June 17, 2022 • 26 mins
Ed talks with actress, host and author, Garcelle Beauvais. They talk about her new memoir and why she decided to be so public with private matter. She also talks about her against all odds career, why motherhood is so important to her, what it was like being an immigrant in America and why she decided to join the Housewives franchise.
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Speaker 1 (00:21):
Welcome to the latest edition of one hundred The Ed
Gordon Podcast. Today a conversation with actress, host, author, and
mom Garcel Beauvais all of her success Isn't against the
odds tale. After her parents divorced, her mother took her
seven children from Haiti to America to start a new life. Garcell,
(00:45):
the youngest of the children, spoke no English, learning it from,
among other things, watching Sesame Street. There moved to Massachusetts
with land. Garcel in an all white environment, and it
was the first time of many that made her feel
like a fish out of water, but that never stopped
(01:06):
the soon to be star from persevering. I'm wondered how
much of coming from Haiti played a role in her drive.
I have been to Haiti on a couple of occasions,
and I'm curious, even though you left relatively early, I
believe we are where we came from. So tell me
what that island has done for you and and and
(01:28):
you know who you are because of it, who I
am because of it. I have integrity, I have a
lot of faith, and we are resilient. And I think
that resiliency has played into my journey in terms of
from Haiti to Hollywood? How much of And you know,
(01:50):
sometimes I think we psychoanalyze stuff way too much, right,
But but the truth is we are a lot of
our history. Um. You know that nation and UM is
and has been for generations and generations poverty stricken. Well,
we talk about your resilience and we talk about the
stick tuitiveness that you've had throughout your life and throughout
(02:12):
your career. How much of that do you think played
a role in who who you are? In that way?
I think it played a huge role. First of all,
I remember where I'm from. I think that's really important.
You have to remember where you came from. And I
think also having being an immigrant when I moved to
the United States has given me that drive, you know,
(02:37):
that drive from being able to come here to America
sort of living the American dream, although I didn't even
know what the American dream was. But definitely that gave
me the fortitude to continue to work and push through
and push through regardless. And I think that's a lot
of it being you know, my Haitian roots. Why now
(02:58):
for the memo, are UM love me as I am?
You know what made you say now is the time?
You know it felt like personally and professionally, I'm in
a really good place. UM. And I felt like I
had made some peace with certain things and that I've
written about the book, and uh, some I was sure of,
(03:20):
and others brought up things that I thought I had
peace around and I didn't. So it was really interesting,
UM in writing it, and UM my writing partner Nicole
eve Smith was it was cathartic, as people say, but
it also made me see my responsibility and different things
(03:43):
in terms of like my relationship with my dad or
lack thereof. Um, knowing what I know now, I would
have given him more of a chance of being in
my life. What was it for you that you wanted
people to take away most from the book? For me,
it was really getting to know me deeper. You know,
(04:05):
sometimes on the outside it looks shiny and fabulous and perfect,
and it was far from it. I mean again, from
my roots to my journey, my relationship with my mom,
questions I wish I had asked her, you know, especially
in the black community. UM, when you're raised, kids were
seen and not heard, and there were some things that
(04:26):
I wish I had asked my mom. So it was
really and paying an homage to her while letting people
in to my life a little bit deeper, a little
bit more in depth. You talk about your mom and dad,
and it's interesting, you know, when we look at how
much way our parents have on us and who we
become as adults. Um, they were divorced, yet continued relationship
(04:49):
throughout is the case often. Um, your your father very
much Haitian male. Uh, you know. And and and I
hesitate to say that because I think men of color,
no matter where we are, still hold on to kind
of that old school thinking of head of household. And
you're gonna do what I say, whether we want to
(05:09):
admit it or not. You know, even those of us
who believe we are evolved. I don't care what you
say to a great degree. And I argue with some
women with this. I think women sometimes do want you
to be a certain way, not overbearing, not dominant in
the sense of, you know, holding you down from your dreams.
But I do think that old sense of men and
(05:31):
women's roles are important. Still. Um, talk to me about
your mom, because you talk about the strength that you
got from her. Yeah, she was incredible. I mean the
fact that she left us in Haiti for a year
and a half and came out, came to America on
her own in order to get us our paperwork. I mean,
(05:51):
she's a single mom doing all this stuff, right, And
she left you with my sisters, with my older sisters,
and she went to Boston and found her way and
made her way and got us, you know, the right
documents to come to the United States. And um, she
gave me my wings to fly. You know, at the
age of seventeen, let me. A lot of Haitian mothers
(06:13):
wouldn't have let their daughter, especially their baby, to go
off to New York and become a model. We didn't
even know what that was. We didn't know you could
actually make a living doing this. But she had the
wherewithal and trusted and thought, I brought them here for opportunities.
This is an opportunity, let's follow through. And so she
(06:36):
was sort of my angel the entire way. I want
to ask you about that because it's interesting to me,
you know so much just talked about even before the
book that you came here at seven, didn't really know English,
learned it from watching Sesame Street and other things. Right,
But here's what's interesting, even in the decade between then
(06:57):
and you going to Miami and then New York to model.
