Loretta Devine interview: Celebrating a career of memorable performances

When actress Loretta Devine was asked to attend the Bay Area’s Bravemaker film festival, it seemed like a no-brainer. She had previously worked with the festival on other projects and the opportunity to receive their Legend Award brought things full circle. The thespian whose career has spanned more than forty years, subsequently confirmed the invitation and brought plenty of stories to share with fans.

Prior to her festival appearance, Devine sat down with us to discuss her widespread list of accolades and some favorite things about being a working actress. It’s a list that has her jumping between television roles in “Black-ish” and “Grey’s Anatomy” to film work in “Dreamgirls,” “Crash” and of course, the seminal “Waiting to Exhale.” This isn’t even touching on her voice acting that has garnered new fans over the last few years. It’s been a great ride for Devine and discussing it in person did not disappoint. The following is a transcription of our conversation.

Q: Your career has spanned more than forty years working on all kinds of projects. With that kind of resume, what are some of the roles that stick out to you?

Loretta Devine: The industry has changed so much and some of the roles I’m doing now are in shows like “P-Valley” which are more adult oriented. I guess because my voice is light and airy I’ve always played the good mother but now that things are changing, I’m trying to figure out how to handle everything. (laughs) I usually try to do things that are challenging, that I’ve never done before. I have a very high comic sense. Everyone tells me I should do stand-up but it doesn’t satisfy me the way acting does.

Q: Do you see your comedic work any differently than your dramatic roles? Or are they one and the same?

Devine: I’ve also done a lot of serious stuff, “Waiting to Exhale” was a great experience for me and helped get my career started. I think it just celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Q: Yes it did and that movie still holds up.

Devine: Thank you but now I’m starting to see my mother in the mirror. (laughs)

Q: At this stage in your career, do you find projects coming directly to you or do you still have to chase the roles you really want to explore?

Devine: I haven’t auditioned in a long time so most of the roles I’m playing are coming to me. I’ve worked with a lot of different people so a lot of the time they come to me with something they feel I can do. Then you let your posse negotiate and get you the things you need to get done.

Q: Contracts and such?

Devine: Yeah. Covid also changed a lot of the way things are done so I haven’t had to audition online the way a lot of these younger actors are doing. When I started, everything was set up for the actor to go in and audition and now it’s the opposite.

Q: When you’re on set, do you prefer to be left alone and let the performance come to you naturally? Or do you prefer to collaborate with your director?

Devine: It depends on whether you’re doing television or film. If you’re doing a television series that has an audience and a lot of cameras, that’s different than preparing for a movie. On a movie set there’s usually only one camera and long hours, sometimes you’ll have an eighteen hour day. So it really depends on what you’re doing.

Q: I would assume it also depends on who you’re working with. Because someone like Werner Herzog who you worked with on “My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done,” he loves his cameras and he loves his improv.

Devine: (laughs) Yes, he definitely does.

Q: With your body of work, you obviously have your classics like “Waiting to Exhale,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Crash.” But what are some of the titles that people recognize you for that are the most surprising?

Devine: A lot of young people come up to me and say, my mom loves you or my grandmother loves you. Sometimes people come up to me and start crying because they’ve grown up with my work. To them, it might be strange to see me outside of television and in the real world, it all depends on where they experienced you. Some people see me in “This Christmas” every year with their family so it’s become tradition for them to see me in that way.

Q: What about on the opposite end? What are some of the roles that surprised you in the way you tackled them onscreen?

Devine: I’ve worked with so many directors and for the most part they’ve been great but sometimes you work with someone and think this man is crazy. (laughs) As for actors, most of them are just happy to be working.

Q: Are there aspects of being in the spotlight for you that aren’t ideal to handle on a daily basis?

Devine: (laughs) I don’t interview often but sometimes people are nosy and what to know your business.

Q: Thankfully we’re here to talk about movies and not dig for dirt.

Devine: (laughs) Thank you so much for that, this has been wonderful.

Photos courtesy of Antonia Cupic.