IN CONVERSATION WITH EBONY OBSIDIAN
interview by JANA LETONJA
Ebony Obsidian most recently starred in Netflix’s ‘The Six Triple Eight’, sharing the screen with powerhouse talents like Kerry Washington, Oprah, Susan Sarandon, and more. Other Ebony’s credits include BET’s hit show ‘Sistas’, Hulu’s ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’, Netflix’s ‘Master of None’, Amazon’s ‘Hunters’, and Barry Jenkins’ ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’. Besides acting, Ebony is also an ambassador for the International Rescue Committee.
dress GENNY
headpiece DAWID TOMASZEWSKI
gloves INGOROKVA
You just starred in ‘The Six Triple Eight’. Can you tell us about your character and her significance within this powerful story?
Lena Derricott King is our entry point into the story of ‘The Six Triple Eight’ and their worldwide impact during WWII. At the age of 17, she was a small town girl from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who had a fairly average life, all things considered. I mean, she was born in 1923 and our film starts around 1940. Not the easiest time to be a young black girl. Especially when the boy you love is a Jewish boy from an affluent family you and your mother work for. It was the separation of this forbidden love that catapulted her into a mission no one had ever done before. Under the leadership of Captain Charity Adams, the highest ranked black women at the time, Lena became 1 of 855 women of colour to be the first of their kind sent to Europe on a mission to restore morale and shift the trajectory of WWII. What makes Lena so significant in this story is that she thought of herself as somewhat insignificant and incapable. The beauty is that she represents the every day person who is dealt a hand of what they feel are unbeatable odds. Through community, tough and tender love, and the curiosity and drive to become, she beats those odds.
suit M-KARA
shoes STUDIO 83
earrings VINТАGE CHANEL
What drew you to this project, and how did you prepare for a role that is so deeply rooted in history?
For a long time, I have wanted to represent a real life person. If for no other reason than to see how approaching the material differs, to challenge myself. When Tyler Perry sent the script and a video he had taken of a visit he made to sit with Lena, I heard her speak with such warmth and was immediately inspired. But truly, it was my mother whom I was caretaking that said I had to do the film. She reminded me that one of my nicknames as a child was ‘Little Soldier’ and with that, the answer was yes. I then tracked down all the videos I could find of her speaking so that I could begin to shape the younger version of her voice. The voice is typically where I start with a character, or in this case, the real person. In addition, I had the help of the incredible dialect coach, Damian Lewis, in creating variation from the super gentle Lena who had never left her hometown, and the Lena we meet later in the film as she has fully actualised herself. Another gift is that I met Lena on her 100th birthday in Las Vegas after deciding I simply had to before completing the film. With all the anxiety I had left, spending the day with her, seeing how much joy she embodied, regardless of one hundred years on this planet, through so many eras, outliving both husbands, both children, sharing her personal stories, and witnessing how ready she was for the story of ‘The Six Triple Eight’ to be shared worldwide I was ready too.
full look KILIAN KERNER
The 68th Central Postal Directory Battalion’s story has been largely untold until now. What does it mean to you to help bring this chapter of history to a global audience?
I often wonder what it would have been like to grow up with this story. So ecstatic that little coloured girls today will have the chance to be reminded how long and how grand of an impact we have made in this country and around the world. To be a part of bringing it back into the light means everything. I am a culmination of all the women who came before me. Those whose stories I know and those whose stories I do not. It is a great privilege to give ‘The Six Triple Eight’ back their voices and overdue flowers.
full look KILIAN KERNER
You’ve got to share the screen with incredible talents like Kerry Washington, Oprah, and Susan Sarandon. What was it like working alongside such powerhouse actors, and what did you learn from them?
My entire career has been so special as I have worked with many of my inspirations. Aunjanue Ellis, Regina King, Angela Basset to name just a few Black women who have paved the way. Then to learn that I would be sharing the screen with Kerry Washington, of course I was in awe. Her body of work is beyond beautiful, not simply in quantity, but in diversity. The way in which she has transformed time and time again is a lesson in and of itself. In addition to leading us, she was also an executive producer on the project so it was wonderful to watch the balancing act of it all. But meeting Kerry as a person, the kindness, the excitement, the protectiveness, that may have been an even sweeter treat. Unfortunately, I did not get to share the screen with Oprah or Susan, but they were phenomenal as always.
dress GENNY
headpiece DAWID TOMASZEWSKI
gloves INGOROKVA
‘The Six Triple Eight’ is a story of resilience and breaking barriers. How do you see your role as an actor in telling stories that reflect the diversity and complexity of the human experience?