When you think about it, that's extraordinary in the sense
of even understanding what English is because you can learn
the language but not know the nuances all the time.
I would think you were still a fish out of
water to a great degree. Oh for sure, for sure.
(07:17):
And I think the younger you come, you're like a sponge.
You sort of get it all. Like I don't have
an accent, but my sisters have accents because they came older.
For sure. I mean, it was definitely a fish out
of water. I remember being in Massachusetts, being the only
black hid in my school, and then going to school
in Miami with kids with that look like me and
had hair like me, and and uh, and that was
(07:40):
an interesting transition because then they thought I thought that
I was white because of the way I spoke um
And so there was a lot of different things, And
I think those are the things that have made me
um forge through in different aspects in my life, you know,
whether from modeling to acting to produce sing like, those
(08:01):
things gave me some of my strength that I can
walk into a room and be the only thing different.
But yeah, I can still um, get through it so
to a great degree. And again I don't want to
get you know, sometimes we try to get deep with
our questions, but I'm gonna try this anyway. You know,
as I think about it, it it just hit me now
and I'm wondering how you kind of and really it's
(08:24):
the only existence you've had here, But I think about
almost every corner of your life has been that way.
So from Massachusetts to Miami. You enter modeling, which particularly
at that time is lily white to a great degree. Absolutely,
you go to Hollywood, which I I still argue, in
(08:45):
spite of the advancements we've made, is still very lily white.
So every environment you've kind of landed in, you've been
different and had to deal with that. What do you
think that's done for you personally? I'm giving me tough skin.
It's let me for sure know that I can hold
(09:05):
my own, you know, in whatever room I'm in. And
you're right, absolutely it's still lily white. It's still um
even on Housewives, you know what I mean, In the
first Black Housewives, Uh was a thing when I started,
And yeah, it just makes me know where I stand
in terms of in my person Like when I show up.
(09:26):
I show up kind of for all of us, and
I think that's what we do when we're in a
room and we're the only ones there. Do you think
we make too much to carry that? Do you think
black folks? And I don't say this to get you
in trouble because I know these Sometimes we say things
and you know people taken and run with it. But
I would suspect you've not allowed race to be the
thing to hold you. Sometimes. I think we've made too
(09:47):
much of it in certain corners. Agreed, No, I never have.
I mean, for me, it's always been, UM, I'm gonna
do what I do anyways, regardless whether I'm scared heard,
whether I'm intimidated in the room. You're not going to
know that, but I'm gonna know that. But I think
that's what we just always had to do. Tell us
(10:11):
the persona people think you are, that you're not um,
I think, and I think that's changed now in someone
housewives and people get get to see me in a character.
But I think before people probably say, oh, maybe stuck
up or maybe diva or things like that. But the
minute you spend like five minutes with me, all that
(10:32):
goes away because that's not really who I am. You know,
I haven't relied on the outside. I've actually worked on
the inside, and her inside is full of fire for success.
At sixteen, she would move to Miami on her own
to start a modeling career. By seventeen, she was in
(10:52):
New York City and signed by one of the top
modeling agencies in the country that would lead to acting.
She landed small roles on a couple of episodes of
Miami Vice. From there, she would get roles in episodes
of many shows, including The Cosby Show, The Fresh Prince
of bel Air, and Family Matters. She also played one
(11:13):
of the rosebearers in the classic movie Coming to America.
She became part of the ensemble cast of the television
drama Models, Inc. Two years later, she would land the
role that endeared her to Black America when she played
Francesca Fancy Monroe on The Jamie Fox Show. I asked,
(11:36):
as she looks back now at all of what her
professional journey has been, how does she see it? It
was hard. It was hard, especially be coming from the
modeling world. People didn't think we could walk and talk
at the same time. Right. Casting directors were like, yeah,
she's pretty muck and she act, and so yeah, there
were lots of times that I didn't get a job
(11:57):
or didn't get you know, a second audition, and I
would be like, God, if this is not for me,
let me know what else should I do. So, yeah,
it was definitely hard, but when you look at it
on a hole, it's been an amazing ride, you know,
from Jamie Fox to working with Denzel, Chris Rock, Anthony Hopkins,
I mean, the list goes on. Um, it's been an
(12:18):
amazing ride. And that amazing ride has continued. She became
a co host of the daytime talk show The Real
That same year, she also became part of another established
television show, but this one surprised a lot of people.
Garcela would join season ten of the Real Housewives of
(12:41):
Beverly Hills. The decision was was, you know, it was
a struggle because my whole team were like, you're not
doing this. You're doing so well as an actress. We're
just telling you because you know that they're interested, because
you know, a lot of people we don't want them to,
you know, think that we didn't tell you. So I said,
let me think about it, and they were surprised that
(13:02):
I even wanted to do that. But for me at
the time, I was traveling a lot, you know, because
pretty much nothing shoots in l A. Right it's either Atlanta, Vancouver, Toronto.
