Breaking Cycles, Facing Truth: Is God Is Sparks Raw Conversations on Black Womanhood

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Latest with Loren LaRosa

Episode: Breaking Cycles, Facing Truth: Is God Is Sparks Raw Conversations on Black Womanhood
Date: April 29, 2026
Host: Loren LaRosa
Network: The Black Effect Podcast Network & iHeartPodcasts
Event: On-scene interviews at the New York City premiere of "Is God Is"

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Episode Overview

Loren LaRosa takes listeners behind the scenes at the New York City premiere of Is God Is, a new film adaptation (originally a play) written and directed by Alicia Harris. This episode explores the film's themes—generational trauma, the intricacies of Black womanhood, mother-daughter relationships, spirituality, and the ongoing journey of breaking destructive cycles. Through candid interviews with the cast, creators, and cultural commentators, the episode sparks raw conversations about the challenges and strengths unique to Black women, both within families and society at large.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Film's Heart: Black Womanhood, Trauma, and Healing

• The Story: Two sisters, marked physically and emotionally by familial trauma, embark on a journey of revenge and self-discovery.
• Central Themes: Inherited pain, navigating anger, breaking generational cycles, forgiveness, loyalty, and self-preservation.
• Loren introduces the episode:

  "Everything from generational trauma to black women dealing with their anger, to us dealing with our families and all the things that come with them. And some hard truths about what it takes to break generational curse." (01:30)

2. Producer Perspective: Tessa Thompson (interviewed by Loren)

• Why Produce This Story:

  "I started my company, Viva Mod, with the hope to produce stories for and by black women that allow us to be all of the things that we are. And this piece sort of exemplifies that tenfold." – Tessa Thompson (02:52)

• On Mother-Daughter Dynamics:

  “One of the themes... is the trauma that we inherit from our parents. ...our freedom is so precious, and sometimes it just means you have to let go of all of that and live for yourself and on your own terms.” (03:59)

• Letting Go of Isolation:

  "I think letting go of this idea that you're doing it alone, you know, really inviting in community, calling on your support." (05:07)

• Importance of Theatrical Cinema as Community Experience:

  “These moments that we can come together and be in a cinema together and take in art and storytelling is so powerful. It puts us into community.” (05:51)

• On Hollywood Shifts:

  "...for so long in Hollywood, there was this idea that black faces don't travel particularly globally, and it's just like, undeniably untrue." (06:56)

3. Alicia Harris (Writer/Director) on Artistic Intentions

• Why Adapt From Stage to Screen:

  “There was great interest in it. I felt really affirmed by the way that people responded to the play… I just got to go full throttle.” (08:03)

• On Addressing Taboo Emotions & Conversations:

  “...there's this conversation or multiple conversations that you want to have, but you feel like you shouldn't as a black woman... I think the most important thing to put inside of it was this question about what it cost someone to seek revenge, what it costs to carry that anger.” (09:00)

• Breaking the Superwoman Myth:

  “I hope that [Black women] take from that that it isn't their job [to save everyone]. …You're not superhuman. You are a human being.” (11:12)

• Generational Guilt & Boundaries:

  “There are some parents who unfortunately might act up like the mama in this story...you need to have a strong boundary with. And I think it's important to take care of yourself.” (10:24)

4. Cast Perspectives: Navigating Sibling Dynamics and Trauma

• Mallory Johnson ("Anaya"):
  • Her character’s role: “She is not the twin who is abrasive… more of the thinker.” (16:10)
  • Co-dependency and Breaking Free: “It's easy to assume that Anaya needs Racine, but I think it's actually reversed... Anaya is trying to break free.” (17:39)
  • From Victim to Weapon:

  “We guard ourselves. We armor ourselves so much that we become very, very sharp, but it's not really who we are. We're really just scarred internally.” (19:06)

  • On Rewriting Your Story:

  "You can always break free. You can tell your own story... any story that you have told yourself... can be rewritten at any time in your life." (19:06)

• Kara Young ("Racine"):
  • Physical and Internal Scars:

    “The burns really... represent an amalgam of things. ...the traumas that exist on us and inside of us.” (22:20)

  • Generational Trauma as Unseen Inheritance:

    "We don't know the source of the thing, but it is inside of us." (23:42)

5. Black Womanhood, Spirituality & Cultural Context

• Erica Alexander ("The Healer"):

  • Religious Trauma and Power:

    “...black people's only... pain pill was religion. ...The only power you had was faith in tomorrow and in not this earth, but some other place where you would be happy. ...What you use as a weapon sometimes becomes a weapon against the other people." (26:33–27:40)

• Chanel Monae (Cast Member):

