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character, especially for a long period of time,
you go on a journey with them and you learn
from that character. You put a little of yourself
in that character. I’m a believer of trying to
bring a little separation between you and the
character. But, there’s just so much of Merle
in Grace. The first season, Grace had a lot of
verbal flog coming her way. Merle in the flesh
would have been like, “I need y’all to pull
off and leave me alone.” (Laughs) But, Grace
had a different agenda and a different way of
operating. She had different history and learned
behaviors with her family. So, her journey was
stepping out of the old pattern that she had as
a kid and into her strength as a grown woman.
I think people identified with that because we
all know what it’s like to come home after a
long period of time and feel like you fit right
back into that same slot in the wheel. It’s hard
to get out of that rotation and have a different
encounter with your family members that
you’ve known your entire life. Watching Grace
Know thy
self & love
thyself.”
overcome that and stand in her own truth has
been a great thrill for the audience and for me.
MADE: The show is set in Memphis, Tennessee
where your father was raised. Do you feel a
connection to the city?
Merle: Oh, yes. It’s so interesting. I look at the
characters Sophia and Zora and think about
my cousins. I have so many first-cousins in
Memphis. One in particular, Kim, is my age
and every time I came to Memphis she was
the one who took me by the hand and said,
“Come on girl” or “Merle, let’s go down to Beale
Street.” She was my Zora. We called each other
“sister-cousin,” as well. I don’t think the writers
even know how close they write to my life
sometimes. I consider Memphis a home, and
every time I go there, my aunties and uncles
rally around me. They encourage me and lift
me up. Our butts are always in the pew on
Sunday morning.
MADE: How has being at the OWN Network
influenced how you meet other women in your
career?
Merle: What’s really wonderful about being
at OWN, in particular, is there is a great sense
of really pulling out each individual’s greatest
potential and setting up environments in which
they will thrive and grow to become their very
best. I’ve always absorbed a lot of energy, so I
enjoy being able to be around absolute queens.
In my opinion, Oprah and Ava are royalty, and
so is everyone who works with them. One of
the executive vice presidents at Harpo, Carla
Gardini, has magnificent energy. She’s smart,
unstoppable and an encourager. All of these
people are the best they can be, and they
motivate me to be the best that I can be. Even
when I started this job and my nerves were
just trying to get the best of me, there was still
something inside of me that said “O.K., you
are meant to be here. You are ordained to be
here. You have the tools to be here. Use them.
Keep stepping forward and know you have
been brought to this place for a purpose.” It’s
a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This amazing
show has created the perfect storm for me to
thrive, constantly get better and search for ways
to expand myself. That’s a roundabout way of
saying, “I’ve been planted in fertile soil.”
MADE: Can you share three tips for those in
the arts who are feeling stuck?
Merle: I love the allegory where the person
is so frustrated because they can’t move the
boulder. They keep pushing and pushing and
pushing against it, and it won’t move. But then,
they turn around and they are strengthened and
realized that the race is behind them. You’re at
the boulder to strengthen yourself beyond what
you can’t see. So, here are my tips:
1. Know thyself and love thyself.
2. Persevere.Never give up and never stop
sweating.You never know when“Game Day”
will be.
3. You are enough. It all comes down to being
good in your skin and continuing to
work hard, even when you don’t think
anybody’s looking.–
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