How Actress Leslie Black Rolled Out Her Own Red Carpet
It’s often said that God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers, and actress/filmmaker Leslie Black has proven that she’s built for it all. At her root, she’s a cultured creative with a diverse upbringing, having spent her childhood from the Asian grounds of the Philippines to the down-home woods of South Carolina. However, these days, Black finds herself posing for the paparazzi at a movie premiere or captivating the camera that makes them.
Her introduction to the film business came through the early production Metro, which saw Black as a series breakout and served as a stepping stone for her now-established career as one of the industry’s brightest rising stars. Since her ground-shifting debut, we’ve seen Black luminating a lane of her own, effortlessly delivering pulsating performances… line after line. From stellar appearances in Lee Daniels’ uber-successful Fox drama Star and Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings to Chicago Med, Peacock’s Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, and latterly, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the South Carolina State University graduate only continues to raise the bar and solidify her stance at the pinnacle of plus size cinema.
But… while Black has triumphantly shattered beauty-standard ceilings in the acting space, her talents extend far beyond citing scripts. In fact, the Scene 29 Productions owner has shown her ability to write and produce them, with her gripping short film, MOMMAS, which rawly told the story of a group of Black mothers who lost sons to police brutality. It’s because of Black’s own trials that she’s transparently given us relatable characters that sit with the soul–be it on the brink of a mental breakdown or at the forefront of full-figured women with unmatched fearlessness.
Black is proof that where you started doesn’t determine where you will go. We must say, from life’s unfair lessons to the audition room, this Blockbuster beauty has come a long way!
We recently sat down with this heroine to talk about her journey to becoming a powerhouse trouper, navigating the field as a curvier woman, and more. Check it out below!
Actress & Filmmaker Leslie Black on Using Her Power for Purpose & Breaking Through Barriers
TCF: While doing my research, I realized you have a very interesting background. You were a military brat, born in the Philippines, grew up in Japan for a short time, before relocating to Louisiana and South Carolina.
Leslie Black: Yes!
TCF: If you can remember, what are some of your fondest memories of having that type of adventurous childhood?
Leslie Black: Wow. One of my fondest memories was when I was living in the Philippines. Mount Pinatubo erupted, and we literally had to leave the country.
TCF: Oh, goodness! Really?!
Leslie Black: The U.S. Navy came in, and they pretty much saved us. We went from the Philippines to California, and then from there, we were kind of dispersed. So, they came and got everybody off the military bases because the volcano had erupted. That’s one of my fondest memories of growing up in the Philippines, but living in Louisiana… it was interesting getting to know my father’s side of the family. A big part of their culture is food, so I got to try some new delicacies. That was very interesting. I finished the end of elementary school, went to middle school, and completed half of my tenth-grade year in Louisiana.
TCF: Speaking of your father, you previously explained that you developed your love for storytelling as a youngster. That was one of the things that truly warmed my heart—when you shared that you write books and your father would often make the binding for them. Unfortunately, you lost your parents relatively young, but I know that’s something you’ll always hold on to. So, reflecting on those moments, what would you say were the greatest lessons you learned from your parents that you’ve seen yourself applying in life today?
Leslie Black: Some of the greatest lessons I think I learned were to persevere, to always do what your heart tells you, and to do what you put your mind to. My parents, for the short time that I had them, always supported me in everything I did–like my dad, for instance. When I wanted to be a writer, he used to tell his friends that I wrote, and he would help me put my books together.