  • On Storytelling for Black Women:

    "If Shakespeare had or Hamlet had their poetry, Alicia Harris has her poetry for black women..." (28:40)

  • On Expressing Anger:

    "I can't tell black women how to feel about that and what kind of revenge they need to get to handle what has happened to them. ...this film gives you a spectrum of many ways of how we're all dealing with the destruction of man, the destruction that man has caused to women." (30:06)

• Josiah Cross (Cast):

  • On Spiritual Themes & Contradictions:

    “I was raised in a church, you know what I'm saying? ...Growing up black in the church, you’re called upon these... morality kind of missions for your life... But sometimes… you blur the line with your spirituality and your faith…” (33:24–34:55)

  • On Loyalty and Allegiance:

    "Loyalty and allegiance is something that is… a guiding light or star for my character." (35:13)

6. Bevy Smith: Real Lessons for Real Life

• On Sisterhood and Self-Protection:

  “I am my sister's keeper. For real. For real. ...Your instinct as a woman, you have to always...When you're encountering people that seem like devilish spirits, don't ignore that. Run.” (36:41–37:15)

• On Setting Boundaries and Navigating Ambition:

  “To thine own self be true is what Shakespeare. And it's so important for all of us to learn who we are so that we can be true to ourselves.” (38:10)

• Embracing Not Knowing:

  “We don't appreciate the not knowing. We don't appreciate the discovery. ...If you're not evolving, then you're stagnant. And if you're stagnant, then you're, like, just dying real slow.” (39:34–38:52)

• On Generational Trauma and Ambition:

  “Having to feel like you got to figure it all out is very generational...you think about it as, like, you know, as ambition or as, like, motivation until you get old enough to realize that there's some trauma in that, too.” (39:13)

• Personal Evolution:

  “As someone who is 59 years old and who was going through it yet again, like, I had my first big shift in my life at 14. Then I had another one at 38, and now I'm having one at 59.” (40:48)

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Tessa Thompson on self-preservation:

  “Our freedom is so precious, and sometimes it just means you have to let go of all of that and live for yourself and on your own terms.” (03:59)

• Alicia Harris on anger and Black womanhood:

  “To say to Black women, especially...that we shouldn't feel angry or to pathologize us because of our anger is dehumanizing.” (09:16)

• Mallory Johnson on cycles of trauma:

  “We armor ourselves so much that we become very, very sharp, but it's not really who we are. We're really just scarred internally.” (19:06)

• Kara Young on generational pain:

  “We don't know the source of the thing, but it is inside of us.” (23:42)

• Erica Alexander on religion and Black history:

  “What you use as a weapon sometimes becomes a weapon against the other people.” (27:40)

• Chanel Monae on Alicia Harris’ writing:

  “Alicia Harris has her poetry for black women and for the human experience...” (28:40)

• Bevy Smith on boundaries and instinct:

  “Your instinct as a woman, you have to always...When you're encountering people that seem like devilish spirits, don't ignore that. Run.” (37:15)

• Bevy Smith on evolving:

  “If you're not evolving, then you're stagnant. And if you're stagnant, then you're, like, just dying real slow.” (38:52)

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Segment Highlights (Timestamps / Chronology)

• 01:30 – 03:35: Loren LaRosa sets the scene, previews themes—generational trauma, anger, mother-daughter relationships.
• 03:35 – 07:41: Interview with Tessa Thompson (producer); conversations about breaking cycles and supporting Black women’s stories.
• 07:41 – 11:38: Alicia Harris (writer/director) on translating her play to a film and telling unspoken truths about Black womanhood, anger, and generational burdens.
• 16:10 – 20:38: Cast members Mallory Johnson and Kara Young share insights on sibling dynamics, trauma, and healing.
• 24:15 – 27:40: Erica Alexander connects the film’s spiritual undertones to Black history and the Black church.
• 27:54 – 32:32: Chanel Monae discusses challenging norms, expressing rage, and Alicia Harris’s poetic vision.
• 32:51 – 35:52: Josiah Cross reflects on spirituality, faith, and loyalty as explored in the film.
• 36:14 – 41:16: Bevy Smith shares personal lessons—sisterhood, boundaries, following instinct, and the importance of self-evolution.

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode is candid, earnest, and deeply affirming. Each speaker brings a personal perspective, making abstract ideas (anger, trauma, sisterhood) immediate and tangible. Rather than offering simple resolutions, conversations encourage embracing complexity, holding boundaries, honoring self and community, and refusing to perpetuate harmful generational patterns.

