WATCH: Raven Goodwin On "Grotesquerie," And How Marriage And Motherhood Have Changed Her
"The actress speaks on her new hit horror series, filming it heavily pregnant, and working with the iconic Niecy Nash."
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00:00After I sent them the tape, Nisi called me.
00:03She was like, hey, is this something
00:06you really want to do?
00:07Because people just be auditioning.
00:10And sometimes they just be playing.
00:12And if this is something you really want to do,
00:14I love you as my baby.
00:15I think that you would be Courtney and I's baby.
00:19So we did a chemistry read, screen test,
00:24kind of just hired me on the spot.
00:27Well, hello, hello there.
00:28Thank you, Raven, for taking the time
00:29to chat with Essence today.
00:31How are you?
00:31I'm good.
00:32I love Essence.
00:33I'm wonderful.
00:34How are you?
00:35I'm good.
00:36I'm very good now that I'm talking to you.
00:38You're giving me color, giving me life on this morning.
00:41I'm on Nina Parker this morning.
00:45I love it.
00:47Nice, nice.
00:48Well, first and foremost, congratulations on Grotesquerie.
00:51I've seen the episode so far.
00:53And it's like, wow, I'm so excited.
00:55It's like, really gripping.
00:57It's giving me, like, it's wild.
00:59It's giving me, like, resetting.
01:00OK, OK, OK, OK.
01:02Very good.
01:04I have to know, what drew you to this project?
01:07You know, you've done a thriller before,
01:08but this is, like, full-on horror.
01:10So what was the appeal of getting
01:12to play, you know, this character of Merit
01:15in this series with, alongside, you know, Niecy Nash?
01:18Outside of single Black female, which
01:23was kind of a collaborative offer kind of situation.
01:27I never auditioned for horror, I don't think.
01:29And horror is, like, one of my favorite genres of film.
01:33So, you know, I was a huge American horror story girl.
01:39I kind of fell off, but I'm, you know, catching up.
01:41But so when I got the audition, I was like, oh my god,
01:46this is Wayne Murphy.
01:47Like, it was a, it wasn't called Grotesquerie at the time.
01:50It was called Snow Globe.
01:52And I was like, oh, it sounds really cool.
01:54Like, this dialogue is so good.
01:56It was so well written.
01:59I was five months pregnant at the time,
02:02so I really had to make a decision.
02:04Because I knew that if I took on the job,
02:06that I would have the baby towards the end of filming.
02:10Right in the midst, actually, of filming.
02:12And that I would have to return towards the end,
02:15and I would hope that, you know, they would work with me.
02:17But I was like, I mean, it's a part of life.
02:19Like, I really love this project.
02:22Like, should I take it on?
02:24I was super supportive, and I put myself on tape.
02:28And it ended up being, like, one of the best self-tapes
02:32I'd done in a very long time.
02:35Typically, I just send them.
02:36I don't watch them.
02:38I watched this self-tape so many times.
02:40And not even on, like, I'm so good.
02:42I was like, oh, I was really fine.
02:44It was kind of like a class, almost.
02:46And I was like, OK, like, maybe this
02:50is something that's good for me.
02:53After I sent them the tape, Niecy called me.
02:57She was like, hey, is this something
03:00you really want to do?
03:01Because, you know, sometimes they just be playing.
03:06And if this is something you really want to do,
03:08I love you as my baby.
03:09Like, I think that you would be Courtney and I's baby.
03:13So I flew into LA.
03:15We did a chemistry read, screen test,
03:18kind of just hired me on the spot.
03:20And I was like, oh, I want to tell them so bad.
03:24Nina Shaw, the amazing Nina Shaw and my team,
03:26we got together and kind of wanted
03:30to take the more ethical approach
03:32of letting everybody know, you know.
03:35So they were so gracious and so lovely.
03:38And I filmed up until June 7th.
03:42I had my baby.
03:45And, you know, returned weeks later after that.
03:49OK, I love that.
03:51I love that.
