12 Questions with black-ish’s Tracee Ellis Ross
TV Soap

 

12 questions

with black-ish’s

Tracee Ellis Ross

By Diedre Johnson

She’s one of world-renowned singing icon Diana Ross’s three daughters from her first marriage. But Tracee’s been a star in her own right for some time. She’s currently starring in her second successful sitcom (the first was Fox’s Girlfriends) in the US – one that debuted in Australia with a3.3 rating and 11 million viewers.

Her Instagram’s go from glamorous and ethereal to goofy and laugh-out-loud funny.

Her red-carpet style pops, along with her tutorials on how to deal with curly hair and even a homage to her butt (Go Hard) by rapper DJ Khaled, featuring Kanye West and T-Pain.

TV Soap grabbed her for a few minutes and this is what ensued.

I follow your Instagram. Did you have any idea this show would be so successful?

I don’t know that I knew, but I was really proud of what we were doing and having a lot of fun, so it’s a really welcome surprise.

Love your style. You once Said you buy pieces and put them together from your closet?

I just shop. I’m a new shopper, a vintage shopper. I love shopping.

Do you shop online?

I do not like shopping online.

I shop in stores. I can’t try stuff on online and then I forget to return it and that’s ridiculous.

You have a wonderful figure, how do you embrace this voluptuousness?

I don’t know what’s happening in our culture that everyone just gets a comment on body parts now, and there’s this weird over- objectification of the female form, but it’s a wonderful compliment.

I work incredibly hard for my body. I am 42 and not 22. What you are blessed with at 20 is not just a simple blessing at 42. You do have to work out. So I work out and I watch what I eat.

I don’t limit myself intensely but I am aware, especially now that I am on camera.

What kinds of exercise do you do?

I work out at Tracy Anderson (celeb trainer to the stars). I switch it up and do weights. I will do whatever it takes to keep my body moving.

Any healthy favorite foods?

I try to stay away from gluten, dairy and sugar but I eat them all, by choice, when I’m in the mood.

Any guilty-pleasure foods?

Yes, French fries, olives and cheese.

Do people ever say you look much like your mum?

I look like both my parents. If you sit me next to my mom, people say I look like my mom. If you sit me next to my dad, it’s “OmiGod, you look so much like him.” I’m very much my parents’ child.

How do you layer in the celebrity thing? Most people don’t grow up with a superstar as a mother?

I don’t have any other experience so I actually don’t know, but I will say that my mother is of that superstar icon thing. She actually supersedes that. She surpasses that. She was a mother first.

Did you think you were going to go into show business? Did you consider other things?

I didn’t know. I considered a lot of things. I was very shy growing up. I thought I was going to go into fashion. I did do that. I worked in the magazine business for quite some time.

It is genuinely what I love and, if you think about it, I discovered something completely opposite my mother. What I’ve come to as an adult is that I am more of a performer than an actress.

I do think [acting] is my mother. I think that the performance element of that is what draws me to the work.

Who are your comedy idols?

OmiGod! Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kristen Wig.

What’s it like working with Anthony Anderson?

We have a ball together. He makes it very easy for me to play the role that I play. He’s charming and annoying, all in a good way.

He makes me giggle. He’s respectful. He’s adorable. He’s also got a good work ethic. TVS

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *