FILE - This June 14, 2019, file photo shows actress Danielle Brooks posing for a portrait in New York to promote the seventh season of "Orange is the New Black." Brooks is a performer at her core, but she works behind the scenes, too. (Photo by Christopher Smith/Invision/AP, File)
August 06, 2019 - 9:59 AM
NEW YORK - Danielle Brooks is a performer at her core, but the "Orange is the New Black" breakout actress works behind the scenes, too.
Having already earned a Tony nomination for her Sofia in the 2014 Broadway revival of "The Color Purple," Brooks is now an executive producer of "Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations."
"It's been so cool," she told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "I want to know more about what I'm doing, besides being told what to do all the time."
A good friend, Jeremy Pope, was in the show and invited Brooks to a rehearsal. She said she was so moved by the story of the young Temptations "living a fully realized life" onstage that she sat down with the lead producers and said, "I can learn from you and I have value in what I can bring."
Ira Pittelman and Tom Hulce gave her a shot.
"It's been a great learning experience," Brooks said. "The biggest thing that I learned is to not be afraid to ask for what you need or want. A lot of times we get so stuck by, 'Ooh, this person is so huge. I could never approach that person.' They're either going to say yes or no."
News from © The Associated Press, 2019