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Kelly Jenrette talks new Netflix films, digital age, and success (Includes interview)

On being a part of All Day and a Night on Netflix, she said, “It was a dream come true. Jeffrey Wright is one of my favorite actors of all time and to be able to work so closely with him was an experience I won’t ever forget. Ashton Sanders pushed me to go deeper as an actor and Regina Taylor left me with gems that I will carry for the rest of my life. Lastly, working with Joe Robert Cole made my job as Delanda effortless.”

She also opened up about her experience in Uncorked on Netflix. “Being able to work with the greats, Courtney B. Vance and Niecy Nash, was a welcomed blessing in the midst of a difficult storm. A month before we shot Uncorked I lost my best friend, Shannon Sylvain, to colon cancer, and being placed in the midst of this beautiful black ordinary family drama was truly healing to my soul,” she said.”

Jenrette continued, “I remember having a real emotional moment in a rehearsal for the funeral repast scene in the film and I just broke down crying. As I was trying to get my lines out, I remember Mamoudou Athie, the lead in the film and my character’s brother, squeezing my hand and his eyes were filled with so much compassion. It was a very safe space to continue to grieve in, and it also brought some much-needed healing for my character and especially for me as the actor.”

She earned an Emmy nomination for her acting work in the hit Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale. “I was literally speechless when I saw my name on the list under Cicely Tyson,” she admitted. “I finally uttered one word over and over and over again, “No, no, no, no, no.” Can you feel my excitement coming through the page?”

On being an actress in the digital age, she said, “At times it feels pretty stressful with needing to post all the time while wanting to maintain some type of privacy. Other times it’s great to be able to connect with people from all over the world.”

For young and aspiring actors, she said, “Know your ‘why?’ The ‘why?’ will sustain you in the dark moments when things don’t go the way you thought they should have gone six months ago. Be honest about your ‘why.’ If your ‘why’ is because you want to be rich and famous then own that, but give yourself permission to change the path without judgment.”

She listed the following actors as her dream collaboration partners: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Giovanni Ribisi, Regina King, Don Cheadle, and Tom Pelphrey.

Jenrette defined the word success as follows: “success means conquering your failures with the same grace you would have accepted your victory.”

“Take time to fortify your relationships,” she told her fans during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Your relationship with God, your parents, family, and friends. The reminder that ‘every day isn’t promised’ has never hit closer to home. Now that we’ve seen this example repeatedly over the last few months let us grab ahold of our loved ones and treat time with respect.”

For her fans and supporters, Jenrette concluded, “I never really did dig the word ‘fans’ so I’d like to call you who you are to me: supporters. Some in a literal sense, thank you for holding me up, and some in a figurative sense, thank you for your prayers, emails, texts, and phone calls. Even if I don’t respond to all of my messages (that darn hidden folder, lol) I feel your love. It is needed and it is appreciated.”

To learn more about Emmy-nominated actress Kelly Jenrette, follow her on Instagram.

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 20,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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