Interview
Garcelle Beauvais Didn’t Want To Be ‘An Angry Black Woman’ On ‘RHOBH’: ‘That’s Not Who I Am’
Garcelle Beauvais refused to play a stereotype when she became the ‘first Black woman’ to hold a diamond on ‘RHOBH.’
Coming into The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Garcelle Beauvais, 53, wanted to be her real self — not play into a stereotype if asked to. “Did I feel pressure of being the first Black woman on [RHOBH]? Yes, I definitely felt pressure that people wanted me to come in and do a certain thing or have a chip on my shoulder,” Garcelle admitted on the July 1 episode of Reality Life with Kate Casey.
Garcelle refused to let media’s problematic tendency to portray Black women as angry or sassy overtake her real personality. “I really didn’t want to be labeled an angry black woman. That’s not who I am,” she said. “I just wanted to stay true to who I am, and I think that’s what people have been able to see so far.”
Meanwhile, it’s fans of the Bravo show that can be angry when sharing their opinions over the drama surrounding the cast. “I was not prepared for how social media takes over. Lisa Rinna told me that it is one thing to shoot the show,” Garcelle said during the podcast. “It’s another to see it and what the others have said about you. Then the whole world weighs in. There are so many layers to be on the show.”
Garcelle already had an impressive reputation going into Season 10 of RHOBH. She is most known for playing the beloved Francesca ‘Fancy’ Monroe on The Jamie Foxx show between 1996-2001, and had roles on NYPD Blue, Grimm, The Magicians, Siren, Merry Happy Whatever and Tell Me a Story. And that’s just scratching the surface of her long list of credits on IMDb!
With her first season of RHOBH behind her, Garcelle is now relaxing at home amid her quarantine. HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY spoke with the actress to find out what she has been up to amid isolation, and Garcelle revealed the shows that she has been binging: “Oh boy, Little Fires Everywhere. I’m obsessed with it. I wish we would just drop them all. I can’t believe I’m going to say this but, 90 Day Fiance’. I’m obsessed with that show. When they’re watching the show comments, I love. I’m watching a lot of TV, which I try not to but my kids and I are watching a lot of movies. We just saw Get Out.” Now, we’ll be binge watching Garcelle and the rest of the cast once RHOBH resumes the second half of Season 10 on July 8!
