In a recent appearance on TheGrio‘s Acting Up podcast, multi-talented performer Anika Noni Rose sat down with Cortney Wills and opened up about her career and hosting of the third season of the Being Seen podcast.

Season 3 of Being Seen, is described as, “an in-depth exploration of the Black female experience, told through ten episodes that explore the ways in which we inhabit spaces like power, freedom, desire, and safety.” When speaking about why she joined this project, she shared, “I wanted to do the podcast because it was a way to reach out to Black women themselves in a space that isn’t fictionalized.”

Anika Noni Rose attends Black Girls Rock! 2017 at NJPAC on August 5, 2017 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for BET)

“We know the power of media, and the power of roles, and role-play and what fiction can do to allow people to see themselves,” she continued. “But this is a really wonderful opportunity for me to reach out to people and for people in a ‘real life’ space.”

Through the podcast, she hopes listeners will see that their struggles are not their own and that people who may appear to be “at the top of their game” are still human, and with human challenges. The podcast also spends a great deal talking about mental and physical health, as well as HIV and the stigmas surrounding it.

“We talk about HIV, which somebody would say, ‘Oh that’s not an issue anymore,’ but it is such an issue, particularly for Black women in America,” she added. “Until we actually put words into the air so that we can share conversation, none of these things will change.”

Anika Noni Rose attends the 74th Annual Tony Awards at Winter Garden Theater on September 26, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

Later in the podcast, Rose shed light on her career and intentionality behind the roles she plays. She revealed, “I want to do roles that I can be proud of. I want to do roles that would make my grandmother proud.” Still, she insists that she wants to show “all of humanity” through her work.

“I’m not always trying to be a teacher when I’m acting, sometimes I’m just trying to have some fun,” she added. “I do believe, if we’re going to show humanity we have to show all of humanity, but there are ways in which stories are told that do not align with me, and do not align with my spirit.”

Being Seen is produced by Harley & Co. and created in partnership with ViiV Healthcare. Read more about Being Seen, here.

The latest episode of Acting Up is available to stream now where podcasts are found.

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