And my kids, who I share with their dad, were
about to go in the middle school, and I was like,
I really don't want to travel as much. I really
(13:22):
want to be home more. So the timing was great,
and then I thought, Okay, I like the franchise. I
know some of the women. Was I scared, absolutely, but
I thought, let's give it a try. I mean, I've
always done other things other than just acting up hoasted produced,
so I was like, let me try. And so when
I told my team, they were like, we don't think
(13:44):
this is a good idea, but if you want to
do it, go ahead. And so what I really wanted
to do is completely be authentic to me. I didn't
want to go there with a preconceived notion of what
people think I should be. And I know some people think, oh,
she's not street enough, where she's not mean enough. But
I'm handling it the way. It's my reality, so therefore
(14:07):
it has to be me, you know. And when I've
had race conversations on the show. Um, I feel like
I brought more of a a sense of real life
to the show. You know, on my hands on mom,
I don't have a bunch of nannies or you know,
people around and uh, I really wanted to be me
and I think that's what people are relating to. And
(14:29):
that's what people have said they like, is that they
feel that they're really getting me. Her memoir, Love Me
As I Am as full of interesting stories, including being
mowed by Michael Jordan and briefly dating Will Smith and
being asked by Bill Cosby to read lines at his home,
(14:51):
but Garcella said she wanted the book to be more
than Hollywood stories. She decided to be personally vulnerable, and
she shares stories of hurt and real life. She talks
of a number of very personal things, including not always
being close to her father and her second husband's five
year affair that she discovered by seeing an email he
(15:15):
said to his mistress. When you decided to sit down
and and write it, Um, you have to make decisions
at that point when you write a memoir of how
much you're going to really allow people to see. Give
me a sense of how you decided to go past
a certain comfort level. Maybe yeah, you know, it's a memoir,
(15:36):
it's my story, it's my journey. And I really felt
like if I held back, it would have felt it
wouldn't have felt as authentic. And you know what, I'm human.
You know, we all have ups and downs and flaws
and and things that hurt really really bad. And what
I really hoped is that I could inspire someone, anyone,
really And what I've gotten out of the out of
(15:59):
you know, doing the book tour is the different people
that have connected with the book from you know, a
black woman assumed Nope, I knew that, but white, young girls,
gay Indian men. It just it was really That's what
I took away from it that was really surprising to me,
(16:20):
is that how many different people connected with the book
and they weren't from Haiti, they weren't a woman, they
didn't model, they didn't you know, all those things. So
I really wanted it to be me honestly, from day one,
Garcel's beauty has been a big part of how she's
been seen and marketed. I asked about the irony of
(16:41):
being touted in the industry as a beauty being the
fantasy of many men yet having rocky marriages, and like others,
finding herself blindsided by a partner's infidelity. I suggested, many
would see it as inconceivable that she would have found
her self in that place. I don't think of it
(17:02):
that way because I don't see myself that way. It's
beautiful that people do. But sometimes my girlfriend H has
to go, do you know who you are? So? Um?
I like the aspect of not thinking of myself that way.
I just see, you know, I've been blessed in a
lot of ways, and I'm grateful for those things, but
(17:23):
I don't I don't buy into them all. You know,
you have not I saw as you talked to others. Um,
you've not fallen into the trap of giving up on marriage,
has a possibility or love? You know that soul made
as a possibility. Is that just your nature? Or what
(17:43):
did you do? Because so many people after X number
of tries or X number of marriages or whatever the case,
maybe go this ain't for me? Yeah, I mean I
think I love love and I really do believe that
one day I will find in my person I think. Um, Listen,
(18:03):
if I was a quitter, I wouldn't be here now
talking to you, right, So I can't quit on that either,
you know. I I'm I'm gonna wish and hope until
the day he shows up. I'm sure he's out there
somewhere that I can promise you. Let me ask you
about the hustle that it is you. I think, you know,
(18:25):
I think about Um, you've done children's books, You've got
a podcast, you just signed a deal with NBC Universal
for a first look. Um, you did a line of
children's jewelry. You know, you've got X number of shows going.
Um is that Mom and Dad? Is that just in
the eight in you? What is that? Because you know
(18:45):
you could you could lay back a little bit, you know,
you just you just left the reel the right you're
on the reel. So I mean, come on, come on, girls.
So now I actually think the hustle is in me.
I really do. I feel like it's a part of me.
I love being busy. I love being creative. Um and uh,
(19:07):
I just love being busy. I really do. I feel
like I thought, Yes, there are times where I go, Okay,
we gotta we gotta slow down. We're not a spring
chicken anymore. And obviously I want to spend time with
my kids before they go off to college. They were
about to be fifteen in October. UM, so I'm trying
to balance it. But I really do love what I do.
