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00:00You know, when Tyler Perry showed the film
00:02to Miss Lena Derricott King,
00:03who Ebony plays so brilliantly in the film,
00:06he showed the film to her and she like cried and she laughed
00:10and she was saluting the iPad,
00:12but she also, she said,
00:13I wanna thank you for letting the world know
00:16that black women contributed.
00:18And that's just such an important thing for us to know,
00:21for our daughters to know,
00:22for our mothers to be celebrated for.
00:25We have contributed, we've been contributing,
00:28we continue to contribute.
00:30We continue to over-index in how we show up
00:33for this country,
00:34despite how this country does or does not show up for us.
00:38And so I'm just really grateful to be part of a story
00:41that really lifts up these heroes,
00:43these examples of service.
00:46The postal battalion?
00:50They think the only thing we good for
00:51is deliver some damn mail.
00:54Would you like to see all the hangers, ma'am?
00:56How many are there?
00:57All of them.
01:00Oh my God.
01:04We're both, us three here are for the 6888, the film,
01:11which tells this incredible story of the first
01:13and only all-black, all-female battalion
01:16to serve overseas during World War II.
01:19How did it feel to just bring these heroes,
01:22voices and experiences to the forefront?
01:25I didn't even realize.
01:28Oh my goodness.
01:29I keep saying this, but it's the truth.
01:30It was a dream to be able to embody
01:33such powerful young women who have so much
01:36that she just felt bravely to play Lena,
01:38to step into her world and to have met her
01:41and to have gotten a bit of her blessing to do so
01:44was such a gem and something I'll cherish.
01:46To work with Tyler again,
01:47to work with Carrie for the first time,
01:49to work with the entire battalion of young women
01:51who were all from different places
01:53and we all brought the same diversity
01:55that these men actually had when they were in town.
01:58There's no experience that I've had that is like this one.
02:01So I love that.
02:02I love that.
02:03Carrie, what drew you to this project?
02:05Was there like a personal emotional connection
02:07that made you resonate with it on a deeper level?
02:09Like just sort of what, you know, what drew you to it?
02:12How could you not resonate with this story
02:15on a deeper level, right?
02:16Like these women were such heroes.
02:19They are such heroes.
02:21They are, I mean, I can't imagine hearing this story
02:26and not wanting to be a part of this project
02:28because it felt less like a job
02:31and more like an assignment, like a gift,
02:33like an honor, a privilege.
02:36I didn't know about the 6888 growing up.
02:39Neither of us learned about the 6888 in school.
02:41But imagine if we had.
02:42Imagine if we had.
02:43Imagine how much braver we would be today.
02:45Sorry, I say that.
02:45I think about that.
02:46No, I do think about that with my daughters.
02:48Like I'm so grateful that my daughters
02:49are getting to live in a world where they know this story
02:52from a much younger age.
02:53And I think about the impact that that has on them
02:57to understand, you know, when Tyler Perry showed the film
03:00to Miss Lena Derricott King,
03:01who Ebony plays so brilliantly in the film,
03:04he showed the film to her and she like cried and she laughed
03:08and she was saluting the iPad.
03:10But she also, she said, I want to thank you
03:12for letting the world know that black women contributed.
03:16And that's just such an important thing for us to know,
03:19for our daughters to know,
03:20for our mothers to be celebrated for.
03:23We have contributed.
03:25We've been contributing.
03:26We continue to contribute.
03:27We continue to over-index in how we show up for this country
03:32despite how this country does or does not show up for us.
03:36And so I'm just really grateful to be part of a story
03:39that really lifts up these heroes,
03:41these examples of service.
03:44No, I love that.
03:45And I'm pretty sure you get this question a lot,
03:47like how did you prepare for this role?
03:48But with this being rooted in history,
03:51was there any research that you had to do
03:53or just how were you able to tap
03:55into the historical context of your role?
03:58Well, Tyler created a really fertile ground
04:01for us to work together as actors
04:04because he did a ton of research.
04:06We say the film, I mean, he says the film is like 90% accurate.
04:09We say like 95, 97, really so accurate.
04:14He takes some creative liberties at the end of the film
04:17really because he wants to honor these women
04:18in a way that they were not honored historically.
04:22But I think he created a space
04:25by sharing this script with us
04:28where we understood how much research was done
04:29so we could tap into some of the research he had done.
04:33We could, I mean, Ebony met the woman that she plays.
04:36You should talk about that.
04:39I was very intimidated and I don't mind saying,
04:42I do not mind saying that it was very intimidating
04:45to think that I was walking into a space
04:48of a woman who at the time that I met her was 100 years old.
04:52But I was feeling that from the point of view
04:54of her 100 right now, but I was Lena at 17.