03:51Only two episodes in at the time of this filming.
03:53But it's gripping.
03:55It's really good.
03:55So I'm really glad that was able to work out.
03:58And as you mentioned, what has it
04:00been like getting to work with Niecy and Courtney?
04:02Like, obviously, it's such a big personality.
04:05Even your impression of her is hilarious.
04:07But she's giving it in this role.
04:09You can take the character very seriously.
04:11Like, it's all very well done.
04:12And obviously, Courtney B. Vance is Courtney B. Vance.
04:15So what has that been like getting to play their baby?
04:18It was amazing.
04:19You know, Niecy and Courtney are our staples in this to me.
04:24Comedy, drama, whatever it is, I feel
04:27like they can take on anything.
04:29So I kind of manifest Courtney B. into my life a long time ago.
04:35My husband kind of reminded me of him when I met him.
04:40I think he reminded me of a Courtney, a little Courtney.
04:45It's just funny how things just manifest themselves.
04:47And, you know, that was like an ongoing joke for years.
04:50And Niecy, you know, we've ran into each other a few times.
04:56And she's always been so, you know, cool.
04:59Like, which is to be whoever you think Niecy Nash is,
05:02that's who she is.
05:04There's no, you know, no facade.
05:07She's super cool, authentic, gracious, fabulous, assertive.
05:13She's just a joy.
05:14She's dope.
05:15She's dope.
05:16Nice, I love that.
05:17And so as you mentioned, you filmed
05:19Grotesquerie, which was then called Snow Globe,
05:24while you were pregnant with your second child.
05:27So what was that experience like?
05:29Were you feeling anything?
05:31Yeah, I mean, I was in my third trimester.
05:35I was like eight, nine months, you know, filming.
05:38But, you know, my hips were hurting, the typical stuff.
05:44Really close, really, really close to me.
05:48And just made sure I was OK.
05:50But I was fine.
05:51Like, I was just, you know, eating what I wanted
05:54and, you know, sitting in my little pet chair,
05:58you know, waiting for my turn.
05:59And I got to film the show.
06:04Sun being in my tummy.
06:07So I just thought that was really,
06:09it'll always be a cool thing to look back on, yeah.
06:12Right, like you would be filming a show.
06:13Come on.
06:15Everything was low impact, like all my scenes.
06:17And I knew it would work because of Merritt's,
06:21where Merritt is in life.
06:24When you're eating like that, most of the time,
06:27you are pretty, it's a pretty, you know,
06:29a set is your lifestyle.
06:30So I was like, I'll be sitting, I'll be,
06:33if I'm standing, it'll be for a little, like.
06:35So it was definitely low impact and pretty safe.
06:38And, you know, so it was really cool.
06:43I had a good time being, yeah.
06:46Awesome, awesome.
06:47As a mother of two now, I'm a mother of two myself.
06:49But I know being an actress is much more
06:52of a hectic lifestyle.
06:54So what is it like, you know, taking on this role?
06:56I know your son is probably about like three months now?
06:58Three months, yeah, he's three months.
07:00Yeah, I mean, it's interesting.
07:04I'm super thankful for, you know, my cousin
07:08and my husband and our nanny and my mom,
07:12who, you know, they all come to the house
07:13and watch the kids when we have something to do.
07:15Because my husband has a super full
07:19and successful career as well.
07:21So we just, it's in it all and love on the babies
07:26when we can.
07:27And, you know, we explain to our daughter, you know,
07:30mommy and daddy, we work and we love what we do.
07:34And one day you may work or you, you know,
07:37whatever you choose to do in life,
07:39it's gonna take some of your time,
07:41but we'll always be right back for you.
07:44Like I get to stay with, I get to stay with cousin Macy.
07:47I get to, you know, stay with G-Ma.
07:49So she's very receptive.
07:52The baby doesn't understand, of course.
07:53He just wants me.
07:54He's been, he's been a cool baby.
07:57And shout out to night nurses as well.
07:59Cause that got me through as well.
