The Spirited Actor - Eve Cooper (09/28/2021)

Hello, and welcome to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. I was a casting director for film and TV and commercials for over thirty years. I transitioned to a celebrity acting coach after I cast a film New Jersey Drive with executive producers Spike Lee and director Nick Themez. I auditioned every rapper from Biggie Smalls to Tupac, and I realized that rappers and musical artists they needed help

Was just about to say to you, and I'm not supposed to interrupt.

I was like, why am I getting emotional? My side hurt because sorry, sorry, Okay, there she is ladies and jealous. I just want to say. What I did come up with was she is one of my favorite human beings on this planet, and two has spent the time with her on the road on different projects and then full circle come back around is beyond a blessing. So I just want to say, ladies, and Jaila was stand up and put your hands together for the legendary. I mean,

Doing a podcast, but I am so excited.

To be here because we've been talking about trying to do this for a while. So I'm so.

Yeah, I'm here, and I'm like, why do I have actual like little tears in the corner.

My glasses started to plug up and I started because I was like, I got it out this morning. But I was like, I'm going to introduce you, just introduce her. But you know what eve one day I was, I was with one of my assistants, old assistants, and I was just talking about like I have the best moments with you, the best we have had. Listen, listen many

Because we had honestly, we had such a good time. You honestly are the person that made me love acting seriously, and that is really.

Real because before you.

I definitely was like, no, I don't want to act, and I don't I don't understand what this is.

And my first is my very first session with you, I was like, oh, okay, like and.

You opened something up that was just like all right, and I think you said to me. I don't know if you remember this, but I think you did say to me, and it might not be verbatim, but because I think I was talking about how at the time, Troy obviously really wanted me to get into acting and I was just and you were.

Like uh, And I was like, well, I'm not really into it.

I don't know anything about it, and you were like, well, you know, when you do videos, that's kind of like you're telling a story.

And I was like, duh, I remember what I said that to you? Because I was working with so many men. At the time, I was really on us with Buster and then like a bunch of rapper.

Mail and yeah exactly, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, and I love blind.

Oh yeah, yep, And that just tugged at my heart strings and I was like, she needs to act and I swear on everything because Ayana, my assistant, was with me. Three days later, Tory Carter calls me and he's like, I want to introduce you, Eve, and I'm like, what love is blindy? Because your performance in there, then that's that video was drivening to me. And if you can channel those type of emotions in a video, which I think is like a small short film, yeah, let's get

Yeah, because I feel like I do respect the craft of acting and I do know that there are you know, actors, people who have wanted to act since they were babies and have gone through all the training and going.

To the schools and take classes all the time.

And I never wanted to be I never wanted to just show up and be like oh yeah, you know, especially at that time, my time in my career, I was getting a lot of things sent to me. But I never wanted to be that person that showed up on set like just because I could, just because they offered me the job doesn't mean I actually do the job. So I wanted to really, you know, really study. And until this day, I still get super nervous. I'm still

Can I say? Can you curse? You can? Oh? Thank you? Thank you? Well, that's because for me, you took the craft so seriously and you did the work, and you really worked on your craft, and you wanted to have that comfort. You also had. The other side to you was the business woman that I saw evolving, and I was like, she's going to produce, She's gonna produce. Yes, you always said that to me, and I you know, the way I look at.

Stuff now, I'm I'm still I want to I hope and hope. I'm sure it'll happen at some point when it's right. It is to find it a right project, Yeah it.

Is, and it's going to be you know, it's gonna be your like respect, you know, I feel like it's portraying someone. That's what I feel, you know, that's what I feel like I do because one of one of my moments was in barbershop when you had to go up for the well, let me tell, let me see if you remember this, because this was crazy. You had

I still that process of going Yeah, I remember that.

It was literally like everyone and literally they.

Had gone out to all the people, all the girls, right, like all of them.

It's so true. But the thing that's great, and like you guys don't know this from the casting perspective, but everybody in that room you have that idea of this is who I'm competing against or they were on this series or whatever, and then you realize you know that room as a casting director. Not everybody comes in shining. Not everybody is great. And I felt like you wanted this role. I felt I wanted it at own Terry,

Yes, one, I have to say, I fell in love with Terry. It was the first time I think I read a script really, even though I had done my TV show before, but this was different, Like it was the first time I read a script and I was like, I know this girl, like I know her, I know this girl, I can do this. I know I could do it. And thankfully, yes, I did get the role. And I was saying I was definitely intimidating. I think I was right most intimidated by Bye c Man c.

Yo.

His so intimidating, but once you get to know him one he is literally the nicest.

He gave me so much cool advice, like but I think also be coming from rough.

Riders definitely prepared me to be around all them dudes.

