Melissa L. Williams (“Ruthless” on BET) chatted about her new BET holiday film “Never Alone for Christmas: Memphis.”
Holiday movie experience
On her new holiday movie, she remarked, “My experience was wonderful. We actually shot it in Shelbyville. Thankfully, I’ve been to Memphis before, so I’m familiar with Beale Street and the history of the blues there and the Memphis vibe.”
“Shelbyville is in Kentucky, and so I was happy to have a little Memphis background as my insight when we filmed it there, but I had a wonderful experience,” she added.
Playing her character Monica
On playing Monica, she said, “What I liked most about my character is that she was very confident in who she was, even though she had obviously a personal trial with her engagement being called off, but I do like how she overcame that obstacle in the end.”
“Monica is a very confident woman,” she admitted.
‘Ruthless’
On starring in “Ruthless” on BET, she said, “Well, we’re on the sixth season, so it’s been a blessing, and the experience has been nothing short of amazing because Tyler Perry is a legend.”
“I’m really happy to be a piece of what he’s built and his legacy that’s continuing to thrive, so my experience is life-changing, to be honest,” she said.
“It’s the first time I’ve been a series regular, and the first time I’ve been No. 1 on a call sheet. I’m happy that people are enjoying what we’re putting out,” she added.
Playing Ruth in ‘Ruthless’
On playing Ruth in “Ruthless,” she stated, “You know what I like most about Ruth is that just like any human, she may get knocked down, but she definitely comes out on top.
“Ruth, throughout the six seasons that we’ve shot, has had a lot of experiences that are not so good, and she still wakes up every day to fight another day, and like whatever it is that she’s experiencing, I think that she always has an end goal in mind,” she elaborated.
“I think that’s something that I take in my personal life with me from that character is that you need to keep the end goal in mind no matter what the day looks like,” she added.
‘The Oval’ crossover appearances
Williams also discussed her crossover appearance in “The Oval” on BET.
“Ruth started off in ‘The Oval’ and made an appearance there where people were so shocked at the turn that this show about the White House and all the controversy had an element of drama with the cult,” she elaborated.
“It was fun because a lot of people weren’t expecting that twist, but I really hope that there’s a chance that she gets to come back and redeem the death of her sister, Denise, you know, and like maybe get at the president a little bit because she didn’t get to have her say after that happened,” she explained.
The digital age
On being a part of the digital age, Williams said, “It feels like I’m a part of something that’s groundbreaking and that will be here for a long time. When I was growing up, we definitely didn’t have streaming.”
“Now that I am a part of the streaming world, and I am also a fan of the streaming world with all the different ones, from BET+ to Netflix, I’m grateful that there are so many opportunities for everyone, not just actors, but people behind the scenes, the crew,” she elaborated.
“Then, it’s just a plus for people who love TV and film because you have so many options,” she added.
Future plans
Regarding her future plans, she shared, “I am executive producing and starring in a new biopic. It will be titled ‘Go with the Flo.’ It’s about the Olympian Flo Jo.”
“Then, there are other projects that I’m blessed to be a part of,” she said. “I would love to do action, and I would love to do some more drama, and some more comedy. ‘Never Alone for Christmas’ allowed me to show a funner side than Ruth, because it is a comedy and it’s a holiday movie,” she elaborated.
“It’s my first one at comedy,” she said. “In my personal life, I’m looking forward to being married. I just got engaged, which I think is really cool because my character kind of foreshadowed this experience in being an engaged woman.”
“Then, months later after I filmed that, I became an engaged woman. So, art does imitate life,” she added.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Williams revealed, “God’s Business.”
“God is not done with me yet, but everything that I have today is all God’s business. It’s all His doing,” she said.
“I would not be in this great position of where I am if it wasn’t for God and the way that He has blessed me,” she added.
Superpower of choice
When asked what her superpower would be, Williams responded, “I would have a clone so I can be in multiple places at one time. This way, I could get a lot done.”
Success
On her definition of the word success, she said, “Success means that the dreams and desires that I have for myself are being accomplished, that my family is healthy and that I am genuinely happy.”
Message for her fans
For her fans, she expressed, “I would like to say ‘thank you so much’ for being a supporter of my dream and for being a fan of the projects that I’m a part of from ‘Ruthless,’ to ‘The Oval,’ to this new film, ‘Never Alone for Christmas’.”
“I’ve gotten so much feedback from not only family, but friends and fans alike just saying how much they enjoyed the movie. So, ‘thank you’ for taking this ride with me, and also supporting my journey,” she elaborated.
Closing thoughts on ‘Ruthless’
For fans and viewers, she stated about “Ruthless,” “Don’t join a cult. That’s No. 1 because cults are still unfortunately a thing today. Can you believe it? That’s still a thing where people get brainwashed and are not able to decipher or discern other people’s intentions. It’s mad.”
“So, in all seriousness, don’t join a cult,” she underscored. “Also, to have a strong foundation spiritually, because obviously that whole cult thing is a ‘religious entity,’ but it’s not because I think in any religion that that activity does not take place.”
“So, if you have a strong spiritual foundation, mine is God, then there’s a hope that you can’t even explain,” she acknowledged.
“A strong spiritual foundation is what helps you go from day to day, especially in this world that we live in, and have hope for a better future, and a better life,” she concluded.
To learn more about Melissa L. Williams, follow her on Instagram.
