Listen Live
KMJQ Featured Video
CLOSE

More divas are on the way at TV One and this time, they’re from the acting world. Actresses Paula Jai Parker, Countess Vaughn, Elise Neal, Lisa Wu and Golden Brooks are starring in the latest installment of the ‘Diva’s franchise.

Parker, a Howard University graduate says that these divas are going behind the scenes to show people how ugly a business that relies on beauty and glamour can get. These divas are dealing with perception, aging, body image issues, childhood wounds and more, all under a glaring spotlight in an industry that is particularly difficult for Black women to sustain a career in.

Parker’s story is particularly intriguing as she says she was blackballed from Howard’s main stage and in Hollywood. Her marriage to a production assistant drew ire from some powerful folks and she says it hurt her career.

“If you make a powerful person mad, they say mean things about you when they ask if anyone should work with you, they give you a poor recommendation. You just can’t make nobody mad in Hollywood, especially if you’re a woman. It’s very clique-ish in Hollywood. If you’re not in the mix, you’re not going to be in the mix. It’s kind of like high school.”

Parker, a Cleveland native, who has TV and film credits dating back 20 years and was most recently seen on the HBO series True Blood never broke through to a lead role though she has worked fairly steadily. She admits that she may have been in her own way.

Paula Jai Parker: ‘Hollywood Divas’ Brought Me Back From Homelessness  was originally published on blackamericaweb.com

1 2Next page »