Crème Magazine: How did you get involved in the project?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: I went to the open casting call and in an hour I got a call for the call back, which was the next day.  In half an hour I got a call that Mr. Daniels wanted to meet with me. I went to meet him the next day [this is all Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday]. Wednesday, we had a meeting in his office and we talked about nothing; nothing of relevancy at all. We talked about sunglasses and cake from Brooklyn and Lenny Kravitz and really nothing; and then he just offered me the part without another audition.

Crème Magazine: What was the most challenging thing for you in this movie?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: I just remembered something. That triggered a memory. What was challenging was the fact that I had no acting experience. And I was afraid that I would be obvious to the other actors who either were trained or had a few movies under their belt; or videos or whatever, who basically have done this. I didn’t want to look like a novice up against them and I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time with me not understanding what things mean or not knowing which way to face or anything like that.

So, that was really tough at first. But that’s like one of those things that you’re nervous about before you show up. Like, I was nervous in the car on the way to set for the first time [but] once I got there and I realized--I looked around. There were so many people involved in the production. It’s something like a hundred to 150 people. I realized that I’m in every single scene and if I don’t show up then they’re all here for nothing. And so I had to put it on. And all the nervousness kind of dissolved and melted away. I did my job.

Crème Magazine: You’re a very pretty young lady.

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: Thank you.

Crème Magazine: Didn’t you want to kick Mo’Nique’s ass?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: No. No. I didn’t. I think sometimes while watching it, it’s a completely different experience watching it and having filmed it too. No. I think every- Precious doesn’t want to kick “Mary’s” ass at all. She doesn’t. She wants a better life for her Mother--at the core of it all. That’s her Mother. It’s the only Mother that she has and she still loves her. I think eventually you see that Mary loves Precious too. But for the most part, Precious wants a better life for her. She doesn’t want to kick her ass.

Crème Magazine: You didn’t come across as an amateur in the movie?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: Thank you.

Crème Magazine:  It was very convincing. Just wanted to tell you that first of all. Secondly, what does this do for you now that you’re an amateur actor who does a professional job on your first movie, you’re looking for other roles I’m assuming now? Full time now?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: Well, I did not want to be an actress. The last thing I wanted was to be was an actress growing up. I did not want to do this at all. But it wasn’t until the day I got hired that I realized that this is what I’ve been running away from all my life. My mom used to bring me kicking and screaming to huggies commercials and I wanted no part of it. All my life people have been telling me—because I make like funny noises and faces and whatever; I’ve been told all my life “you need to be an actress.” But it wasn’t until I smacked dead face into it that I realized this is what I’m supposed to be. And it’s in my lap in such a huge way. I have to do something with it. I have to. And it’s not an obligation either because I love it. I love it. I didn’t realize I would love it. But I do.

Crème Magazine: First of all I wanted to meet you because I said to myself as I was watching the movie-

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: You wanted to meet me?

Crème Magazine: Yes, and I’ll tell you why. Because I’m watching this film and I’m thinking to myself, “Okay, she’s just really, really good or is this is who she is.” I’m glad to see you’re not “Precious”. You’re like two completely different people. I’m just left knowing you’re a really good actor. What did you do personally to prepare for this role?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe:  I totally internalized this girl; which isn’t hard to do. How many times have you met someone that’s not necessarily in her position but maybe kind of in her mind frame and kind of in her life. When I read the novel I felt like I knew this girl. I recognize her in friends and I recognize her in family; and I recognize her in people I did not want to know. And I realized I am part of the problem--that I have ignored her, that I have neglected her--or him. Because this--we’re a fat black girl. All of us. She’s so universal it translates to men as well as all ages; and races. And so I felt a responsibility to this girl that I’ve met time and time again and ignored time and time again. I felt like I finally had to come around and do her justice.

Crème Magazine:  When you say met? Do you mean in real life?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe:  Yeah. I’ve met way too many. I’ve met way too many.

Crème Magazine: Can you explain what you mean when you say we are all fat black girls?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: Precious has been neglected and she’s been beaten to the point where she can’t reach out for her self.  She’s been ignored all our lives. Who here has not ever been ignored? Never felt neglected.