(19:28):
I mean, this is the dream. You know. So many
times as an artist, it's all about momentum, right, so
you would get a job, you would get to and
that it's kind of quiet for a while. So now
I feel like the momentum is uh is there, and
so I want to write it until whenever. We also
talked about the one thing she's most associated with, her
(19:50):
character Fancy from the Jamie fox Show. I wondered how
she felt about having a character so beloved that it
lives far beyond the life of the series. Some actors
see that as a blessing, while others see it as
a curse. I think of Thelma on Good Times for years,
Good Times was off and people would still love her
(20:15):
as Thelma no matter why. I mean, even kids that
weren't born right when it was on. Um, tell me
what that character means to you and the connection you have.
Sometimes we short change with But I'm speaking specifically of
black folks, not that whites didn't watch the Jamie Foxx Show,
but it was a beloved show in Black America. Give
(20:36):
me a sense of what that has meant to you?
That has connected me to my community. You know, anywhere
I go I hear Fancy Fancy. I mean a lot
of actors don't want that. They don't want to be
pigeonholed or whatever stereo type. Um, but I love it.
You know, what you want as an artist is to
(20:57):
be able to connect with people and for them connecting
with Fancy on the Jamie Fox Show to me has
given me sort of like an icon status, you know
what I mean? And I think it's beautiful. Um. I'd
never want to take that away. I would never say
don't say that, don't call me that, let's not talk
about it. It really put me on the map and
(21:19):
in in a in a great way with again with
my folks, with my peeps. What what do you long
to do? You haven't been able to do yet? Oh? Um,
I've done a lot. I think I just want to
continue on this journey of creating and discovering and um
(21:41):
being a role model for my boys that and also
for women. I feel like at a certain age, when
you get a divorce, people think that's the end. That's
the end of you. Um, and I feel like that
just got me started. So who knows? What's what's motherhood
for you? You know, every again, every interview I've watched,
(22:01):
you are quick to bring front and center being a mommy.
You know clearly it's important to you. What's motherhood been
for you? It is the most important role I've ever played.
I mean, um, they're everything to me, you know. I
(22:22):
feel like my boys are an extension of me. There
I guess my legacy if you will, And uh, it's
my it's the heartbeat of me. It's everything. When one sad,
I'm sad. When one's happy, I'm happy. Just this past Saturday,
I was at a volleyball tournament for nine hours. Let
me tell you, sitting on those damn bleachers. I could
(22:43):
have been anywhere, but I wouldn't have given up for
anything in the world because that's what he's into. So yeah,
I remember those days. I might have given up one
or two of those tournaments or somebody. Let me tell you, um,
let me ask you. Let me ask you one other
question that I asked. UM often I asked male actors this,
(23:03):
But I'm curious when you are seeing uh, male actors
as a sex symbol. I think sometimes it gets in
the way of the craft because people have to get
past that first and then get to oh that person
can act. So for one who started as a model,
who has been upheld as a standard of beauty, uh
(23:25):
and certainly gotten roles because of that, do you ever
worry though, that it too can hold you back from
certain things? And if so, what do you do to
try to combat that? Yeah? For sure. I mean there
were roles that I didn't get because they thought, oh,
she's too pretty. People are not going to believe her
in this. Um, I think you just keep going, you know,
(23:46):
you just keep going and try to do even if
it's a small movie that's different. I did a movie
called a Girl Like Grace with Megan Good and Raven Simone,
and that was a really different kind of character for me.
And I think, you know, by doing things that sort
of go opposite of what people think of you is
a great way of combating that. Lastly, UM, what do
(24:09):
you want to start to develop with this production deal?
Because again those of us understand the business people think, oh,
you have a production deal and all of a sudden,
you're gonna roll stuff out, you know, and it doesn't
quite work like that. You know, you still have to
get it green lit. It's a lot of work to
just try to convince people. But what are you shooting
to create? Uh? With your company? You know, I want
(24:33):
to be able to create content that shows us in
different lights, that are diverse. I feel like so many
times we play the same it's the same story, um,
And I wanted to fortify that. I want to be
able to do other things. I want to do non scripted.
I want to do script it um. And I just
love the idea of putting things together. I'm a planner,
(24:56):
I'm an organizer, and that lends itself to me produce
saying it's what I really want to do when I'm
not in in front of the camera anymore. Listen, let
me say congratulations for all of what is on your
plate and all of what you have been able to
make happy happen. As I said, we have been acquaintances
for many years, and you have always been very sweet
(25:17):
and very gracious whenever I bumped into you, and I
appreciate that so much. I appreciate you so much, and
I love, love, love what you're doing. Keep doing it,
and I you know, people always rave about Steve Harvey
and the way he dresses. But you thank you. I
will thank you, and I'll call Steve and tell him
(25:38):
what you said. Another big thanks to Garcell. You can
see her on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season
twelve on Bravo, and her book Love Me As I
Am is out now. One hundred is produced by ed
(26:02):
Gordon Media and distributed by I Heart Media. Carol Johnson
Green and Sharie Weldon are our bookers. Our editor is
Lance Patton. Gerald Albright composed and performed our theme. Please
join me on Twitter and Instagram at ed L Gordon
and on Facebook at ed Gordon Media.
