know that's at least worth a blow job. I said.
I couldn't believe it. That was my face. I'm like, wait,
you just in the me too movement? Can you believe that?
I was like, what, who do you think I am? Right?
He was like, nah, since I'm kidding. And then I
(28:06):
was like, uh so now I'm writing on Blackish, so
you know things are going good. Joke, No, just know
you it's Hollywood. It may it may, it may come
off as you know, people trying to live their life right,
(28:28):
but you still got somebody tries lying like somebody's gonna
always be a producer, always gonna be a producer, trying
to get in your pants. The casting couch is real. Okay, yes,
it's real. Man. I was about to end with oh
my god, Nika, I needed that lot girl. That was
really funny, but The punchline is the casting couch is real.
(28:50):
The couch is very real. Stay off the couches, y'all,
stay off the couch. She's Oh my gosh, well, Nika,
it was such a pleasure. Thank you for showing up
in your offend, dick self. We receive it, we love it.
We've learned so much, and your journey is so incredible
and inspiring to so many, So thank you so much
for joining us. Thank you for having me, Daniel Okay,
(29:12):
Money Movers, thank you for joining in for another episode
of the Money Moves podcast powered by Greenwood. Make sure
you tune into our next episode as we continue to
find all the ways we can make our money move
Money Radios an I heart Radio podcast powered by Grads
executive produced by Sunwise Media, Inc. For more podcast on
(29:33):
iHeart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
or wherever you get your podcasts from
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