The Antebellum star and musical force on white saviors, Black critics, and self-advocacy.
When she senses her answer veering off course: “Let me start that over.”
When a tweet of hers is misquoted within a question: “Let me clarify what you just said.
Jessica Chou for EW
I never said that.”
Antebellummarks the 34-year-old Monae’s first lead role in a motion picture.
ButAntebellumimmerses viewers in a world evocative of the time period the title represents, too.
Jessica Chou for EW
“That was really my North Star.”
Inevitably, she went to some dark places.
she asks of the Black women who inspired her take on the character.
“Maxine Waters gets death threats every single day.
She was a big reason why I said yes to this film.
“I’m vocal about what I need,” she says.
Jessica Chou for EW
And I just love how she took up space.”
“The themes in this film are very sensitive for both sides.
At times, the filmmakers closed the set for Monae to best inhabit Henley.
“I really only thought that this would be my career,” she admits.
(Read EW’s critic Leah Greenblatt here.)
I don’t think that [they hold] white folks accountable in the way that they should.
It absolves them.”
“I’m not the filmmaker, I’m not the writer.”
She pauses to consider whether or not to expand on the subject.
“And I’ll just leave it at that.”
As for reactions toAntebellum, once it reaches a wider audience?
“It’ll trigger people in general,” Monae says.
“I really want white people to watch this film,” she says.
So, super honored, and also shy about all of this."
And we should continue to uplift Shea, because Shea gives so much life to whatever Shea performs."
(She affectionately refers to her as her sister.)
Monae wants that level of freedom for herself.
As the conversation wraps, Monae still conveys a strong fervor to reach whatever goals she accomplishes next.
She signs off with an exuberant goodbye: “We’ll talk soon.”
To be sure, we’ll have a lot more to discuss.