Welcome to the latest edition of one hundred The Ed
Gordon Podcast. Today a conversation with actress, host, author, and
mom Garcel Beauvais all of her success Isn't against the
odds tale. After her parents divorced, her mother took her
seven children from Haiti to America to start a new life. Garcell,
(00:45):
the youngest of the children, spoke no English, learning it from,
among other things, watching Sesame Street. There moved to Massachusetts
with land. Garcel in an all white environment, and it
was the first time of many that made her feel
like a fish out of water, but that never stopped
(01:06):
the soon to be star from persevering. I'm wondered how
much of coming from Haiti played a role in her drive.
I have been to Haiti on a couple of occasions,
and I'm curious, even though you left relatively early, I
believe we are where we came from. So tell me
what that island has done for you and and and
(01:28):
you know who you are because of it, who I
am because of it. I have integrity, I have a
lot of faith, and we are resilient. And I think
that resiliency has played into my journey in terms of
from Haiti to Hollywood? How much of And you know,
(01:50):
sometimes I think we psychoanalyze stuff way too much, right,
But but the truth is we are a lot of
our history. Um. You know that nation and UM is
and has been for generations and generations poverty stricken. Well,
we talk about your resilience and we talk about the
stick tuitiveness that you've had throughout your life and throughout
(02:12):
your career. How much of that do you think played
a role in who who you are? In that way?
I think it played a huge role. First of all,
I remember where I'm from. I think that's really important.
You have to remember where you came from. And I
think also having being an immigrant when I moved to
the United States has given me that drive, you know,
(02:37):
that drive from being able to come here to America
sort of living the American dream, although I didn't even
know what the American dream was. But definitely that gave
me the fortitude to continue to work and push through
and push through regardless. And I think that's a lot
of it being you know, my Haitian roots. Why now
(02:58):
for the memo, are UM love me as I am?
You know what made you say now is the time?
You know it felt like personally and professionally, I'm in
a really good place. UM. And I felt like I
had made some peace with certain things and that I've
written about the book, and uh, some I was sure of,
(03:20):
and others brought up things that I thought I had
peace around and I didn't. So it was really interesting,
UM in writing it, and UM my writing partner Nicole
eve Smith was it was cathartic, as people say, but
it also made me see my responsibility and different things
(03:43):
in terms of like my relationship with my dad or
lack thereof. Um, knowing what I know now, I would
have given him more of a chance of being in
my life. What was it for you that you wanted
people to take away most from the book? For me,
it was really getting to know me deeper. You know,
(04:05):
sometimes on the outside it looks shiny and fabulous and perfect,
and it was far from it. I mean again, from
my roots to my journey, my relationship with my mom,
questions I wish I had asked her, you know, especially
in the black community. UM, when you're raised, kids were
seen and not heard, and there were some things that
(04:26):
I wish I had asked my mom. So it was
really and paying an homage to her while letting people
in to my life a little bit deeper, a little
bit more in depth. You talk about your mom and dad,
and it's interesting, you know, when we look at how
much way our parents have on us and who we
become as adults. Um, they were divorced, yet continued relationship
(04:49):
throughout is the case often. Um, your your father very
much Haitian male. Uh, you know. And and and I
hesitate to say that because I think men of color,
no matter where we are, still hold on to kind
of that old school thinking of head of household. And
you're gonna do what I say, whether we want to
(05:09):
admit it or not. You know, even those of us
who believe we are evolved. I don't care what you
say to a great degree. And I argue with some
women with this. I think women sometimes do want you
to be a certain way, not overbearing, not dominant in
the sense of, you know, holding you down from your dreams.
But I do think that old sense of men and
(05:31):
women's roles are important. Still. Um, talk to me about
your mom, because you talk about the strength that you
got from her. Yeah, she was incredible. I mean the
fact that she left us in Haiti for a year
and a half and came out, came to America on
her own in order to get us our paperwork. I mean,
(05:51):
she's a single mom doing all this stuff, right, And
she left you with my sisters, with my older sisters,
and she went to Boston and found her way and
made her way and got us, you know, the right
documents to come to the United States. And um, she
gave me my wings to fly. You know, at the
age of seventeen, let me. A lot of Haitian mothers
(06:13):
wouldn't have let their daughter, especially their baby, to go
off to New York and become a model. We didn't
even know what that was. We didn't know you could
actually make a living doing this. But she had the
wherewithal and trusted and thought, I brought them here for opportunities.
This is an opportunity, let's follow through. And so she
(06:36):
was sort of my angel the entire way. I want
to ask you about that because it's interesting to me,
you know so much just talked about even before the
book that you came here at seven, didn't really know English,
learned it from watching Sesame Street and other things. Right,
But here's what's interesting, even in the decade between then
(06:57):
and you going to Miami and then New York to model.