That was like Okay, yeah, I know what this is like.

But as far as the acting part of it was, it was scary, but I had you, so it was great, like seriously because you was to be behind that confidence like you you always help me find that confidence and knowing like no, you got this, like you really, like for real, like you got this.

So that always always helped me well because I think that I always have this idea in my head that when you excel in one entity, all you need is like the foundation and like you know, the protocol and verbage, and then you're gonna because you have the talent, you're going to sore. And for me, I love Barbishop one, Barbishop two was great coming back to like this reunion huge cast. Yeah, but when you did Woodspan, oh my god, I was so scared. I was so scared.

That was another one that was like how am I sitting across the table from Kevin Bacon.

Like how how is this my life right now?

And I remember to this day and I've said this to him before I had the chance to say this to him. Every time they called action, his his pupils dilated. Like me, it was like he went straight in and so we could be literally busting it up in between takes and as soon as the action was called, he was there and it was like, wow, that's amazing.

That was something I was just learning and he was amazing. And he's from Philly, so it was cool.

And we got to do it in Philly and it was like, yeah, that was that was incredible, But it was that was a scary, scary scar It was I mean, I'm always scared. I always scared, but that fear pushes you into it and you do it anyway and then it just what What was was great for me on Woodsman is that we were experimenting with wigs.

Because we were talking about, remember, you should have a different look so that people don't even recognize you. And it's not until the credits come up. And when I saw Woodsman, I was around a group of people that I didn't know, but I could hear them like is that Eve? Is that? Oh? Yes? I ran before jet.

That was a transformation. I was still that wig always run reminded me of my aunt Karen.

I don't know if I said that then, but it's like, this is not that Karen right now, Like yes, but that was her for sure. Yeah, And It's little things like that, a costume, a prop or something that just makes an adjustment like that in the scene. I want to get to two more things because I definitely want to talk about Queens. I can't. I can't stopped turning

Because I had been on the road for so long, right, and when I had gotten the show, I was so excited.

Of course I was really excited.

That was another thing which I'm happy Troy talked me into, not really talked me into. I was ready for it, but you were the transition of going from being on the road kind of doing my thing whatever it is I wanted to that it became to me and.

Ant it was monotonous.

It was getting up at the same time, getting in the car, driving the same way, parking in the same spot.

I was also the youngest at the time.

Everybody was either just getting married, just having their first kid, buying their first house. Like it's settling in a way that I just wasn't there yet. I still was like that first season, I was still trying to go to the club and then make it for table reads, like getting it at floor, trying to get the table reads at nine on Fridays, like I do not recommend this because it does not work me either, Yeah, I do not.

It does not work.

But trying to figure out how do I keep some semblance of what I knew and what I was going into. It wasn't probably until the second or THURSD season, once we had really become a family, really because we did, and once we had like found that group, and I even found that that sweet spot of like, oh man, this is actually really nice.

It's an anchor.

I don't have to pack a bag and be on a bus or on a plane. And that's when I think it was too late. And it's one of the things I've said before. I do I don't believe in regrets. But if I could have a do over to a certain extent, I would have taken.

It a little more seriously.

I would have understood the seriousness quicker, if that means right.

But I'm gonna tell you. I'm gonna tell you what you did understand, Son, you understood co executive producer credit Son Song. I did understand that. I did understand that.

I was just like, yeah, I did understand that, Yes, that was nice, that was nice.

Yes.

And I learned a lot. I learned a lot. I learned about myself, about being being an actor, like being in an ensemble. I learned a lot. And I learned I learned that.

I mean, comedy is hard, man, it's not easy, challenging, it's not it's not easy.

Yeah. Well, I remember your agent during the pilots said that if you want a nine to five, do you do television. If you want you know that freedom, you do film. And so I felt like, Okay, now you're finally going to be settled in your place and this. But that's the thing that was challenging for me because I felt like at the time, I was on the road with um Buster at the same time, and so I felt like, you know what, I encourage you guys

I was like, a.

People, I don't want the show to be mad, but I was so proud of you. You would watch that show and be like yo, like you could you could. For me, I saw when you found your sweet spot. I saw when you finally happened.

At some point, it finally happened because it was. You know what's funny too about you know, you know how it is there's so many people on the set.

That writers as well as you're doing.

It, and if something doesn't land and they go in and rewrite, that kind of stuff is so intimidating but also amazing, also amazing once you learn that, like, okay, you know what, I can't even think about it.

I just got to shift and do it. It was, it was, it was. It was a cool It was a cool experience, definitely. I just remember because Bumper was the first boyfriend and then and then I'm so sorry, and then Jason came in. But the thing is that what was so amazing was the fact that, like there was this connection with the two of you guys in the beginning, and then you never lost that connection when Jason George came on, which was so great, Like you

Thank you.