Key Takeaways:

• Black women’s experiences of pain, anger, and healing are multifaceted and deserve honest representation.
• Breaking free from generational trauma requires first recognizing and then challenging inherited patterns, with self-care at the forefront.
• Spirituality, communal healing, and evolving narratives are crucial in both art and life.
• Supporting authentic stories—like Is God Is—helps expand the space for more diverse Black experiences in media.

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For anyone who hasn’t heard the episode or seen Is God Is, this conversation offers a compelling exploration of the courage required to face family truths, the power of creative storytelling, and the deep community ties that sustain Black women through cycles of pain and liberation.

Transcript

[Lauren LaRosa]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

I'm the homegirl that knows a little bit about everything and everybody. You know she don't lie about that, right? Lauren came in hot. Hey, y', all, it's Lauren LaRosa and we are here for the latest with Lauren LaRosa and we are on the latest scene which is the is Good God Is premiere here in New York City. Now it's God is is in theaters May 15, but tonight we take you behind the scenes of one of the premieres to the world and to us as the journalists in the media and the conversations that it sparks. Everything from generational trauma to black women dealing with their anger, to us dealing with our families and all the things that come with them. And some hard truths about what it takes to break generational curse. Following the success of Sinners, this play that has now turned into a movie adaption by a black woman, Ms. Alicia Harris. It's, it's, it's going to take over. I'm so excited for you guys to see the film, but more excited for you guys to get into the conversations we have tonight starring Viva K. Fox, Ms. Erica Alexander and so many more. Let's get into it.

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

Hey, y'.

[Lauren LaRosa]

All.

[Bevy Smith]

What's up?

[Lauren LaRosa]

It's Lauren LaRosa here with the latest with Lauren LaRosa. And today we are on the latest scene, which is the Is God Is premiere here in New York City. And I am joined by the beautiful Miss Tessa, Tony Thompson. Hello. How you doing?

[Viva K. Fox]

I'm so well, thank you.

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

How are you?

[Lauren LaRosa]

I'm doing amazing. I mean, it's lively in here. Y' all looking good. Okay, we about to go see this film, so jumping right into it. I know you're one of the producers on the film, right? For you picking this up as a producer, why?

[Viva K. Fox]

Oh, goodness. I think because I started my company, Viva Mod, with the hope to produce stories for and by black women that allow us to be all of the things that we are. And this piece sort of exemplifies that tenfold. I think Alicia Harris is a real visionary writer, director, and this incredible cast. Sorry, I'm looking over here because I'm looking at my beautiful cast over there, Vivica. Just all of them. And so I'm just so excited to bring it to audiences.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So this film, one of the things that really stood out to me is number one black women in their relationship with their mothers.

[Viva K. Fox]

Yeah.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And how, you know, up and down and very, like, all over the place that can be. But the love that's at the center of it. For anyone who has had a very. I wouldn't even say trouble, but a very imperfect relationship with their mother. As a black woman who is learning that their mom was just doing the best she could, but also managing her own anger, her own trauma.

[Viva K. Fox]

Yeah.

[Lauren LaRosa]

What would you say to them after this family goodness?

[Viva K. Fox]

I would say, you know, we. One of the themes I feel like that is in this film is the trauma that we inherit from our parents. And I feel like one of the things that feels hopeful at the end of this movie through all the blood, sweat and tears, literally. With all the blood, sweat and tears, literally, is that at the end of it, we can sort of break the cycles. We don't have to. We don't. We. We inherently, I think, particularly as black women take on those struggles and that trauma. But the truth is, our freedom is so precious, and sometimes it just means you have to let go of all of that and live for yourself and on your own terms. And I think that would just be my sort of message, I suppose, which is that, of course, we always have each other's backs, but also, first and foremost, like, take care of yourself, girl.

[Lauren LaRosa]

What is Tessa Thompson Letting go of today in her life, not right this day, but like in this era of Tessa Thompson right now, what are some things that you've had to learn to let go?

[Viva K. Fox]

I think letting go of this idea that you're doing it alone, you know, really inviting in community, calling on your support.

[Lauren LaRosa]

What's up with us? Why we always trying to figure it out all by ourselves?

[Bevy Smith]

Yeah.

[Viva K. Fox]

Allow yourself to admit that you don't have it figured out, that things are hard, that you're tired, that you need some extra support. I think that's something that I'm really allowing myself to lean into, you know.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And I know you on Broadway.

[Viva K. Fox]

Yes.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So, first of all, I know this film actually is derived from an actual play, you know? You know, so in just being in that space from in front of the camera to now behind the camera, talk about how important it is to archive media or art that is actual live theater.

