“My journey and my mistakes might help you,” says Sheryl Lee Ralph about her new memoir Redefining Diva. Before singer Beyonce Knowles lit up the big screen in 2006 as Deena Jones in Dreamgirls there was Sheryl Lee Ralph—who originated the role. In 1982 Ralph starred as Deena Jones in the Broadway production of Dreamgirls which immediately became a hit. Later in 1996, she became everyone’s favorite TV mom as Dee Mitchell alongside R&B star Brandy Norwood on Moesha.
While industry outsiders romanticize Hollywood to be all glitz and glam, through Ralph’s candid new book the seasoned actress takes you inside, dishing on the highs and lows of the business. “I talk about fame in the book, I talk about how fame can be an unkind friend,” says Ralph.
After over 30 years in show business, Ralph still stands with unwavering fortitude, grace and beauty.
Why is it important to redefine diva right now?
We’ve got to know that diva means Divinely Inspired Victoriously Alive. Diva is one of those words that have just been thrown around. People have forgotten that at her best, diva was a goddess and she put her best out there. Diva was there to make everything alright; she was out there with her charm, her good looks, with her power, with her magnetism. It wasn’t just for her, it was to shed light for everybody, she was not a selfish goddess, and she was just so fabulous.
In the book, you were very vocal about your issues with Brandy and even Diana Ross, being that people thought your character was loosely based on her while starring in Dreamgirls, do you regret putting any of this in the book?
How can I have regrets about my truth? A lot of folks write books and then they have to come back and say ‘oh wait that’s not true.’ A lot of best sellers have written lies. I’m not unhappy about telling my truth. Diana Ross is a legendary woman and everything is alright between us now. With me and Brandy I don’t hold anything against her now because she was a child then and the fact that [we can talk now] lets me know that she’s a woman now.
What was it like on the set of Moesha? The young brother that played Hakeem sadly passed away in 2005 with little to no fanfare.
No fanfare! It was very very sad we all went to the funeral, death is never timely and he died in a very untimely way, just awful. Moesha was on for an incredible amount of seasons, and I was involved in one of the greatest sitcoms on TV. People still call me ‘Moesha-momma,’ not ‘Moesha’s mother,’ but ‘Moesha-momma.’
Tell us about your stance on not compromising your integrity when it came to choosing a role.
I wasn’t trying to play a hooker, hoe or the welfare mother, which was just me. That was my choice. I didn’t want to play the maid. So people said I was stupid, somebody told me I would never work. But guess what, I have a story to tell.
What advice do you have for the black actresses or better yet black reality TV stars who seem to be signing up for demeaning shows just for the money?
There’s a line in [the contracts] that say we have the right to ridicule you and I don’t think we should give away that right to anybody. You’re not just ridiculing yourself, you are ridiculing your people, your daughters, your sisters and your friends. I dare us to do better. We must choose better, I cannot take another young women over 35 who should know better, hitting someone, fighting each other, spitting at each other, taking off their high heels and thinking that that’s the kind of behavior you teach our daughter, because it’s not just your daughter, it’s our daughters, it’s all of our children, that is not the way women should behave.
How do you think the black community can change this?
When we come together and have a meeting of the minds and look at how we view ourselves, how we open up our arms to ourselves, how much social currency we build with ourselves.
What advice do you have for young people of the arts having a hard time perusing their careers?
Find a good mentor and they are out there. None of us got here by ourselves; somebody did something, no matter how small or how large. You have to do the same thing for someone else, help them with their dreams.
What’s next for you?
From your mouth to God’s ear, I pray that the right show will come together. Let’s talk about what’s really going on now!
Lathleen is a freelance writer based in New York City. Follow her on twitter @Lathleen (www.twitter.com/lathleen)
