Sheléa Frazier has already made a name for herself in the music world and now she’s ready to take on acting. The singer, whose mentors include Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder, is making her acting debut as Dorinda Clark-Cole in the Lifetime movie The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, which premieres April 11. While she knew the music of The Clark Sisters “very well,” Sheléa admitted to HollywoodLife in our EXCLUSIVE interview that she “didn’t know their story.” Well, she certainly does now.
Throughout the filming process, Sheléa got to learn about the famous gospel group and Dorinda’s incredible journey. “She is such a beautiful person, inside and out,” Sheléa said. “It was obviously an honor to portray her. Just seeing how she’s such a strong woman of faith and how that has really carried her through some really, really dark times in her life has been really, really inspiring for me personally.”
Sheléa was able to speak with Dorinda about her story over the course of filming. Sheléa said their conversations made it “so helpful” to be able to “portray her in the most realistic way.” Sheléa opened up about when she first met Dorinda. “She was so sweet. The first thing she said is, ‘I’m so glad you’re playing me.’ That just definitely warmed my heart. She’s such an angel of a woman, so to get that blessing and warmth from her was really, really felt meaningful,” the singer told HollywoodLife.
Before filming the movie, Sheléa got to meet up with fellow co-stars Christina Bell, Kierra Sheard, Raven Goodwin, and Angela Birchett to re-record The Clark Sisters songs in the studio. “Before we said one line, we were musically bringing their story to life. That was actually my favorite time of the whole process,” Sheléa admitted.
The Lifetime movie will chronicle the ups and downs of the highest-selling female gospel group in history. Sheléa commended the group for sharing their story. “It takes a lot of vulnerability for the Clarks just to put their story out there, and I think it’s going to show that they are a lot like us,” Sheléa continued. “I think what a lot of people will walk away with is just how much family is important and how much the music has really sustained them.”
Sheléa hopes this is just the beginning of more acting roles for her. “I had no idea that I would love it as much as I did,” she revealed. “So I definitely caught the bug. I’m hoping that more acting opportunities will come from this.” The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, from executive producers and Grammy Award winners Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, and Missy Elliott, will air at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.