04:57I was Lena before she became the soldier.
05:01I was Lena before she knew how strong she was
05:04and how brave she was.
05:06And she stood by women who taught her how to do that
05:08and how to not be ashamed of the pain
05:11and the person that she loved.
05:13So there's so many nuances that you see
05:16when you see the film and I hope everyone does this Friday.
05:18It's like five minutes, soaking this up.
05:21But no, meeting her as well and seeing how much grace
05:24and poise and just joy that she had after living
05:28and fighting in World War II
05:30in a way that she didn't contributed
05:32to segregation, to Jim Crow.
05:34So all of these eras that we learned about,
05:36we didn't learn about 688,
05:37but we learned about a lot of these eras
05:39that she lived through.
05:41And she's still smiling.
05:42She outlived both of her husbands.
05:44She outlived both of her children.
05:45The woman is still smiling.
05:47She's still joyous.
05:48That to me is the greatest thing that I've ever seen.
05:50I said, if I can take a little bit of that
05:52and bring it as a film, I will.
05:55That's what I said.
05:56That's what I told myself.
05:57What she did so beautifully.
06:00Yes.
06:01Yeah.
06:02For those of us who couldn't,
06:03I wasn't able to meet Charity Adams,
06:06but she wrote a really beautiful memoir
06:08and a lot of the details from her memoir
06:10are actually in the film.
06:11Tyler does a beautiful job weaving in a lot of her journey.
06:14Ebony's character, person,
06:16it's weird calling them characters
06:17because they're real women,
06:18but the woman that Ebony plays
06:21is really our entry into the film.
06:24And she, Tyler spent so much time interviewing
06:27Ms. Lena Derricott King about her experience.
06:28And sent me some of her videos, by the way,
06:30which was some of my material to study as well.
06:32Some videos between them that are not posted anywhere,
06:35but just into the conversation.
06:36Sacred, sacred.
06:37And one of the things that Ms. King talked about
06:41was how special Captain Charity Adams was to the women.
06:45And so I'm so grateful
06:48that I kind of get to enter the film
06:50through Lena's eyes, through her experience,
06:52and you get to see-
06:53Through the admiration.
06:54Yes.
06:55You get to see her impact on these young soldiers
06:58who were finding themselves
07:00and finding their purpose and coming together.
07:03So I really am grateful to Charity Adams,
07:05not only for her service,
07:06but also for writing her memoir,
07:08for telling her story
07:10so that we have it as historical document.
07:12And I got to watch archival footage
07:14and talk to people who worked with her
07:16and loved her and knew her.
07:18One of the living survivors at the time
07:19was Romay Davis, was her driver.
07:21So she was with her all day, every day
07:24as a member of the battalion.
07:25So I got to talk to her.
07:26So it was, we really-
07:28Tyler created a space where he was like,
07:30get everything you can get.
07:32He, in the way that Charity Adams
07:34had high expectations for these women
07:37because he wanted so much for them.
07:39I feel like Tyler did that for all of us as well.
07:42Like he had very high expectations of us
07:44to embody these women,
07:45to show up for the assignment,
07:47celebrating them and telling their truth.
07:49But it's because he wanted us
07:51to be a part of this really magical journey with him.
07:54And also, I just want to say really quickly,
07:56you didn't meet Charity Adams in the way that you think,
07:59but she did come to you.
08:00That's not what it is.
08:01She did actually introduce herself to you.
08:03She did.
08:04In a special way with a check that arrived on set.
08:07We had this thing.
08:08That's such a beautiful way to put it, Ebony.
08:11We were in my dressing room,
08:12Tyler and I, and we were rehearsing
08:14and going over some of her material,
08:17one of her many monologues.
08:19And we got a knock on the door.
08:21We came outside and a guy from Transpo
08:23said, I want to show you guys something.
08:25We knelt down and there was a trunk.
08:27Ebony was there.
08:28She was there.
08:29We were in our hallway with all of our dressing rooms.
08:31Yeah, the knock I thought was on my door.
08:33And it was on her door.
08:34And then I got nosy.
08:35That was probably Charity knocking too.
08:37So we came out and there was a trunk on the ground
08:40and on the side that said Charity Adams.
08:42And it was her actual army trunk from World War II.
08:47And inside were items of clothing and notes
08:50and like twigs and seeds from her victory garden
08:53that I had read about in her memoir.
08:54It was so special.
08:55It was like, she wanted us to know that she was with us.
08:59And she wanted us,
09:00I think it felt like a little bit of pressure.
09:02She wanted me to get it right.
09:03But she trusted you to get it right.
09:06I hope so.
09:06That's what it was.
09:08No, I really, I love that.