When you think about it, that's extraordinary in the sense
of even understanding what English is because you can learn
the language but not know the nuances all the time.
I would think you were still a fish out of
water to a great degree. Oh for sure, for sure.
(07:17):
And I think the younger you come, you're like a sponge.
You sort of get it all. Like I don't have
an accent, but my sisters have accents because they came older.
For sure. I mean, it was definitely a fish out
of water. I remember being in Massachusetts, being the only
black hid in my school, and then going to school
in Miami with kids with that look like me and
had hair like me, and and uh, and that was
(07:40):
an interesting transition because then they thought I thought that
I was white because of the way I spoke um
And so there was a lot of different things, And
I think those are the things that have made me
um forge through in different aspects in my life, you know,
whether from modeling to acting to produce sing like, those
(08:01):
things gave me some of my strength that I can
walk into a room and be the only thing different.
But yeah, I can still um, get through it so
to a great degree. And again I don't want to
get you know, sometimes we try to get deep with
our questions, but I'm gonna try this anyway. You know,
as I think about it, it it just hit me now
and I'm wondering how you kind of and really it's
(08:24):
the only existence you've had here, But I think about
almost every corner of your life has been that way.
So from Massachusetts to Miami. You enter modeling, which particularly
at that time is lily white to a great degree. Absolutely,
you go to Hollywood, which I I still argue, in
(08:45):
spite of the advancements we've made, is still very lily white.
So every environment you've kind of landed in, you've been
different and had to deal with that. What do you
think that's done for you personally? I'm giving me tough skin.
It's let me for sure know that I can hold
(09:05):
my own, you know, in whatever room I'm in. And
you're right, absolutely it's still lily white. It's still um
even on Housewives, you know what I mean, In the
first Black Housewives, Uh was a thing when I started,
And yeah, it just makes me know where I stand
in terms of in my person Like when I show up.
(09:26):
I show up kind of for all of us, and
I think that's what we do when we're in a
room and we're the only ones there. Do you think
we make too much to carry that? Do you think
black folks? And I don't say this to get you
in trouble because I know these Sometimes we say things
and you know people taken and run with it. But
I would suspect you've not allowed race to be the
thing to hold you. Sometimes. I think we've made too
(09:47):
much of it in certain corners. Agreed, No, I never have.
I mean, for me, it's always been, UM, I'm gonna
do what I do anyways, regardless whether I'm scared heard,
whether I'm intimidated in the room. You're not going to
know that, but I'm gonna know that. But I think
that's what we just always had to do. Tell us
(10:11):
the persona people think you are, that you're not um,
I think, and I think that's changed now in someone
housewives and people get get to see me in a character.
But I think before people probably say, oh, maybe stuck
up or maybe diva or things like that. But the
minute you spend like five minutes with me, all that
(10:32):
goes away because that's not really who I am. You know,
I haven't relied on the outside. I've actually worked on
the inside, and her inside is full of fire for success.
At sixteen, she would move to Miami on her own
to start a modeling career. By seventeen, she was in
(10:52):
New York City and signed by one of the top
modeling agencies in the country that would lead to acting.
She landed small roles on a couple of episodes of
Miami Vice. From there, she would get roles in episodes
of many shows, including The Cosby Show, The Fresh Prince
of bel Air, and Family Matters. She also played one
(11:13):
of the rosebearers in the classic movie Coming to America.
She became part of the ensemble cast of the television
drama Models, Inc. Two years later, she would land the
role that endeared her to Black America when she played
Francesca Fancy Monroe on The Jamie Fox Show. I asked,
(11:36):
as she looks back now at all of what her
professional journey has been, how does she see it? It
was hard. It was hard, especially be coming from the
modeling world. People didn't think we could walk and talk
at the same time. Right. Casting directors were like, yeah,
she's pretty muck and she act, and so yeah, there
were lots of times that I didn't get a job
(11:57):
or didn't get you know, a second audition, and I
would be like, God, if this is not for me,
let me know what else should I do. So, yeah,
it was definitely hard, but when you look at it
on a hole, it's been an amazing ride, you know,
from Jamie Fox to working with Denzel, Chris Rock, Anthony Hopkins,
I mean, the list goes on. Um, it's been an
(12:18):
amazing ride. And that amazing ride has continued. She became
a co host of the daytime talk show The Real
That same year, she also became part of another established
television show, but this one surprised a lot of people.
Garcela would join season ten of the Real Housewives of
(12:41):
Beverly Hills. The decision was was, you know, it was
a struggle because my whole team were like, you're not
doing this. You're doing so well as an actress. We're
just telling you because you know that they're interested, because
you know, a lot of people we don't want them to,
you know, think that we didn't tell you. So I said,
let me think about it, and they were surprised that
(13:02):
I even wanted to do that. But for me at
the time, I was traveling a lot, you know, because
pretty much nothing shoots in l A. Right it's either Atlanta, Vancouver, Toronto.