Crème Magazine:  This film tackled really difficult subjects such as parent abuse, teen pregnancy and incest…

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: It’s such an important topic to talk about because no one has talked about it. No one’s talking about it. When I was doing the research right before we started filming I learned, and these number changed often, but back then seven in ten children are victims of abuse. In those seven, one in three are victims of incest specifically. That’s a lot of people. Like, how many people do you know?  

That’s just way to many people. But we don’t know. We don’t know who’s been through it because nobody talks about it. It’s painful. And how can you start to talk about a type of thing that eats away at a victim. It destroys you and so, this film shows something that too many people have gone through but nobody’s been talking about. It shows it’s not just happening to me [it] happens to other people.  It happens to people who have survived it and I can survive it. And if I do speak about it, I can be helped. It’s a little pretentious to say, but I think certainly this film starts a dialogue. Maybe can break a chain. Somewhere.

Crème Magazine:  I like your relationship with the other girls. Was that really sincere, do you still stay in touch with them?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe:  Yeah, those are my boos. We’re absolutely friends. Before we started shooting, I was cast first, and then I had to help audition with the other girls and stuff and when I finally got them I was so invested in them. I felt like, yay we’re friends now. You guys are like my puppies or something weird. We were all set in place and it was our homework to have two meals a day with each other. So we would meet for breakfast.

Crème Magazine: He didn’t tell us that. You did some preparing.

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: We would meet for breakfast. Not that we would rehearse or anything like that, we were becoming friends. So that while we were on set, we really knew each other. Really, we were friends. So it wasn’t fabricated at all.

Crème Magazine: So you were part of the selection process of these other young ladies?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: I guess. Not that they gave me a choice or anything like that. But I certainly had helped to audition a few.

Crème Magazine:  Did you meet Oprah?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: Yeah. So, I met her in Toronto at the Toronto Film Festival. And she is Oprah. We were in this room and it was maybe this big and full of people, all the suits of the movie, the producers and executive producers and Lion’s Gate’s people, the studio people and she’s right there. And everyone is like Gabby go meet her and I’m like, I’m not ready. When they’d push me to her I would spin out of it. And I’d say on my own time. But she looks at me and she keeps inching her way to me. But she’s Oprah.  I want to stop her every step. It took maybe fifteen minutes for her to finally get to me and I couldn’t run anymore because I was backed into a corner. Like, who runs from Oprah? That’s already weird.

Crème Magazine: Can you talk about your relationship with Lee Daniels?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe:  He’s so very protective of me. It’s really kind of a paternal relationship. He knows that I don’t know what I’m doing--that I didn’t know what I was doing, that I still have so much to learn. He’s taught me so much. He’s got a weird reputation for being a little bit of a tyrant. I don’t see it at all. He’s like Uncle Lee--Uncle Lee-Lee who I call Mr. Daniels.

Crème Magazine: Can you please talk about working with Mariah Carey? I was totally blown away by her performance.

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe: She’s amazing, she’s wonderful and she’s really just a girl. It’s so funny to watch. I loved Mariah. Not to say that I don’t anymore. But I had so much admiration. I just idolized her. And then she walks in and she’s Mariah, and then by day two she’s just "Mari-Rai"! Which is what I call her secretly. Her secret nickname. She’s just a girl. It’s so weird to watch somebody you idolize dust off the diamond sheen and become real people.

Crème Magazine: What role do you have coming up next?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe:  I just finished my second film called “Yelling to the Sky.” I got to be a bad girl, kind of Miss Popularity, Queen of the school who drinks forties and makes out with boys and beats people up so that was pretty awesome. It was playing the victimizer versus playing the victimized. Not that, that’s what I look for specifically but for different roles that are people who I know.

Crème Magazine:  You are just the opposite on what you project in the movies. There is nothing dumb about you. Where did you go to school?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe:  My Mom’s a teacher. I’m sure that helps. I’ve been reading since I was three or four years old because my Mom’s a teacher. I went to school all my life here in New York on the Lower East Side in District One. I graduated from Washington Irving High School and I went to three colleges but never finished. I had to stop and become a movie star. But I went to City College, Borough of Manhattan Community College and Mercy.

Crème Magazine: What would be your dream role?

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe:  I don’t know--The story of Gabriel Sidibe. It’s all a dream.

Front page image photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images North America

Part 1 interview with director Lee Daniels

Part 2 interview with director Lee Daniels