MADEXXXX
SIMPLY
SANAA
ACTRESS SANAA LATHAN
SHARES THE KEYS TO A
LASTING CAREER
T
here’s something intriguing yet mysterious about Sanaa Lathan. You’ve seen
her in the classics—Love & Basketball, The Best Man, Brown Sugar—and you’ll
also find her commanding the screen in roles you’d least expect. The way she
navigates through Hollywood really speaks to her versatility and dedication
to the craft she loves and more importantly, she’s doing it her way. In this exclusive
interview with MADE, Sanaa Lathan gets candid about her path to her success…
MADE BY
ASHLEY WHITE
MADE: Most aspiring actors
move to LA in hopes of being
discovered, but you took a
different route. Your parents
had ties to the entertainment
industry and you decided
to attend UC Berkeley for
undergrad and you went on to
earn your master’s in Drama
from Yale University. What was
the motivation to pursue formal
training?
SL: My mother worked with
the Alvin Ailey Company, so
I grew up around the theatre.
My father was one of the
first Black directors in TV,
so I grew up around it and I
was always doing it, but like
many children, they want to
go in the opposite direction of
their parents. I had always said that I wanted to be
a lawyer. I was a really good student and I got good
grades, but when it came to college and I was joining
my classes, the more research I did, I realized that I’m
not cut out for a lawyer. I said, “This does not make
me happy.”
I knew how hard it was to be an actor. Being around
the business, I knew that it wasn’t just about Hamlet
or any one thing, it’s about the convergence of
many different things. Many people who get into the
business, don’t necessarily make a living out of it.
When it came time to decide what direction I wanted
to go in I really had to come to terms with the fact
[theatre] was the thing that made me most happy. It
was a passion and I said to myself that if I could just
get into a real drama program where I could really
learn the craft and be as good as I good be at it, I
would feel like I was doing everything I could to
set the odds on my side. I was very fortunate to get
into Yale’s School of Drama and it became a game
changer for me. We did almost 30 plays in three years
and it taught me the foundation of this craft. I always
believe in continuing to learn.
MADE: Was there a defining moment at Yale that really
showed you that you were made for Hollywood?
made-magazine.com |
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