It was, you know what it was.

It was one of those things that kind of happened out of nowhere as well, because right before I got the call for it, I had said to my agents, like, I just I want to do something that's a different platform that that shows me.

As an adult, like as a woman. Now that's not just my music or acting or you know.

And in this I mean, it was months before this came up, and I was living in London full time, really really living, which I am now still. I go back and forth. But when they called me, they were like, you're probably not going to do it because it's in LA and you'd have to be either moved back to LA or go back and forth.

And I was like, you know what, let me just try it. If I hate it or if they hate me.

That's fine, because you know, they kind of just tested us.

Out for like a week or whatever.

So I was like, listen, if I suck, I sucked and I never have to come back. But then I got home and I had a feeling. I was like, I said to my husband, like, Babe, what if this actually happens? And he was like, well, let's talk about it when it happens. And the next day, the next day, we got the call like, so, would.

You be willing to come? And I was like, you know what, Yeah, let's try it. And I mean, I flew back.

For three years, I was flying back and forth to London to la which was us. But I'm so happy that I had a chance to do it because that's another I grew again as a person, as a woman. You know, those ladies regardless of and it sucks to see what's happening with everything right now, but those ladies really were for real, genuine when they put their hearts on the table, when they talked about the things that were going on in their lives.

I had to show up, and there.

Was a lot of things that I said that came out of me that I'd never talked about before. But I feel like I've healed some stuff because of being on that show, which is weird because it's a freaking talk show. But but yeah, I'm happy I had the experience. I'm very thankful for that experience. Yeah, I am too. Like you said, you know, it's great when you do well.

It's like, you know, when you did Barbershop, you you know, there's a certain uh you know, I don't want to say like certain certain casting directors want to keep you in a certain mold. Yes, But when you did Woodsman, I thought that was the beginning of broadening you because as an artist, you're abroad artists, and so I wanted to see the same thing for your artistry as an actress.

It's the first of all the music, it's Swiss Beats, so the oh yeah.

He's executive. Oh yeah, he's the executive music producer. So the music already bananas.

But even beyond the music, the storylines of these women, these four women, and you know, because we've worked on the script, they're really intricate and they're really real. They these girls are separately excuse me, going through their own things, but there's stuff there that every person will be able to relate to. But then also it's dope, because I mean,

And they have a blow up and break up, and.

You kind of see them now in their lives, coming back to friendship, coming back to who they are separately as women in those you know, my name's professor sex, Like, I'm trying to find that back.

I got five kids, i'd have.

Been married, and I kind of forgot about I forgot about, not even forgot about.

So I'm happy in my.

Life now, so like you, but you find her trying to get back to that fierceness of her faster sex, and that's what all the women are going through.

It's it's honestly, it's so.

Funny and dramatic and the music is crazy, Our outfits are amazing.

It's so much there. People are gonna love it. So how now you know? It's one thing right like when Braco did Escape that series and those girls you know they've been together forever. That was it with you and the girl you know, Notori non Brandy Macy. How is it all for you guys to come together and actually form that a group.

It's it, honestly, weirdly, seriously, our first dance for her, so we were like, oh my god. We really know each other mostly myself Brandy and they first in the sense that you know, we know of each other because of careers. We've passed each other for years, and Notory and I actually did the TRL tour when she was in.

Real w together.

Brandy and I obviously passed each other for years, and obviously we all have love and respect for each other as craft you know from from our craft, but as women.

With Nadine, it was an instant fit as well.

And Nadine, I have to say, I have to give her props because she has never danced, rapped, sang ever ever in her life, and she is killing it like she really and if it was like I would be so intimidating to.

Be like with these three women.

She brings it so hard and weirdly, it works amazingly. I won't say, I mean amazingly it works. And we really do have moments.

I'm not gonna lie. We have.

We have real serious moments when we're like, wait a minute, y'all, why we acting like we're really in a group.

Like like it commits should just be like do we should we have a meeting? Should we have a meeting? Should we talk? It's like, wait, what's happening?

But it's really nice because you know, it could could have gone on a whole different way, and thank god that we really do have an actual like we have actual chemistry.

Definitely, if I were to say, right, like, the most anticipated show of twenty twenty one on TV is Queen's. If I don't hear it in my Instagram, people call me. There's a new trailer out now. People in Holly woar and kudos to director Tim's story. Tim's story, I know it's so crazy.

When I think about that, like when you think about my first barbershop, like when you think about you know, just even with you and tim story coming back to this, well, it's just crazy, Like it's amazing. It's honestly amazing, and I really do think people are going to.

