LAST SUNDAY SHE WAS NOMINATED FOR A GOLDEN GLOBE, FOR HER
MAGNIFICENT PERFORMANCE AS BILLIE HOLIDAY, AND THIS
HAPPENED: >> AND THE GOLDEN GLOBE GOES TO
ANDRA DAY!
CHE[ CHEERING ] >> James: PLEASE WELCOME GOLDEN
GLOBE WINNER ANDRA DAY!
THERE SHE IS, I'M SO HAPPY YOU'RE HERE.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE OTHER NIGHT.
THAT LOOKS LIKE SUCH FUN.
HAS IT ALL SUNK IN YET?
>> I DON'T KNOW THAT IT HAS FULLY SUNK IN YET.
I JUST REPEATING THE WORDS, THE GOLDEN GLOBE GOES TO ANDRA DAY.
AND THEN MY BRAIN GOES, ERROR, ERROR.
WE'RE STILL RIDING THE HIGH OF IT THOUGH, IT'S INCREDIBLE.
>> James: AND YOU GOT THIS.
THIS IS A BOW CAN KAY OF FLOWERS WITH A NOTE THAT SAYS, YOU MAKE
US ALL SO PROUD, HUGE CONGRATULATIONS, LOVE, BEYONCE.
>> MY MOX TOLD ME WHEN SHE WAS OPENING THE CARD, SHE WAS
TELLING MY COUSINS, GUESS WHO THIS IS FROM?
SHE HAD TO OPEN IT AND THEN CLOSE IT REAL QUICK TO HIDE HER
NAME.
I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO GET BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS, I WAS GOING
TO PUT THIS UP, F NAOMI CAMPBELL VIOLA DAVIS, TO SEE THIS
COMMUNITY OF WOMEN, PARTICULARLY BLACK WOMEN SUPPORTING EACH
OTHER.
>> James: IT'S SO GREAT AND YOU ARE SO DESERVING OF ALL THE
PRAISES COMING YOUR WAY.
FOR ANYBODY WHO HASN'T CAUGHT UP WITH THE MOVIE TELL US WHAT IT'S
ABOUT.
>> THE MOVIE IS CALLED THE UNITED STATES VERSUS BILLIE
HOLIDAY.
IT REALLY WAS THE CASE.
BILLIE HOLIDAY SINGING A SONG, PUTTING A MIRROR UP TO AMERICA
AND THE GOVERNMENT O, SHE DIDN'T WANT HER TO BE SINGING THIS
SONG, THEY DIDN'T WANT HER TO BE EMBOLDENING PEOPLE AND
INTEGRATING AUDIENCES, SHE WAS FIGHTING FOR INTEGRATION AND TO
STOP RACIAL TERROR.
SHE WAS DOING THIS HER OWN, ARE PRECIVIL RIGHTS, CREDIT WHEN THE
GREAT CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER THAT WE KNEW CAME AFTER HER, AND THE
ENTIRE GOVERNMENT PUT ALL OF THEIR FORCES AND THEY CREATED
THIS WAR ON DRUGS, SOMETHING THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH NOW TO GO
AFTER BILLIE HOLIDAY TO SILENCE HER, STOP HER FROM SINGING THIS
SONG REALLY UNTO HER DEATH AND THEY USED ADDICTION TO DO IT.
IT'S REALLY A STORY ABOUT A BEAUTIFUL BLACK QUEER WOMAN AND
DOING HER BEST TO FIGHT, IT WAS A BLESSING TO BE PART OF.
>> James: THIS IS YOUR FIRST EVER ACTING ROLE.
I'VE HEARD YOU HAVE BEEN HESITANT TO CALL YOURSELF AN
ACIALGHTD.
WITH THESE ACCOLADES THAT ARE COMING YOUR WAY, DO YOU FEEL
MORE CONFIDENT CALLING YOURSELF AN ACTOR NOW?
>> THEY KEEP SAYING, YOU NEED TO STOP SAYING YOU'RE AN ACTOR.
YOU'RE AN ACTRESS.
I WAS OKAY, NOW I WAS GETTING TO A POINT WHERE I FEEL LIKE IT,
BUT I HAVE A THOUGHT OF ME GOING AGAIN ON SET AND THINKING, "OH
HELL NO."
Y REALLY?
>> I RECEIVED IT, THE LOVE EVERYBODY IS GIVING BUT I FEEL
LIKE I'M AN ARTIST.
WE ALWAYS FEEL LIKE THIS.
WHAT DO WE DO, WE ARE SENSITIVE (BLEEP).
LAF.
[ Laughter ] >> James: DO YOU THINK THE
EXPERIENCE OF PLAYING BILLIE HOLIDAY, AFFECT THE WAY YOU'LL
BE THE DOING YOUR NEXT ALBUM, DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT'S BLED INTO HOW
YOU'RE GOING TO DO YOUR MUSIC?
>> THE ALBUM IS COMING JUNE 4th, IT REALLY HAS BLED AND
PROBABLY WILL CONTINUE.
WE WERE MAKING THE RECORD WILE I WAS SORT OF DROPPING INTO
CHARACTER AND WE WERE PREPARING FOR THIS MOVIE.
SO YOU SEE HER DNA ON THE RECORD.
NOT JUST SONICALLY BUT ALSO JUST THE THINGS THAT SHE SAYS, AND
THE WAY IN WHICH SHE SAYS THEM.
PRE-BILLIE HOLIDAY I'M MORE OF LIKE A POLITE, DON'T WANT TO
UPSET PEOPLE.
POST-BILLIE HOLIDAY, YOU EITHER LIKE IT OR YOU DON'T.
THE WAY SHE SAYS THINGS, THE WAY SHE SAYS THINGS, OR THE WAY I
SAY THINGS, IT'S A LITTLE EDGIER, A LITTLE LESS
APOLOGETIC, A LITTLE MORE BILLIE.
YOU CAN'T HELP, YOU HAVE TO.