Hi, I'm Zsané Jhé.
I play adult Shella on "David Makes Man,"
and you are watching OWN's 20 questions.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
My nickname growing up was Tee-Tee,
and I have no idea how it became my nickname
and neither does anyone in my family.
One thing I cannot live without is edge control,
a good book, and Jesus.
That's three things.
I was most proud of myself when I
finally passed my driver's license
exam on the third attempt.
The advice I would give to my teenage self
is you don't have to abandon yourself to be liked by others.
Authenticity is freedom.
If I could be anything else in the world,
I would want to be a coach on "The Voice"
because I love "The Voice."
I mean, when I'm in a bad mood, it really lifts my spirits.
Even though I can't sing, I feel like I have an ear for talent.
My ultimate hype song is Jazmine Sullivan's
"I'll Bust Your Windows."
It gets me every time.
If I could have dinner with two people dead or alive,
one would be Octavia Butler who is my most
favorite Black woman author.
And two would be my mom because I feel like you can just never
have enough time with your mom.
If I were a superhero, my superpower
would be transport because I ain't got time for the airport.
The kind of things that make me laugh
are unfortunately everything.
I'm pretty goofy.
I laugh at about everything, and I'm super duper clumsy,
and that also makes me laugh.
But right now, I'm loving stand-up comedy,
especially Wanda Sykes.
One area of my life that I'm trying to own wholeheartedly
and become the best version of myself
is the way in which I love my body.
I've spent my entire life on somebody's diet wishing away
these curves, but recently, I've recommitted myself
to focusing more on overall health
than on a number on the scale, and that's
led to me moving my body more, eating well balanced
meals to nourish me, and it's not because I
care about how much I weigh.
It's just because it makes me feel good.
The biggest lesson I learned this season
was how important it is to empower and allow
our creators of color to craft worlds
that are culturally specific with authentic characters.
The character I play, Shella, is empowered.
She's resilient.
She'll go to the end of the Earth to fight for the people
that she cares about.
So I feel like she's a character that a lot of Black women
will be able to relate to mostly because we either are her,
we're friends with her, or we're related to her.
But unfortunately, I don't get to see her on television a lot,
which is why it's just so, so, so, so very important that we
allow creators of color to craft stories that are
authentic to our real lives because being Black
and a woman is its own superpower,
and we deserve to be acknowledged in storytelling.
My most favorite scene to film is--
I believe it's in the trailer--
the community of [INAUDIBLE] and David get together,
and we're all walking with shades on, and we just look--
we just look good.
The way I prepare for a day in the life
as adult Shella on the show is by getting my beauty
sleep because Shella is always on the move.
She always got someplace to be and something to do,
and she does it all while looking good.
I would definitely be friends with adult Shella
on "David Makes Man" because she's about her business
and she keeps it real.
Everybody needs a friend like that.
Working alongside a Black cast and crew
feels like coming home to your family
except the functional and more professional side
of your family.
Someone that I really enjoyed working with on set this season
is one of our talented directors, Erica Watson.
Working with her not only challenged me as an actor,
but it also taught me about compassionate leadership.
She never left a set without making sure that everyone who
stepped foot on the set, cast or crew,
felt seen and acknowledged.
And I really learned a lot from that.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an anesthesiologist
because they made a whole lot of money,
and they only had to deal with people
while they were falling asleep.
A TV series that I could watch again and again and again
without getting tired of it is a tie between "One on One"
with Kyla Pratt and Flex Washington
and I would have to say "The Jamie Foxx Show."
Oh, my gosh, I love Jamie Foxx.
Someone I would really, really want to play in a biopic
is Jill Scott.
I mean, I can't sing or anything,
but I'm good at lip-syncing, and I just feel like--
I just feel like I could vibe with Jill.
I'm asking Zsané why we have yet to taste the baked
goods that she brags about all the time
but didn't make for us?
We had ovens.
We had stoves.
We had the ability.
I even suggested we go buy the groceries.
I want to know.
OK, so no one on set has tasted any of my baked goods
because I'm a new baker, and I'm still sensitive about my stuff.
I can't just be putting myself out there for criticism.
I got to get it right, get it tight,
and then I'll share with everybody.