- I have imposter syndrome, big time,
because I first started off as a singer
and I thought that was gonna be the route that I took
and then life change things, and I end up acting by a fluke.
Hi, my name is Da'vine Joy Randolph,
and this is On the Rise.
Every job still feels very new and I'm shocked when
I get cast or have these opportunities to do these jobs.
So I'm learning as I go and I feel nervous to be like
I'm an actor, but I'm an actor.
(chill hip-hop music)
When I read the script, Lost City to me was a modern take
or adaptation on Romancing the Stone.
- There were just hundreds of snakes in this temple
just waiting for us to show up?
- What, why aren't they biting that guy?
- This is ridiculous.
Delete, delete, delete.
- A writer who writes romance novels,
so like the ones that you see
as you're like leading the supermarket,
and you have like, the Fabio on the cover.
So that's Channing Tatum
and he is like the model for these romance novels
who takes his job very serious.
Sandra Bullock plays the writer.
I play her best friend slash publicist slash manager,
all encompassing, I do it all.
Basically she gets kidnapped by Harry Potter,
AKA Daniel Radcliffe.
I have to say it is so deliciously wonderful
to see him play a villain, 'cause you're like, oh,
all those years when you were the sweet little boy
you actually wanted this side to come out too
and so Channing and myself and my assistant go to find her.
- If I don't get to this island,
my friend and her cover model are going to die.
- I am driving. - Oh, oh, oh.
- I first called myself a singer young.
I think other people called me a singer
and I just, I owned it.
I'm good at this, I have a talent for this, a good ear,
rhythm, those types of things.
I could mimic things that I could hear on the radio
or on a CD, back then.
I was a pretty wacky kid, had lots of energy,
no one in my family have the like, performance gene.
My mom was always like sing that thing you learned this week
or show 'em that dance, or, so I was always performing
for family and friends.
Now whether they just thought it was a cute kid thing maybe
but it was full production, hair, makeup, wardrobe
the whole nine, I was very into it.
I'm from Philadelphia, so I thought I very much so
had a New York vibe, my school was a theater school
so I thought, you know, Broadway if anything.
And when I got here to New York
they had me meeting everyone.
I booked a musical, Ghost the Musical,
the musical based off of the movie.
The lady who was doing it on the West End had got hurt
and so they decided to fly me from here
the day after Thanksgiving to London.
They taught me the role in four days,
I went on for the fifth day.
I had made my like career debut on the West End,
which is like, unheard of.
It was the wildest thing.
The next week I had five auditions,
and I ended up booking in one week, the Good Wife,
an original play at the Atlantic Theater Company,
and then I ended up doing Robin Williams's last movie
and everything just kind of fell in the place
but that's kind of how my life has been.
I haven't been, I'm definitely not in the driver's seat
by any means necessary,
but I've now grown to see all the amazing things
that come out of it.
So I've learned to relinquish control
and just be willing to be open to
what is literally handed to me.
I just got finish doing Rustin,
Netflix is doing Bayard Rustin
and I get to portray Mahalia Jackson
and that was something in speaking of like intent,
that was like in the quiet, buried pages of my journal
that I was like, I want to play Mahalia Jackson.
My worlds are merging now
and I really want to personally produce
and begin doing biopics of women in general, obviously
but certain Black women who are entertainers.
It's really nice to see those worlds meld
and I've always joked and said, as my retirement
I would then full blown, go into singing
and just retire in Europe and be an opera singer.
My favorite role is probably Cherise from High Fidelity.
- Does she seem sadder than usual or is it the sweater?
- Sweater.
- To have that much freedom and play
and to be filming in the city that you're in, that's huge
and that doesn't always happen.
To have the great privilege to work alongside Zoe Kravitz
and to see her be such a boss and do so many things at once
and to see it all come together was so amazing.
There was so much love for that character that was felt
and given and put into, it was just all encompassing.
It was amazing.
The city is a whole 'nother character.
You can't fight it, they're a part of it.
You'll have people across the street watching you
while you're working, people screaming, like,
I wanna be in it, you know what I mean?
Or they'll walk in, it's amazing.
I mean, at this point, right,
I think I've had so many wonderful experience
of like Eddie Murphy and Tracy Morgan,
Steve Martin, Martin Short,
I'm at least feel comfortable in the arena.
I'm no longer like, oo, trepidatious, 'cause it's like
someone teaching a kid how to swim.
They just throw you in there.
So eventually you're like, oh, okay.
I figured out how to stay afloat.
The biggest high of my career was Dolomite,
from start to finish.
Eddie Murphy was so gracious.
He told the studio, whatever press he does
he wanted to make sure I did as well,
and that's beyond.
I would say the two biggest moments,
one having a heart to heart with him when we wrapped,
and then I would say when we World Premiered,
tons and tons of people in that theater
and we all came out and they gave Eddie a standing ovation
and then it came to me and they gave me a standing ovation
and I never expected anything like that
and it was overwhelming.
At this point, I do not feel as though I've made it.
I respect this craft and the people who are in it
and I know what I strive for.
I do think I am on the path and things are starting
to resonate and stick and I'm very grateful for that.
My thing is like, be a good person,
love what you love, work hard at it
and I feel as though the world takes care of you.
I would be insane to think that I've made it.
I do think I want to continue to see that through.
There's still an excitement.
What other interesting stories even that I
would want to bring to the table could I do?
So it's like a deeper meaning for me than
celebrity or famous.
I got my dog, a Frenchie, she's so cute, Ella.
I got her and then two weeks later I booked a movie
and now when her carrier comes out,
she knows we're going to the airport.
And she jumps in there.
I put a little outfit on her.
Oh, she's the star of any airport.
Now she's famous, I'm not, they don't care.
They don't wanna take a picture of me.
They're like, oh, can I take a picture of your dog?
All of this is very surreal for me.
I thought I was going to tour the world
living in Europe and being an opera singer.
Every job, every time I'm on a set,
there's always this euphoric moment.
I never thought this.
So it's it extremely overwhelming
if I'm honest and humbling.