And my kids, who I share with their dad, were
about to go in the middle school, and I was like,
I really don't want to travel as much. I really
(13:22):
want to be home more. So the timing was great,
and then I thought, Okay, I like the franchise. I
know some of the women. Was I scared, absolutely, but
I thought, let's give it a try. I mean, I've
always done other things other than just acting up hoasted produced,
so I was like, let me try. And so when
I told my team, they were like, we don't think
(13:44):
this is a good idea, but if you want to
do it, go ahead. And so what I really wanted
to do is completely be authentic to me. I didn't
want to go there with a preconceived notion of what
people think I should be. And I know some people think, oh,
she's not street enough, where she's not mean enough. But
I'm handling it the way. It's my reality, so therefore
(14:07):
it has to be me, you know. And when I've
had race conversations on the show. Um, I feel like
I brought more of a a sense of real life
to the show. You know, on my hands on mom,
I don't have a bunch of nannies or you know,
people around and uh, I really wanted to be me
and I think that's what people are relating to. And
(14:29):
that's what people have said they like, is that they
feel that they're really getting me. Her memoir, Love Me
As I Am as full of interesting stories, including being
mowed by Michael Jordan and briefly dating Will Smith and
being asked by Bill Cosby to read lines at his home,
(14:51):
but Garcella said she wanted the book to be more
than Hollywood stories. She decided to be personally vulnerable, and
she shares stories of hurt and real life. She talks
of a number of very personal things, including not always
being close to her father and her second husband's five
year affair that she discovered by seeing an email he
(15:15):
said to his mistress. When you decided to sit down
and and write it, Um, you have to make decisions
at that point when you write a memoir of how
much you're going to really allow people to see. Give
me a sense of how you decided to go past
a certain comfort level. Maybe yeah, you know, it's a memoir,
(15:36):
it's my story, it's my journey. And I really felt
like if I held back, it would have felt it
wouldn't have felt as authentic. And you know what, I'm human.
You know, we all have ups and downs and flaws
and and things that hurt really really bad. And what
I really hoped is that I could inspire someone, anyone,
really And what I've gotten out of the out of
(15:59):
you know, doing the book tour is the different people
that have connected with the book from you know, a
black woman assumed Nope, I knew that, but white, young girls,
gay Indian men. It just it was really That's what
I took away from it that was really surprising to me,
(16:20):
is that how many different people connected with the book
and they weren't from Haiti, they weren't a woman, they
didn't model, they didn't you know, all those things. So
I really wanted it to be me honestly, from day one,
Garcel's beauty has been a big part of how she's
been seen and marketed. I asked about the irony of
(16:41):
being touted in the industry as a beauty being the
fantasy of many men yet having rocky marriages, and like others,
finding herself blindsided by a partner's infidelity. I suggested, many
would see it as inconceivable that she would have found
her self in that place. I don't think of it
(17:02):
that way because I don't see myself that way. It's
beautiful that people do. But sometimes my girlfriend H has
to go, do you know who you are? So? Um?
I like the aspect of not thinking of myself that way.
I just see, you know, I've been blessed in a
lot of ways, and I'm grateful for those things, but
(17:23):
I don't I don't buy into them all. You know,
you have not I saw as you talked to others. Um,
you've not fallen into the trap of giving up on marriage,
has a possibility or love? You know that soul made
as a possibility. Is that just your nature? Or what
(17:43):
did you do? Because so many people after X number
of tries or X number of marriages or whatever the case,
maybe go this ain't for me? Yeah, I mean I
think I love love and I really do believe that
one day I will find in my person I think. Um, Listen,
(18:03):
if I was a quitter, I wouldn't be here now
talking to you, right, So I can't quit on that either,
you know. I I'm I'm gonna wish and hope until
the day he shows up. I'm sure he's out there
somewhere that I can promise you. Let me ask you
about the hustle that it is you. I think, you know,
(18:25):
I think about Um, you've done children's books, You've got
a podcast, you just signed a deal with NBC Universal
for a first look. Um, you did a line of
children's jewelry. You know, you've got X number of shows going.
Um is that Mom and Dad? Is that just in
the eight in you? What is that? Because you know
(18:45):
you could you could lay back a little bit, you know,
you just you just left the reel the right you're
on the reel. So I mean, come on, come on, girls.
So now I actually think the hustle is in me.
I really do. I feel like it's a part of me.
I love being busy. I love being creative. Um and uh,
(19:07):
I just love being busy. I really do. I feel
like I thought, Yes, there are times where I go, Okay,
we gotta we gotta slow down. We're not a spring
chicken anymore. And obviously I want to spend time with
my kids before they go off to college. They were
about to be fifteen in October. UM, so I'm trying
to balance it. But I really do love what I do.
(19:28):
I mean, this is the dream. You know. So many
times as an artist, it's all about momentum, right, so
you would get a job, you would get to and
that it's kind of quiet for a while. So now
I feel like the momentum is uh is there, and
so I want to write it until whenever. We also
talked about the one thing she's most associated with, her
(19:50):
character Fancy from the Jamie fox Show. I wondered how
she felt about having a character so beloved that it
lives far beyond the life of the series. Some actors
see that as a blessing, while others see it as
a curse. I think of Thelma on Good Times for years,
Good Times was off and people would still love her
(20:15):
as Thelma no matter why. I mean, even kids that
weren't born right when it was on. Um, tell me
what that character means to you and the connection you have.
Sometimes we short change with But I'm speaking specifically of
black folks, not that whites didn't watch the Jamie Foxx Show,
but it was a beloved show in Black America. Give
(20:36):
me a sense of what that has meant to you?
That has connected me to my community. You know, anywhere
I go I hear Fancy Fancy. I mean a lot
of actors don't want that. They don't want to be
pigeonholed or whatever stereo type. Um, but I love it.
You know, what you want as an artist is to
(20:57):
be able to connect with people and for them connecting
with Fancy on the Jamie Fox Show to me has
given me sort of like an icon status, you know
what I mean? And I think it's beautiful. Um. I'd
never want to take that away. I would never say
don't say that, don't call me that, let's not talk
about it. It really put me on the map and
(21:19):
in in a in a great way with again with
my folks, with my peeps. What what do you long
to do? You haven't been able to do yet? Oh? Um,
I've done a lot. I think I just want to
continue on this journey of creating and discovering and um
(21:41):
being a role model for my boys that and also
for women. I feel like at a certain age, when
you get a divorce, people think that's the end. That's
the end of you. Um, and I feel like that
just got me started. So who knows? What's what's motherhood
for you? You know, every again, every interview I've watched,
(22:01):
you are quick to bring front and center being a mommy.
You know clearly it's important to you. What's motherhood been
for you? It is the most important role I've ever played.
I mean, um, they're everything to me, you know. I
(22:22):
feel like my boys are an extension of me. There
I guess my legacy if you will, And uh, it's
my it's the heartbeat of me. It's everything. When one sad,
I'm sad. When one's happy, I'm happy. Just this past Saturday,
I was at a volleyball tournament for nine hours. Let
me tell you, sitting on those damn bleachers. I could
(22:43):
have been anywhere, but I wouldn't have given up for
anything in the world because that's what he's into. So yeah,
I remember those days. I might have given up one
or two of those tournaments or somebody. Let me tell you, um,
let me ask you. Let me ask you one other
question that I asked. UM often I asked male actors this,
(23:03):
But I'm curious when you are seeing uh, male actors
as a sex symbol. I think sometimes it gets in
the way of the craft because people have to get
past that first and then get to oh that person
can act. So for one who started as a model,
who has been upheld as a standard of beauty, uh
(23:25):
and certainly gotten roles because of that, do you ever
worry though, that it too can hold you back from
certain things? And if so, what do you do to
try to combat that? Yeah? For sure. I mean there
were roles that I didn't get because they thought, oh,
she's too pretty. People are not going to believe her
in this. Um, I think you just keep going, you know,
(23:46):
you just keep going and try to do even if
it's a small movie that's different. I did a movie
called a Girl Like Grace with Megan Good and Raven Simone,
and that was a really different kind of character for me.
And I think, you know, by doing things that sort
of go opposite of what people think of you is
a great way of combating that. Lastly, UM, what do
(24:09):
you want to start to develop with this production deal?
Because again those of us understand the business people think, oh,
you have a production deal and all of a sudden,
you're gonna roll stuff out, you know, and it doesn't
quite work like that. You know, you still have to
get it green lit. It's a lot of work to
just try to convince people. But what are you shooting
to create? Uh? With your company? You know, I want
(24:33):
to be able to create content that shows us in
different lights, that are diverse. I feel like so many
times we play the same it's the same story, um,
And I wanted to fortify that. I want to be
able to do other things. I want to do non scripted.
I want to do script it um. And I just
love the idea of putting things together. I'm a planner,
(24:56):
I'm an organizer, and that lends itself to me produce
saying it's what I really want to do when I'm
not in in front of the camera anymore. Listen, let
me say congratulations for all of what is on your
plate and all of what you have been able to
make happy happen. As I said, we have been acquaintances
for many years, and you have always been very sweet
(25:17):
and very gracious whenever I bumped into you, and I
appreciate that so much. I appreciate you so much, and
I love, love, love what you're doing. Keep doing it,
and I you know, people always rave about Steve Harvey
and the way he dresses. But you thank you. I
will thank you, and I'll call Steve and tell him
(25:38):
what you said. Another big thanks to Garcell. You can
see her on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season
twelve on Bravo, and her book Love Me As I
Am is out now. One hundred is produced by ed
(26:02):
Gordon Media and distributed by I Heart Media. Carol Johnson
Green and Sharie Weldon are our bookers. Our editor is
Lance Patton. Gerald Albright composed and performed our theme. Please
join me on Twitter and Instagram at ed L Gordon
and on Facebook at ed Gordon Media.
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