Complexity of the human experience is a great way to put it. Because truth is at the root of it all. I am typically drawn to characters who do not have a straight and narrow path. Often times, loss is the initiator of resilience and barrier breaking. As an actor, my hope is to show the human experience as it is. No glitz and glamour, unless of course that is the role, but just the raw truth of it.
The film sheds light on the struggles and triumphs of Black women during WWII. How do you hope modern audiences, especially younger generations, connect with these themes?
My hope is that young people especially are reminded that we have been making big waves always. Let the fact that your greatness is constantly being denied, be it through hidden stories or outright, be a motivation. Know that together, we are stronger. That our differences are small in the grand scheme of things. If you do not have whatever it is you believe you need to overcome, you can become it.
As a woman of East African and West Indian descent, how does your heritage inform your approach to storytelling and your choice of roles?
I was raised by women who actually survived real war. Strong women, focused women. Women who put their families and communities first, because that is what their mothers taught them. Culture plays a large role in how we all live life. For me, these two cultures I embody daily, remind me to seek out the rawness of a story because it is not always pretty, and that is okay.
dress NEDO BY NEDRET TACIROGLU
earrings TAKHIA
You’ve had roles in a variety of hit series like ‘Sistas’, ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’, and ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’. How do you choose roles that resonate with you personally and professionally?
Roles that resonate are nearly always a role I have not done. Time, place, circumstance. All those things are what make or break my interest. Some of my favourite work, ‘Wu-Tang: An American Saga’, ‘Hunters’, ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ are based in New York, where I was born and raised. That was also a point of interest, capturing different time periods of home along with how incredible those stories were. ‘Sistas’ was my first project in the south, which was the first appealing part of the role.
Beyond acting, you’re an ambassador for the International Rescue Committee and recently traveled to South Sudan. Can you share more about that experience and what it meant to you?
My family found refuge in Sudan when they fled Eritrea during the civil war. The International Rescue Committee is not only a place where I use my influence to share about our work worldwide, but a place where I get to learn. Going to South Sudan and participating in programs geared toward helping women become financially stable, good making of essential household items, and counselling for sexually related assault was extremely eye opening. It means that there is much work yet to be done.
dress NEDO BY NEDRET TACIROGLU
earrings TAKHIA
You’ve spoken about the importance of using your platform for positive change. What causes are closest to your heart, and how do you hope to inspire others through your activism?
I am a believer in focus efforts. I have so many friends who are dialled in to their topic of choice and it is phenomenal to see how much we can accomplish when we focus. For me, women as a whole are very important to me. I have so much respect for all women because as I grow wiser, I understand how much we carry on our shoulders. Second, immigrants are important. I am the daughter of immigrants, and proud, and would not be here if not for their sacrifice. Also, something I have yet to discuss, I have had many foster brothers and sisters through childhood. Through that experience, you come to know just how fortunate you are to be born into a family that can, or will, nurture you properly. You come to know how important knowing your roots is. I have so much compassion for those who do not. This is a topic I would like to begin extending myself to. Activism does not have to be a burden, you can pick topics that will always mean something to you and grow from there. Do not let anyone deter you from contributing in the way that feels authentic to you.
What can you share about your upcoming projects or goals you’re excited to pursue?
I feel like this chapter, both personally and professionally, is a space I have never occupied. The level of excitement, gratitude, and determination I have surpasses that of which I had 10 years ago, which is when I decided to study acting though I had been participating since childhood. I am eager to open up my writing roots, which was my path of choice before acting. As always, I am eager to continue to build with great human beings that also inspire me.
dress BUNDI
hat VEX LATEX
TEAM CREDITS:
talent EBONY OBSIDIAN
photography PERAZNA
styling SOFIA POPKOVA
hair MARCIA HAMILTON at FORWARD ARTISTS
makeup BRANDY ALLEN at CELESTINE AGENCY
styling assistant NATALIA PROKOPYEVA
tailor TATIANA NIKITINA
editor TIMI LETONJA
editorial direction and interview JANA LETONJA
