Jussie Smollett's multifaceted career as an actor, producer, singer, and more has helped pave the way to his success. Starring in 'Empire' and creating his own films, 'B-Boy Blues' and 'The Lost Holiday,' he sits down to share how 'Empire' contributed to his growth, what it was like to create 'The Lost Holiday', and his experiences facing public scrutiny.
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MusicTranscript
00:00I used to pray for humility every single day, I still do but I pray for discernment this time too.
00:05What's up Billboard and the world, I'm Jussie Smollett.
00:11Billboard Magazine is pleased to welcome Jussie Smollett. Good to see you sir, how you doing?
00:16Nice to see you too.
00:17Good, good. Mr. multi-hyphenate between singing, acting, directing, songwriting, producing,
00:24and probably more I don't even know about. I wanted to ask you about
00:27how singing and acting work creatively together for you, why is that such a thing for you?
00:32I've been so blessed and a little lucky you know to be able to do certain projects that
00:40just so happen to have a musical component particularly obviously with Empire.
00:46That was just the perfect kind of marriage of so many of my loves. Music has always been
00:53the driving force behind everything I do even when making movies when creating now that I'm
00:58directing and and writing and producing and things like that it's still music is the thing
01:03that I listen to when I'm writing music is the thing that I'm listening to as I'm creating the
01:08storyboards of how the scenes are going to look and then music is absolutely what guides the edit
01:12so music is just you know that's where I sit.
01:16When you were cast and filming that first season did you think it was going to do what it did?
01:22I didn't think about it because I was just so happy to have a job
01:24and I was so happy to be doing what I love and you know working with great people and
01:30and I really didn't think about that I just trusted the process. I knew that it would
01:34probably be critically acclaimed especially the team that was behind it. I don't think that there
01:38wasn't necessarily any way to know the kind of this juggernaut that it was going to be and
01:43certainly changed the trajectory of my life. Exactly so what had you been doing just before
01:49that when you said earlier you're happy to get a job? Yeah everything everything everything I was
01:55I worked as a waiter I worked as a I worked did retail I worked as I raised money for children
02:03infected and affected with HIV AIDS here in the states and in South Africa for an organization
02:08named ANSA Artists for a New South Africa. Back in the day I worked as a clown at children's parties
02:13I was like whatever I needed to do but I always held down the job always took care of myself
02:19but then this was this was wonderful it was a it was a really wonderful
02:23wonderful break. It was one of the first shows if not the first show about the music industry
02:27like that and at the same time music from the show was being put out by a major record label.
02:37You had this drama so it was this kind of you know what Shonda Rhimes was was doing and then
02:42we also took kind of what the American Idol X Factor was kind of doing where it was we were
02:47able to mix you know this this these great soapy type of storylines that also sometimes felt very
02:53real and and also have that musical component while also selling the music and being successful
02:59with it so it was crazy. What did you learn musically during your time? You know what I
03:04learned mostly about songwriting and my craft is the business of it. I learned about publishing I
03:09learned about splits I learned about you know I was used to doing it with my musical partner David
03:15Ott and it was just like well this is 50-50 you know what I mean like this is this is easy but
03:20then you're learning about oh so there are other writers on it or you write a song and then somebody
03:25comes in and they add something to it and you're like wait say what or there's yeah there's a there's
03:30a sample that has to be cleared and we again we indie artists we didn't have it in us to be
03:36sampling music oh my goodness oh oh that's a whole other level you know so so it was just another
03:44level of understanding that it really was like a great education for the music industry the good
03:51the bad even some of the storylines in that show it would be like hey this really happens and then
03:57you look it up you're like oh that really that really happens you know companies are taken from
04:00under people and publishing is taken from under people or somebody changes something and it's
04:05what you wrote and all of those things I really got a good like a first class lesson on on the
04:10business of it all. Working with legends like a Terrence Howard or Taraji P. Henson what did you
04:16learn acting wise? Watching Terrence and Taraji both together and separately is like watching a
04:23master class but also aside from Terrence and Taraji we had some phenomenal actors come through
04:30that show we had Forrest Whitaker and Alfre Woodard and you know Vivica Fox and Tasha Smith
04:35and just really really great people coming through those doors so you know every day was just an
04:40exciting and exciting learning experience for sure. And music videos you have a favorite video?
04:46Absolutely I directed a video for my song on my first album called Hurt People.
04:51And it was done we did it in South Africa and we shot at Constitution Hill it was the place that
05:02Nelson Mandela was held before being taken to Robben Island but it was done with my my
05:07cinematographer my DP Jody Williams who I've worked with Jody started working with him on Empire and
05:13then did the music videos with him and now he's the DP on he was the DP on my first film B-Boy Blues
05:20and now he's a DP on The Lost Holiday. Talk a little bit about B-Boy when did that come out?
