Arts & Entertainment
Ejogo
continued from page 6
again. It’s all about my guilt level.
KW: If you could have one wish instant-
ly granted, what would that be for?
CE: That “Sparkle” is a huge hit! [LOL]
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is
your earliest childhood memory?
CE: Summers in Scotland when I was 3.
KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What
key quality do you believe all successful
people share?
CE: That depends on how you define suc-
cess. Success for me will be where the body
of work I’ve done afforded me the opportu-
nity to be as good as I can be, and to explore
myself and to see what I’m capable of. Peo-
ple like that share a willingness to be scared
and to take chances.
KW: The Rudy Lewis question: Who’s at
the top of your hero list?
CE: Oh man, it’s so hard to answer that.
In terms of dignitaries, Nelson Mandela’s
up there. In terms of artists, this will
change, but I’m really into a performance
artist named Marina Abramovic’ right now.
KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What
Carmen Ejogo
Hemmings. She’s wondering whether
there’s another historical figure you’d like
to play in a biopic?
CE: I’d love to play Betty Davis, one of
Miles Davis’ wives. She was sort of like
Madonna before there was a Madonna. I’d
love to play a full-out rocking chick. Like a
Sister 2.0.
KW: Dante Lee, author of “Black Busi-
ness Secrets,” asks: What was the best busi-
ness decision you ever made, and what was
the worst?
CE: Leaving my first agent was both my
best business decision and my worst busi-
ness decision. It depends on how I want to
look at my career because of opportunities
that may have come had I stayed with him
and because of the opportunities that did
come because I had to fight harder for roles.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what
do you see?
CE: Oh, my goodness me! [Chuckles] A
mommy.
KW: How hard is it to balance working
and parenting, giving that you and Jeffrey
are both actors?
CE: It explains why I haven’t been
onscreen very much the last ten years.
[Laughs] It’s very hard. It’s been getting
easier as I give myself permission to work
‘The great fear I’ve had
to overcome ... is the
fear of failure’
excites you?
CE: My children.
KW: The Teri Emerson question: When
was the last time you had a good laugh with
them?
CE: There’s a lot of laughter in our house.
I get their American/British sense of humor
and they get my British sense of humor.
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do
you want to be remembered?
CE: Oh my! I’m a bit young to be asked
that. [Laughs]
KW: Yes, you are. Sorry. Thanks again
for the time, Carmen, and best of luck with
“Sparkle.”
CE: Thank you, Kam.
PHOT BY FRANCOIS DUHAMEL
with. He was so willing to step back and let
us do our work without feeling that he had
to interfere and tell us what to do just for
the sake of looking like a director. He had
such confidence in himself. So, it wouldn’t
surprise me, if he’s had experience outside
of the business, because he has much deep-
er soul than that. Working with people trou-
bled in that way could be great training for
working with actors who themselves can be
a little schizophrenic at times. [Laughs]
KW: The Tasha Smith question: Are you
ever afraid?
CE: Oh yeah. A lot. The great fear I’ve
had to overcome, particularly this past year,
is the fear of failure. It can be safer to stay
in a comfort zone that’s not stretching your-
self. I tried to overcome that fear playing
Sister. You have to be willing to be afraid, if
you’re going to be an artist.
KW: The Columbus Short question: Are
you happy?
CE: Yes. I’m happier than I’ve been for a
very long time, for all kinds of reasons. I’m
glad my kids are happy. I’m grateful that my
work is going well. I’m happy that this
moment in my career arrived at this age,
because I’m ready for it in a way that I
might not have been at 20.
KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?
CE: I don’t have a lot of guilt.
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson ques-
tion: What was the last book you read?
CE: “Darwin’s Cathedral.” It’s about evo-
lution and religion and it’s gonna serve me
well for “Zero Hour,” my new TV show that
I start filming soon.
KW: I see that you’ll also be starring
opposite Tyler Perry in Alex Cross this fall.
CE: That’s right! That’s coming out in
October. That was fun, too!
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
CE: I make a really delicious eggplant
and squash curry that’s inspired by Vij of
Vij’s Restaurant, a great chef and restaura-
teur in Vancouver. I like to cook that dish
because it’s really simple but the flavor is so
pungent and intense that I feel like I’m a
real chef whenever I create it.
KW: Harriet Pakula Teweles says: You’ve
portrayed Coretta Scott King and Sally
Carmen (left) stars as Grace and Maya Rudolph (right ) as Verona in Sam
Mendes’ “Away We Go.”
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Page 8 The Seattle Skanner
August 15, 2012