On being a part of Watchmen on HBO, she said, “That was singular. It was hard to put into words. I doubt that I will ever experience anything like that again. I am so grateful to have had that experience.”
Regarding her daily motivations, she said, “I am motivated by caffeine. For me, the things that motivate me change all the time. The anticipation of learning something new is motivating and it inspires me daily. Right now, the hope that I have that I will see changes in our system and how people are regarded in my lifetime.”
In February of 2019, King won the coveted Academy Award for “Best Supporting Actress” for her stellar portrayal of Sharon Rivers in If Beale Street Could Talk. “That was another singular moment. With everything in life, the first time for something is always the most unique because it’s the first. Someone can tell you what it’s going to be like, but whatever you’ve been told doesn’t live up to the experience. The little information that you were told ahead of time does not resonate. Your first experience is your first experience and the circumstances that brought you to that experience is different for every person. How it lands on you is indescribable,” she explained.
“You can probably draw it better than you can say it, literally. You can draw pictures of family, rainbows, and champagne,” she added.
On being an actress and filmmaker in the digital age, she said with a sweet laugh, “It feels like I’m supposed to be here.”
King enjoyed being a part of a virtual reunion with Reese Witherspoon via Zoom for Variety. “It’s always a joy to have a moment,” she said. “Everybody is so busy and has so much going on, even though it was a moment they were doing for Variety, it was exciting for both of us. This gave us a chance to catch up. You don’t really get to do that because of life normally getting in the way.”
For young and aspiring actors, King said, “Know that you really want to do this and that this is something that you have a passion for. Not because you want to be a star, but because you truly have something inside you that is speaking to you and that you are receiving this as a gift in the form of art and not as an opportunity to be a celebrity. If that is your reasoning to get into it, then you are setting yourself up for a really disappointing, slippery road into darkness.”
Regarding the key to longevity in acting and entertainment, she responded, “The key to longevity in any industry is authenticity.”
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said, “Hope.”
King listed dentistry as her alternate career choice. “I probably still would have been a dentist. That still stands,” she said.
She also opened up about directing One Night in Miami, which she described as an incredible experience. “If you open up the thesaurus and look up every word that is a synonym for ‘breathtaking,’ that is what One Night in Miami is and continues to be because I am in the post-production process.”
King defined the word success as “when you have the ability to take a moment that is looked at by the outside as a successful moment and transform that into the next moment that includes a successful moment for others.”
For her fans and supporters, she expressed her sincere appreciation. “Thank you. I hope that the ride has been for you as exciting as it has been for me. More importantly, the successes that I have wouldn’t have been possible without the energy and support that I receive daily from fans. All of the accolades are awesome, don’t get me wrong, but when my fans tell me that a performance or a project of mine has moved them, that is really rewarding. That has helped to keep me motivated for the last 15 years of my career, for sure.”
To learn more about Oscar-winning actress Regina King, follow her on Twitter and on Instagram.
