The Hard Work Of Cultivating Confidence
Artists in Conversation: Talking with Actor & Producer ERIN CHERRY
In this installment of Artist Stories, Renika Williams chats with fellow Uptown Collective founding member Erin Cherry about ways to build confidence and confront fear. Cherry is an Emmy-winning actor, producer and acting coach.
As a producer, Cherry created her own health and lifestyle show, Sunday’s With A Cherry on Top, for which she serves as the host. Her television credits include roles on CBS’ Blue Bloods and NBC’s Law & Order. She has appeared in theaters across the country including Manhattan Theatre Club, Hartford Stage, Denver Center, and New York Stage and Film, among others. Cherry is also a private acting coach and acting teacher.
Williams, an actor, writer and teaching artist, portrays Willow on HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Renika: You’ve had quite the journey in NYC, not only as a working actor but as a producer and acting coach. Sometimes I think artists feel like we need permission to do more than one thing. Have you ever felt that way?
Erin: I feel like I need permission all the time. I have these moments of like, why do I need permission to follow my dreams, or give over to my talents the way I am being called to show them? It is my divine right to utilize the gifts that God has given me. I don’t need permission to let my light shine, but it’s a hard journey. I will sometimes find myself waiting instead of starting because I think I need permission.
Renika: How did you decide you wanted to go beyond acting and pursue producing your own work?
Erin: I was not even thinking about producing but people kept saying to me you are a producer. You are a leader, you have a gift for producing and I was like NO! God is calling me to be an actress. Well, God had other plans because one day a friend of mine [Ngozi Anyanwu] came to me and said I have this story about first generation Nigerians that I want to tell and my response was let’s do it and the rest is history. First Gen was my first NYC producing project and I have not looked back.
Renika: This season in The Uptown Collective, we’re focusing on building confidence and confronting fear. You are one of the most confident women I have truly ever met, have you always been that way?