08:01And L.A., Max Rinkler, executive producer
08:05and director on Grotesquerie.
08:07He was like, if you need anything, let me know.
08:09I said, I need a night nurse.
08:10And he linked me with the most amazing night nurse
08:13in the world.
08:14She could cook.
08:15Oh my gosh, she's from El Salvador.
08:16She made me the best black beans
08:18and chicken I've ever had in my life.
08:19Okay.
08:20And I just had a dope village.
08:23And so when you have a moment to woosah
08:27in the midst of like raising a baby
08:29who really wants to be on you and working,
08:31what are you doing to just kind of practice self-care?
08:34I watch a lot of TV and film.
08:37That's like my self-care.
08:38I love watching good television, good film.
08:44On studying, basically,
08:47and seeing how different actors
08:49are approaching different roles.
08:50Like that's my, one of my favorite pastimes.
08:53Massages, going to, you know, to the spa,
08:56you know, typical things like that.
08:58I'll stretch on my yoga mat, you know,
09:00listen to some good music.
09:02I love R&B playlists, you know, that sort of thing.
09:05You know, just, you know, black girl shit.
09:07I just love stuff.
09:08I just, I just love television and film.
09:10That's, that's really all I do is watch stuff
09:12on my phone all day.
09:14Nice, I love that.
09:16And what has motherhood taught you about yourself?
09:18Like, you're not new to this.
09:19You're true to this.
09:20Motherhood kind of shows up like a partner.
09:22Like a partnership, which is a mirror.
09:25And you see how patient you are.
09:28You see how, how not patient you are.
09:34It's, it's helped me learn to choose
09:38my words a little different because with children,
09:41you have to be, they're pretty fragile.
09:44Even, even in the mornings when we're running late,
09:46making sure I don't rush her.
09:48That I, you know, have, figure out, you know,
09:52cool ways to have her put a pep in her step
09:55without giving her anxiety.
09:56Parenthood is, it's a healing process.
09:58It's a mirror.
10:01And, and I honestly,
10:08I honestly don't think that I would be where I am today
10:10without having become a mother, to be honest.
10:14Yeah, it kind of puts a little fire underneath the butt.
10:17Just a little bit.
10:21You gotta get up with those babies and babies.
10:25And because whatever they see you do, they do.
10:28So it definitely has taught me to,
10:31to be patient with others and just,
10:34just an overall mirror in general,
10:36what I need to work on, you know.
10:39So therapy, you know, being in communication,
10:44constantly being in communication with my mom.
10:48Yeah.
10:49Yeah, I love that.
10:51And just, I wanted to ask,
10:52I know you said you live in Atlanta
10:54and I know like people who are actors and stuff,
10:56like it's like either LA or New York
10:58or something of that nature.
10:59Like, does parenthood have anything to do with
11:01deciding to kind of, you know, back and live?
11:04To be honest, I was really comfortable with where I was
11:08and in my career, I felt like I can be anywhere
11:12and still work.
11:14And that's just a part of believing in yourself.
11:16And I love being down South.
11:20And you know, it was going to be Charlotte.
11:22When I met my husband, he was like,
11:24I'm cool with Charlotte.
11:24Like, I'm cool.
11:25I just want to be down South.
11:26And he was like, well, you know,
11:28we were kind of like going back and forth
11:30with Atlanta and Charlotte.
11:31And I was like, well, my mom, you know,
11:33she's going to be in Atlanta.
11:34If we want to have kids,
11:35we'll have somebody there to help us out.
11:37Let's just, let's do Atlanta.
11:39So we decided on Atlanta and we closed in 2024.
11:46And yeah, it's been, it's been a vibe.
11:50We love it.
11:51Yeah.
11:52And I know, I think it's supposed to be three years
11:55at the end of this month on your marriage.
11:57Yeah, October 20th.
11:59Yeah.
11:59And I know that, you know,
12:01you guys have been in each other's lives for a long time,
12:03but how has that changed you as well?