[Viva K. Fox]

Oh, I mean, you know, that's one of the things that's so exciting about this film is that we're bringing it to audiences in a theater. And listen, I love to stream. I love to be on streaming as an artist. I love to watch it as a. As my own self. But I think these moments that we can come together and be in a cinema together and take in art and storytelling is so powerful. It puts us into community. I remember when I went to go see Sinners for the first time, time in 70 millimeter in England, and the, like, whole theater was just filled with beautiful young black folks and just that sense of community. And so I'm really hoping in the same way that I'm so grateful to the audiences that are coming out and seeing me on Broadway now that people come out and see this film in theaters, because it really does change sort of the experience of taking in the work that we get to do it together.

[Lauren LaRosa]

How has centers opened up things on the back end? Like, you're in a producer role now, Right. Like, I feel like people are having so many conversations about what can be done in cinema and in films because of how many people came out for Sinners. Is it. Are you seeing a shift on the back end side?

[Viva K. Fox]

I mean, I hope. I feel like these things sort of come in waves, but for so long in Hollywood, there was this idea that black faces don't travel particularly globally, and it's just like, undeniably untrue.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Michael Movies as well now.

[Viva K. Fox]

And so I think we. We have to dispel that myth by. By also coming out and supporting these films when they're Here, and particularly works like this Is God Is Like Sinners is an original piece of work with an almost all black cast that is talking about old ideas in new ways. You know, and we have to support those films when they come out because, frankly, they just make room for more films like that. You know, when they succeed, like, when these films like this succeed, we all succeed.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I agree. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate you.

[Viva K. Fox]

Thanks for being here.

[Alicia Harris]

Yes.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Now I have the amazing and the incomparable, the reason why we are even here and why we're even able to get this bible of literature that we're going to see on this screen, introduce yourself to the audience, and tell a little bit about, you know, why is God is went from the theater to the film.

[Alicia Harris]

Yes. So my name is Alicia Harris. I'm writer, director, and one of the producers. Producers of this film. The reason that this film translated from the. From the stage to the screen is that there was great interest in it. I felt really affirmed by the way that people responded to the play. I felt really excited as an artist to see how we could expand the play. And also, one of the producers, Janicza Bravo, said to me, you should direct this. This is your story. I hadn't even thought about it until then, so I just got to go full throttle. Luckily, I had the support of all the army of people who got behind me and beside me to make this movie. And it's been a thrill to take on the assignment of flexing differently into this story.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So I read some of the producers notes, production notes. Right. And a lot of what I heard from you, and you just said it here like, this is your story. But when I was reading your notes, I'm like, okay, I feel her. Because it was like, there's this conversation or multiple conversations that you want to have, but you feel like you shouldn't as a black woman. It's like, we shouldn't talk about the fact that, like, I'll be angry. I didn't like that.

[Kara Young]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Lauren LaRosa]

We shouldn't talk about the fact that, like, family brings you trauma sometimes and you're put in positions. Right. Of all of the things that you could have dived into from your own story that you've been afraid to talk about or face, what was the most important for you to put in your work that you've done with is Goddess?

[Alicia Harris]

I think the most important thing to put inside of it was this question about what it cost someone to seek revenge, what it costs to carry that anger. Because I think we have a Right. To the anger. I think to say to Black women, especially. Especially that we shouldn't feel angry or to pathologize us because of our anger is dehumanizing. But I also think there's another side of allowing someone the freedom of that very human emotion, which is like, what does it begin to cost you to carry that emotion that's not harming the person who harmed you. Now you're doubly harmed. So I think that feels like pretty critical question to sit with.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And I think it'll also spark conversations intergenerationally with mothers, grandmothers, daughters. Right. Because I think about some of the things that, like, I unknowingly took on just because of the people I loved. And now that I'm an adult, I'm unlearning those things to kind of create my own life for myself. But it's hard. Like, it's very hard, especially as a Black woman. Right. You feel like you're leaving the people that you love. Right. So as Black women who are going to watch this film and start thinking about that, what do you say to them when it comes to setting boundaries with family and knowing that, like, our moms were doing just the best that they could do?

[Alicia Harris]

Yeah. I think, personally, it's important to think about who they are now and what they were facing then. As we become adults and see our parents as adults, I think it helps us to humanize them and give them grace for what they went through and try and build and love with them now. However, there are some parents who unfortunately might act up like the mama in this story. You know what I mean, who you need to have a strong boundary with. And I think it's important to take care of yourself. It's hard to get through that conditioning, as you said, of, like, your job is to hold down the community, hold down your family and look at yourself and handle yourself. But I think it's important, it's critical to everyone's survival that Black women care for ourselves.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I think that there's a conversation here, too, that comes from, like, the guilt of being the black woman in your family who has to free the family from something. Right. So what do Black women take away from that when it comes to that conversation?