05:24Oh that wasn't long I saw it you had that glow. We released B-Boy two years ago at this point
05:33two years ago on BET plus we are working on a sequel because it's based on the best-selling
05:40you know book series B-Boy Blues by James Earl Hardy so there's like tons of books there to
05:46continue the story and it's it's it's just a love story and we told it and you know we opened up at
05:53ABFF and then we were nominated for best feature film for GLAAD and we won the fan favorite for
05:59ABFF it was my first film and it was it was really exciting and so just just building my company
06:05building my my kind of filmography has been exciting. So your new film coming out in the fall
06:10The Lost Holiday that you wrote produced directed and starring right okay so tell us a little bit
06:17about the film without giving away too much what it's about and how you got involved. It's about
06:22a man who's played by Jabari Redd he passes away suddenly and his estranged mother who he hasn't
06:28seen in about eight years who Vivica Fox plays comes to LA to handle his arrangements and sees
06:33that they're already being handled by her son's husband who she knew nothing about and I play the
06:38husband. Jason is Damien's husband. Damien's husband. So have you made funeral plans? We can
06:42talk about that a little bit later. Speaking of Vivica I think you guys go back a long ways how
06:47did you know she was the right person for this role? I just feel like Vivica has been a part of
06:54some of the most iconic films but even deeper than that has been has given life to some of the most
07:02iconic characters you know of of my generation certainly. You know you look at what she did with
07:09Ride of Fools Fall in Love and Set It Off and Kill Bill and you know Independence Day
07:14there's not anything that I believe that she can't do. So I called her and I just said I was
07:21like I have to I want to do this film but I can't do it without you and she said that she was on
07:27board so you know and I mean she really really invested her time into the film in a way that
07:34someone on her level didn't have to but she did and I'm forever grateful for her. I believe you
07:41worked with Mona Scott Young on this project so what was that like working with her and for folks
07:46who may not know she is she does Love and Hip Hop but she's also managing longtime manager of
07:51Missy Elliott. Yeah Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes and you know yeah Mona's been killing it
07:57for a minute. Mona actually first came on board for B-Boy Blues she was a producer on B-Boy Blues
08:02and she came on board for B-Boy after the film was done and she's the reason why we were able to get
08:08it to BET and really lock that down so she came on board as a producer and was really really valuable
08:14in that. So how hard was it directing yourself? That is hard especially it's more difficult in
08:23this in this type of setting than it is for a setting like the tv show. Why is that? Because
08:30the tv show had a budget. A little six letter word okay. A little bit of a budget.
08:38We did not have budget for things like playback you know really was myself as an actor having
08:44to trust my fellow actors and my DP really I really had to trust that my part was good enough
08:54because because I'm not able to see me you know when we're doing Vivica's coverage and we're
08:59doing Jabari or we're doing Marquise or Brittany or London or whoever I can see their I can see
09:05their performance so if there's a little tweak or anything on like you might want to you know
09:08you might want to do that or move this certain way but for me I'm just like it's out there so
09:15it's a little bit more difficult in the in the process of just trusting it but then you realize
09:20once you get to the edit you're like you know what you're doing and you're right it'll be okay.
09:23There's a song coming, My Mind.
09:29The music in this film is really really really special it has so many people just contributed
09:36to the music and I have a couple songs on there and the first one that we're going to release is
09:40My Mind. It's really about you know that thing that you just can't maybe the thing that that
09:45drowns you that you just can't let go of and you know whatever whatever you're you can be addicted
09:51to a lover you can be addicted to a substance you can be addicted to you know whatever you're
09:56addicted to that's toxic that's really what it what it kind of is.
10:00Will that be released independently?
10:02Yeah it'll be independently on my on my label, Music of Sound.
10:06Recently we released my song Some Things and went to number one on the R&B iTunes chart.
10:17We just pushing and like we're we're gonna release the soundtrack and we're gonna release
10:22you know there will be an album that you know my album is done it's just sitting there like
10:29just it's like when do I when do I release this when do I release it and everybody's like yo just
10:35do it just do it it's nice to have something for yourself but then realizing that you know
10:41you don't just make it for yourself.
10:42Will you be any performances coming up?
10:44I think that most most artists would say that that's kind of what it's for is you really really
10:49want to get out there and be able to see the people and and enjoy them and hopefully they
10:54enjoy you.
10:55You've also been through intense public scrutiny and legal challenges which you're still working
10:59through but what is it that keeps motivating you after everything you've gone through what
11:03advice can you offer?
11:04It's it's really about knowing who you are and being okay with that and recognizing your flaws
11:14and acknowledging your flaws but not letting anyone else tell you who you are.
11:19And how have you protected your mental health?
11:23I haven't always protected my mental health but I am now and I I you know I used to pray
11:29for humility every single day I still do but I pray for discernment this time too.
11:33Anything else you want to share?
11:35I think we're good thank you for being so kind I appreciate it.
11:38Thank you for sitting here with us.
11:38Thank you for being so classy.
11:41Elegant.