09:09I was taking some notes because I'm like,
09:11I wanted to just kind of tap in
09:13and take notes of the feelings
09:15and the interactions that you both are having.
09:17And it brings me to the next question
09:19of the director's vision of the film.
09:21And how did that enhance your approach
09:23to your character in the story?
09:25Just overall the vision
09:27and then how you all saw the character.
09:29Like where was there correlation there?
09:32I think Tyler just had so much admiration
09:35and respect for these women.
09:36And he created, like you said,
09:38a space where he supported us
09:40in order to be able to support them.
09:42You could tell the amount of nuance
09:44and detail that he had to the visuals,
09:47to the uniforms, and to the spaces that were created,
09:50to the streets that they marched on.
09:51All of these things that really have created
09:54a world that they lived in.
09:56I don't think, I don't think that was overlooked, you know?
10:01Yeah, definitely, definitely.
10:03And the modern parallels, do you see parallels?
10:06And this is part of a movie question,
10:08but then also just a real life question.
10:10Do you see parallels between the challenges
10:12like the women faced in World War II, the 6888,
10:17and whether there's any correlations or struggles
10:19to what we experience today in 2024,
10:22and I guess now 2025?
10:25Something that Tyler talks about
10:27is how these women were facing racism
10:32and misogyny, grueling working conditions,
10:35and they did not have laws to protect them.
10:38This is before black women really had the right to vote.
10:42It was at a time when there was not legal structure
10:47to protect them in the way that we have now.
10:50I mean, I would say a lot of our rights
10:51are under attack as well as women,
10:54but back then they had such few ways to protect themselves.
11:00So there are parallels,
11:02but I think it's humbling and important to remember
11:05that what we're dealing with today
11:07pales in comparison to the challenges
11:09that they were up against.
11:11And what we do today is protect each other
11:14in the way that, you know, protecting the battalion,
11:17taught them how to protect themselves.
11:19That's what we do today as black women.
11:21So I think that's a huge similarity,
11:23even though it's not the same time period,
11:25it's the same level of care that we have in the system
11:29with how we were 24, 25.
11:32It's funny though, because when people see the film,
11:34you see some of the ways that the white soldiers
11:37interact with these women.
11:38And we talk a lot about microaggressions at work,
11:40but these are like, these are just aggressions.
11:43There's nothing micro about them.
11:46There didn't have to be.
11:48So their bond was so strong to get them through.
11:52And I think we do see that today still.
11:55Yeah, definitely.
11:56And just kind of represent.
11:58That's what essence is, right?
11:59I mean, essence is like, that is that's,
12:03essence is itself a community
12:06where we are meant to mirror each other
12:08and support each other and uplift each other,
12:10shine a light on one another.
12:11And I think that's what these women were doing,
12:13obviously in a different way, not through media,
12:16but through community, real life community.
12:20Yeah, I think, especially here at Essence,
12:23that's one thing that I feel like keeps the work going
12:25is like the community aspect,
12:26because like, you know, things happen in print media
12:31in this media space, but we have like an audience,
12:34a fan base of black women
12:36that are gonna support the magazine regardless.
12:38And like, I've built that community years and years.
12:40We talk, we're actually in an offsite content meeting,
12:43and that's exactly what we're talking about today.
12:45It's like building that community
12:46and really talk about the cultural impact of the film,
12:49which I feel like you guys have really spoke about
12:51through every question, but what do you hope audiences,
12:55especially younger, the younger generation,
12:57takes away from 6-888
12:59and about black women's role in showbiz history?
13:02One of my favorite things about this story,
13:05this true story, and by any kind, about charity,
13:08is that these were all your everyday people.
13:12They were average people.
13:13When you talk about the life that they lived
13:15in World War II, you really get the sense
13:18that it's the average people
13:20that made such a huge difference
13:22in millions of people's lives.
13:25What is it, 17 million pieces of mail packaging?
13:28Just think about how many families were soothed
13:32by what these women did.
13:33That to you is, you can do anything you put your mind to,
13:37and you work with your community the correct way.
13:40Instead of doing what some of your agendas
13:44may have taught us to do in the past,
13:46when you just remember that
13:48and you really hone in on the mission,
13:51I hope you get it right when you do that.
13:53And anybody can do that.
13:54That's the thing I hope that young women
13:56can see and feel from this.
13:57Leading with 17 million, 17.
14:00I love when you talk about them being not just soldiers,
14:03but healers, because that's what these letters did.
14:06They brought healing to these men serving,
14:10and they helped to end a war
14:12that protected democracy all over the world.