Be blown away, and really really blown away. Seriously. I just have to give a shout out to Kiyata Dancy because because Kiyata was like, Tracy Eve, it's looking for you. It's the streets like that. I was like, the streets. She's so funny, like you, I was trying to track you down. I was like, you should, Yes, he's looking for Tracy. I was like yes, yes. I was like so happy. I was like you you haven't a police and me a number. Yeah. I got to see and

I'm like, girl, I swear to god, it's and it's not like she can come on the set right.

And it sucks. I'm like, I'm sad. I wish people could, like I really do wish people could come.

And just hang out and but you know, right now, it's just it's a challenging time.

Yeah, yeah, I mean blow sprinkled us that we can get through it. Well, I'm gonna tell you, Eve, twenty eight minutes is gone. You have three minutes. I told you it was gonna go by fast. You got three minutes to drop some jewels. I always ask my guests, whatever you want to give our audience of actors who are inspired and motivated by you, I'm giving you the mic.

I mean, honestly, I would say, always, always, always work on your craft. I think never please walk into anything blindly or cocky or arrogant. While you might be talented, you could always like polish it. And that's what you did for me, Tracy, and always do for me, and always like please find that person people class, whatever it is, it can only help you get further and also believe it, believe in yourself because you got it.

Yeah, I'm would just say, like in my lifetime, I'm so grateful for all my experiences, but I had the best time in my life and continue and feel blessed with you. Yeah, Eve moments, That's all I'm gonna say. Like, just you are phenomenal and every time like when people say how does the work with Eve? Also that gets something by throw what if that come?

But because it's funny, how emotional, it gets emotional.

Yeah, I agree, I feel exactly the same. It gets emotional. Yeah. I have mad, mad love, respect and just constantly blowing sprinkle dusts on you and your life and thank you. Just continue inspiring us and showing us your work, because we are all gonna be on September twenty first, no October October nineteen.

Well we need to figure that out because it's yeah, okay, all right, well you need to you need to let me know to day, let you know.

I'll let you know. Yeah, because thank you?

All right, wit flip flopped, So okay, Well I.

Want everybody once to get get up, get up and put your hands together. Put your hands together for me, legendary Eve, yessy, and listen, Eve, It's gonna bless us, So don't leave. We'll be back with the Spirit Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore for Class in Session. Welcome back to the Spirited Actor Podcast with me Tracy Moore. You are still blessed. We still have Eve here and

On action quota written by Lea Amato. Exterior Josh's Porch Day the sun is shining. Josh eighteen is sitting in on his front porch admiring a YouTube video as he waves goodbye to his big bro who's pulling away. A moment later, Tonise twenty six pops up from behind him and slaps him upside his head.

Would you do that for? You're gonna let your brother pull up and pull away with another woman? What are you talking about? I saw it. I know know what your brother thinks. He gets so cute.

I mean he did a boomerang with his dumbass sneakers wiggling, and I noticed a new call on the street, so I took a screenshot of that bitch zoomed in got the plate number call my connect ran the plate and boom.

He jumped from her vibrant storytelling skills. As she lands on Boom.

It's that hole from Terrence Bark. Don't play with me, Josh.

Tell me that he just left with her, because I saw that shit with my own eyes.

Tea, I really don't know what you're talking about. He said he was on his way to a gig. A gig. Now we both know damn well that that boy ain't got no job.

He pass, trying to conjure up her.

Next.

Okay, so you need to tell me that your brother's just left here all by herself.

Okay, She snaps and over to him on I just need.

You to tell me. Look what your brother. It is all about the evidence. I got nothing for you. But if you don't trust him, maybe you should just leave him. He tries, Okay, like you were missing the whole damn boy.

Okay, Okay, he's beside himself and gives up. He throws into town.

Okay, I'm gonna go, but don't let me find out that she was a part of this when I get back.

Okay.

She shake munches at him. Mid sentence to my pressure, he jumps and watches her walk off the porch and around to the back of the house. Where is she going? She yells from afar, like nothing had happened.

By Josh, scene could tell you, guys, okay, whatever you want to get them so into it, I'm like, yes, where did he go? And where is he? Hey? Do you know Josh for real? You is you lying for your brother? I seriously, I was so into it, she believed. Really.

I was like, yes, Josh, I don't know though, you're probably lying for your brother. Hey, Brod, No, honestly, I really I was into it.

From the start. I don't really have nothing to say. It was good. It's juicy, like I want to hear more, like I need to know what happens. Well, we have to let lean know so she could write the rest of the story. But yeah, Leanne is she does a great job with the writing. And I'm so happy for the actors. You can't get any feedback, so that's good. She enjoyed it and she believed. Yes, Thank you, Thank you so much, Thank you guys and Eve. Once again, I gotta stay by now bye, but thank you, thank