12:06Because we were all in different iterations of our lives,
12:10parenthood changes us, marriage changes us.
12:11How has that relationship impacted you?
12:14You know, when you're young,
12:19cause when I met him, I was 24 and I was like,
12:21I'm a wife, very, very wrong.
12:25And to be honest, you know,
12:28I realized that I hadn't really even seen,
12:30and this is no slight to my parents,
12:33they did the best they could,
12:34but I hadn't really seen a healthy marriage.
12:36Marriage is something that is definitely,
12:39it's like a, you customize it to fit.
12:44But what we discovered is we're the best when,
12:49because we're both very free-spirited,
12:51outgoing, extroverted people.
12:54And so we're like, okay, individuality works here.
12:58Like we have to, like, he has to have his life.
13:00He, you know, goes on 30 mile bike,
13:04he, you know, has a great friend group.
13:06They link, they travel, they do their thing.
13:09And I do the same thing.
13:10You know, I have friends that I've had,
13:12I have my same friends since I was 15.
13:15So, you know, I do things with them.
13:18I go to LA, I do my thing and we come back together.
13:21We miss each other.
13:22And that's kind of how we've been for two years.
13:25So it kind of works for us just having that,
13:28those individual lives and then, you know,
13:32our day-to-day is our family, of course.
13:34Definitely giving each other the space
13:36to be the same has really worked.
13:40And it's, you know, it helps us build on more,
13:44more I miss you, like that sort of thing.
13:46So we still vibe.
13:49We still are a vibe.
13:50We still have so much fun.
13:52You know, that's my boo.
13:54I love him.
13:54I love him.
13:55I love him.
13:56I love him.
13:57I love him.
13:58I love him.
13:59I love him.
13:59I love him.
14:00I love him.
14:01I love him.
14:02I love him.
14:03I love him.
14:04Of course, all couples, you know,
14:07go through seasons of like, huh.
14:10Yeah.
14:12We definitely have found the balance, for sure.
14:16Gotta dig deep.
14:17Yeah.
14:18Got you.
14:19Got you.
14:20My last question for you, I was going to ask you,
14:21you know, done a thriller with,
14:24well, you've done Nickelodeon shows as a kid.
14:26You've gotten to do some comedy and, you know,
14:29apparently like Abbott, like you've done a biopics,
14:32you know, like it runs the gamut.
14:34Is there something that you haven't like touched on
14:37that you want to do next?
14:38And if so, what would that be?
14:40Yeah, of course.
14:41Like, I really want to do drama.
14:44I want to do a really funny comedy.
14:46Like there's so, there's so many things
14:49that I want to do.
14:49Cooking show.
14:51I want to do even, even outside of, you know, the business.
14:56My home life is, is such a vibe, right?
15:00Like I love being at home.
15:02I love curating for my family.
15:05Those are all of my questions.
15:07And like I said, I'm super loving Grotesquerie.
15:10I was like, let me watch this before I talk to her.
15:12And I was like, this is crazy.
15:14Grotesquerie is nuts.
15:16And I'm so obsessed.
15:17I'm so grateful and excited to be a part of this project.
15:21And, you know, Ryan Murphy,
15:24the world, his perspective is just so unique.
15:28The way he casts, like even,
15:30even him casting Travis was such a cool idea.
15:33And, you know, the first episode comes
15:36on with Travis October 2nd.
15:40And, you know, he just lit the screen.
15:44We watched it.
15:45Travis really lit up the screen.
15:48You know, it comes off very charismatic and fun.
15:50And I think the audience is really gonna trip out
15:55when they, when they really,
15:58when they get to the end of the season.
16:00Just saying.
16:01Okay.
16:02I'm excited because I'm trying to figure out like,
16:05who's doing this?
16:06What is going on?
16:08But it's so gripping.
16:09You guys are having a good time.
16:10I can tell making it.
16:11And so I'm sure everybody's gonna really get into it.
16:14So I appreciate your time.
16:16Thank you so much.