14:16For me also, I feel like my hope is that
14:19people just know who these women are,
14:21that they celebrate these women,
14:22that they get the flowers, that they are so due,
14:26that we lift them up as heroes,
14:29but also to Ebony's point,
14:31that we lift them up as examples of the best of us
14:34so that we know that we too can walk toward
14:38whatever the mission is of our lives.
14:40Because they were, yeah, we can become whoever it is
14:43that we feel called to being that best version of ourselves
14:47because they did that.
14:48And they did that facing racism and misogyny
14:51and insanely terrible working conditions.
14:55They did it in a war time.
14:56They did it up against systems
14:58that were not fighting for them,
15:01but they fought for the best in themselves
15:03because they believed in themselves
15:05despite the doubts that were in them
15:07or the doubts that they came up against.
15:09So I think that idea of like lifting them up,
15:12celebrating them and then letting them,
15:15yeah, letting them remind us of who we can be
15:18with faith and community and strength.
15:21Definitely.
15:22I love to end any interview when I'm interviewing a cast
15:26and just like the set experience
15:28and the relationships and bonds that were built on the set
15:31because as we talked about, community is super important
15:34and you can really see that through films
15:36of just cast getting along in that energy.
15:39How was it on set?
15:40Did you guys form relationships, friendships?
15:43How was it on that last day when filming was done?
15:47I would love to know.
15:49She's stuck with me forever.
15:50I told these girls, they are stuck with me.
15:53I don't care where they go, what they do.
15:56I am in their corner for life, right?
15:59Or die.
16:00I love these girls.
16:01If she's stuck, it's because I glued her to me.
16:02So it's mutual, but she tells, you tell such a great story.
16:08So we were filming on location.
16:12No, we were in the UK, I think.
16:14Yeah, yeah.
16:15And there was a lightning storm.
16:18And so you have to shut down when you're on location
16:20and there's a lightning storm
16:21because there's a generator,
16:22you don't want people to get hurt.
16:24And so on Tyler Perry sets,
16:25you don't sit around idle with nothing to do.
16:28He's always-
16:28I can imagine.
16:31He's like, come on, storm, let's go.
16:32So I was like, what do we do with this time?
16:35And I said to Debbie Allen,
16:37who did all the choreography in the film,
16:39she choreographed the dances and the marching,
16:42all of it, all of our movement.
16:44So I said, Debbie, let's take the girls downstairs
16:47and let's do like a IRL, ask me anything.
16:49Let's just open ourselves up to them.
16:51I think I also just wanted to be able to ask Debbie
16:53anything I wanted to ask.
16:54And we all benefited from it, it's what happened.
16:56So we went down into the basement
16:58and we just had like a no judgment zone,
17:01a place where everybody could open up their hearts,
17:04ask questions.
17:05We talked about finding husbands.
17:07We talked about raising kids.
17:08We talked about picking projects.
17:10We talked about politics, where you live, faith.
17:12We just went there and it's-
17:14Great hard time.
17:15Yeah, it was like one of the most special times
17:18I've ever had on a set.
17:20And everybody really, you could feel
17:24how important we knew it was
17:26that we'd be there for each other and be in truth.
17:28Yeah, definitely.
17:29I mean, I think working with a multicultural set in general,
17:33depending on what the baseline community is,
17:36especially just multicultural black women,
17:39you really are able to pull out that authenticity.
17:42And I can really see it here,
17:44which is like why I was like,
17:45I have to ask that question
17:46because I love when I see cast members
17:48who really get along and it seems like
17:50there was really good energy on set.
17:52So I can see-
17:53But I wanna just add that that starts with Tyler.
17:56Yeah, okay.
17:57Thank you for that.
17:58He's an extraordinary leader.
18:01Is, I mean, he does such a beautiful job
18:05holding his power, leading, and also encouraging.
18:10He creates a space where people can make brave choices,
18:13creative choices, but he is unapologetic
18:18in knowing that he is the boss and the leader.
18:21And I just love that about him.
18:23I love that he holds his space, that he's so strong,
18:26but he's also so loving.
18:27And I love that you added that, Corey.
18:30It's the reason why what you see in 6888
18:34is what it is today.
18:35It's his vision.
18:36It is really his vision that we all,
18:39we knew the assignment was to come together
18:40to fulfill his pure vision of making something so special
18:46that it honors these women in the proper way.
18:49Absolutely.
18:50No, thank you for adding that.
18:51I was gonna say, because I think,
18:53Tyler does get his flowers every now and then,
18:56but really just giving that context
18:59of how meaningful it was to have him being encouraging
19:01and set that tonality of the set,
19:03I think is really important
19:04and a great piece we will use for the interview.
19:07Ladies, thank you so much.
19:09I know you are doing press and running here and there,
19:12but thank you for carving out the time to talk to Essence.
19:14I really, really appreciate it.