"Am I a great entertainer? Yes I am."
These, ladies and gentlemen, are words longtime entertainer Jenifer Lewis said during a recent interview with Windy City Timesand the sentence embodies who she is: confident, independent, sometimes brash and, yes, talented.
Lewis has appeared in more than 300 film and television projects, ranging from the upcoming movie Think Like A Man Too to TV's Meet the Browns to the movie Castaway ( playing Tom Hanks' boss ). Some in the LGBT community may also recognize her from the Web series Jenifer Lewis and Shangela, teaming with former RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Shangela Laquifa Wadley.
Now, Lewis is bringing her force to Chicago. On Thursday, June 26, the actor/entertainer/motivational speaker will be at The Baton Show Lounge for "Live with Jenifer Lewis!," a Step Up. Get Tested-sponsored event that will have Lewis doing everything from singing to talking about her own bipolar disorder and the impact HIV has had on the community.
As usual, she was her entertaining, candid self during a recent phone interview.
Windy City Times: You're an actor, singer, motivational speakerand probably a professional chef...
Jenifer Lewis: [Laughs] That's the one thing I don't do. Forget that shit. I'm the baby of seven, and I never cook. Maybe when I'm in love, I cook.
WCT: What do you attribute that tothe fact that you have your hands in so many different pots?
Jenifer Lewis: Well, here's the thing, Andrew: I was given a gift. The versatility was there when I was very young; I'd just enter a room and take it over.
I've only had one job outside of show business, and I believe it was my freshman year in college: I got a job at McDonald's toasting the buns. I got fired one week because I burned the buns. I was standing around talking with someone about how I was going to be a starso the bitches burned. That told me right there to never get a regular job.
The other reason [for the longtime versatility] is that I love it. I studied the craft. I got my B.A. and worked extremely hard to enjoy my success. Great wisdom comes with age, darling.
WCT: So what would you tell your 21-year-old self?
Jenifer Lewis: [Ponders] Wow. Well, I didn't know much at 21. I guess I would've been compassionate with myself. I might've said something like, "You're gonna be just fine. Relax, baby." I wish somebody had said that to me. When you're young, you don't know that the fuck you're doing; the hormones are everywhere and you're not quite focused yet. The one thing I needed most at that age was compassion, and I wish I had given it to myself.
WCT: You're coming to Chicago, and coming to the Baton...
Jenifer Lewis: Here's the thing: They called me. If I can go anywhere, and I have the time, I give of myself. When you've had your day in the sunand you now are the sunyou just let your light shine and give it all back.
I've always been an advocate for HIV/AIDS. We did one of the first fundraisers back in New York in the '80s; it was called "Divas for Dollars." All the famous cabaret divas got in a limousine, and we'd go from gay club to gay club. I remember my song was [singing], "You make me feel/Mighty real." That first night we raised $3,000.
I have personally lost about 175 guys to the disease, and a couple girls. There was a silent war; all we knew was that our friends were dying. The government ignored it so we took it upon ourselves to do something for the cause.
But, getting back, they called me and were very respectful. By the way, Chicago is my favorite city. I was there when I filmed [the TV series] The Playboy Club, and I just fell in love with the city. But it's the love of it that [compels] me to go everywhere.
I've been to drag bars, all the Ivy League universities, and I've sung for kings and queensmostly queens, if you know what I mean. [Interviewer laughs.]
WCT: Let me ask you this: Have you seen a disparity between how whites and non-whites have reacted to AIDS?
Jenifer Lewis: I've seen many organizations, and the Black guys were not getting the treatment. But when I found out that shit was going on, I raised my voice. And also, unfortunately, Blacks don't really get the educationand I think the churches had a big influence in the wrong fucking direction. The churches didn't embrace, metaphorically speaking, the choir director, for example. Who the fuck do you think these kids are? Where do they go?
These are the people I go and talk tolike the kid who has cigarette burns and who are kicked out of their houses just for being gay. And now, what demographic has the highest proportion of AIDS? Black women. It's the desperation that comes with poverty: "I don't care if he got out of jailthat's my man." You can get a swab of saliva, bitch, and save your life. But I do approach this with compassion.
We are the earth mothers and all that shit, but we're fragile, too. I don't think that ignorance is bliss. Educate yourself. I do not suffer fools. We've got to go deep inside. It starts inside.
If I didn't take the time to educate myself about bipolar disorder, I wouldn't have done how dangerous it was. We have to be educated, and the first step is to admit it. I have a friend who owns a salon who shows health videos instead of The Young and the Restless.
WCT: You mentioned bipolar disorder. But with some mental disorders, it would seem hard to know.
Jenifer Lewis: Yeah, well I didn't know for 33 years. My family would say, "Oh, Jenny's just crazy." Well, yeahbut I also had a chemical imbalance in my brain. Here's the only way you can find out: Who's the cousin who keeps jumping up and down on the picnic table? That's the bipolar motherfucker. Who is the auntie who rages all the time? That's the bipolar motherfucker. You have an uncle up in the attic or a friend who stays in the basement? That's the depression. We have to pay attention to one another, and have the strength and courage to say, "Let's get some help."
Also, a lot of people try to use mental illness has an excuse. I said to my girlfriend, "This is who I am." We have to recognize the patterns. We didn't have Oprah when I was kid. There was no 911 if your mother hits you upside your head and you're bleeding.
We have to go to the root of the problem. What's the next question, baby?
WCT: I thought I'd wrap up with something lighter. [This prompts Lewis to laugh, saying, "Let's wrap up with something lighter so we don't leave Ms. Lewis screaming and hollering."] Do you have a bucket list? What do you want to do or who do you want to work with?
Jenifer Lewis: My God, young manwhat a good question. [Ponders] All I want to do is give back. My nephew fell on hard times and I moved him into my home; he has children and they bring me so much joy. It's all about the physical things now: I garden. I feel 35, I work out every day and I eat healthy foods because I want to enjoy my success.
I've had my trials and tribulations, darling, I really don't need much. I just want to give back. The only thing you can do for anyone is to live your best lifebut you can't save anyone else.
I'm not coming to Chicago to do a one-woman show. I'm coming to share what I know. I'll be funny and entertaining, of courseI don't know how to do anything else. But I'm coming for a purpose. It's like when I went on Oprah to talk about my bipolar disorder: I may have en in her arena, but she was in my territory. Treatment and medication have led to a wonderful life, darling. I'm about as happy as I can be because I know who I am.
Someone asked me why I wasn't honored at a [recent] event. I looked that little fucker in the eye and said, "I don't need that honor because I honor myself every day."
WCT: What, in your mind, is the definition of a true diva?
Jenifer Lewis: A true diva is one who knows they're not a diva, that we're all the same. If a 9.2 earthquake hits and you're under the rubble, no one's going to say, "Oh, you're a diva? Let me pull you out first." When the World Trade Center, they were all covered in ash.
Am I a great entertainer? Yes, I am. I'm one of the goddamn best, and I know that. I'm not a diva, darling. My name is Jenifer Lewis and all I want to do is tell my storyand it's a hell of a story. And we're in the middle of writing my memoir now.
For more on "Step Up. Get Tested," see stepupgettested.com .
Also, Lewis is in the upcoming films The Wedding Ringer and The Magic City, which she calls "one of the most imporant movies I've ever made." There's also Ventura Boulevard, an homage to Sunset Boulevard that she's executive-producing and which Debbie Allen will direct.
Lewis' Facebook page is "Jenifer Lewis For Real." Her Twitter is @JeniferLewis.