[Viva K. Fox]

I'm.

[Alicia Harris]

I mean, I hope that they take from that that isn't their job. Just because they've accomplished something to bring everyone else out. People make their choices. I think it's good to be helpful, but to a point, it isn't anyone's job to save everyone. You're not A super person. You're not superhuman. You are a human being. That's not what the movie is trying to say. This is me personally. I'm not trying to give anybody a message, but yeah, I think it's important that we take care of ourselves is the headline.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I agree and I'm so excited for the world to see this. And congratulations.

[Sexual Health Advocate]

Yes, it's me again.

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

We prepped.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Oh wow.

[Sexual Health Advocate]

Oh wow, oh wow. It's the time for empowerment and I've got a message for you. You gotta think about sexual health no matter what. Where, with who. Yeah.

[Kara Young]

Yeah.

[Sexual Health Advocate]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

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[Sexual Health Advocate]

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[Mallory Johnson]

Oh.

[Sexual Health Advocate]

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[Podcast Narrator]

May is mental health awareness month and your twenties, they can feel like a lot. On the psychology of your 20s podcast, we unpack the anxiety, the overthinking, the heartbreak, the identity crisis, all of it that comes with being in your 20s. Because if you've ever thought, is anybody else feeling this way? They definitely are.

[Podcast Guest]

I feel like my 20s was a

[Lauren LaRosa]

process of checking off everything that I was not good at to get to what I was good at.

[Mallory Johnson]

Oftentimes we take everything a little bit too seriously and we get lost in

[Lauren LaRosa]

things that we later on decide weren't

[Mallory Johnson]

even important to us to begin with.

[Lauren LaRosa]

There was a large chunk of my twenties that I like was just so

[Podcast Guest]

wanting to be out of that phase,

[Lauren LaRosa]

out of my skin, and I just really regret not living in the present

[Podcast Narrator]

more each week, we break down the science behind what you're going through and give you real tools to navigate it. Your 20s aren't about having it all figured out. They're about understanding yourself just a little bit better. Listen to the psychology of your 20s on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Lauren LaRosa]

The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection.

[Podcast Guest]

This mental health awareness month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self discovery and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace and self mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected, we're becoming more individualized. But we actually need people in connection. If you've been searching for a software place to land while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you. To hear more. Listen to Deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Gerard Odono]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

Help, somebody, please.

[Gerard Odono]

But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions.

[Comedian/Podcast Co-host]

Psych.

[Gerard Odono]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

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[Comedian/Podcast Co-host]

Cream of chicken soup.

[Gerard Odono]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

All right, y'.

[Mallory Johnson]

All.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So we are here. It's Lauren LaRosa for the latest with Lauren LaRosa. And today we are on the latest on scene and we the God Is God is premiere here in New York City. Now, joining me is one of the superstars of the film. So first, I want you to introduce yourself to the audience, and then I want you to tell them a bit about your character that you play in the film.

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

Okay?

[Mallory Johnson]

Hi, my name is Mallory Johnson, and I play Anaya. And Anaya is one of the twins who is burned severely on her face. She's a lot more quiet. She's a lot more reserved. She's sensitive. She is not the twin who is abrasive like Racine is. She's kind of takes a backseat in terms of the relationship. She's less of the mouthpiece and more of the thinker, you know?

[Lauren LaRosa]

And in the film, you and your sister set out to kind of correct some generational wrongs, Right? And one of the things I thought about is, you know, when you are siblings, when you're eldest child, youngest child, each child experiences a household or a life, even if you guys are growing up together very differently. Yeah. What do you think your character, you know, the twin that you play, what do you think that she most experienced that her twin did not that she learns from that kind of empowers her. Once you guys set out to correct some of those generational wrongs.

[Mallory Johnson]

That's interesting. I mean, I think that in the dynamic that they have, you know, Anaya being the one who is always pulling Racine off the ledge, there's this really beautiful line that she has in the film about she always has to pull Racine back when she goes too far. And I think that there's something that can be learned from growing up and having to, you know, having someone in your life who is. It's hard to explain. I mean, I. I relate to this so much.

[Lauren LaRosa]

She's almost like her. Her. Her barrier, like her godsend.

[Mallory Johnson]

You know what I.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Before y' all meet God, it's like.

[Mallory Johnson]

It's almost like they have this codependent relationship. And it's easy to assume that Anaya needs racism scene, but I think it's actually reversed. I think Racine needs Anaya so much, and I think that she relies on her to stay with her, to stay in this bubble. And I think that Anaya is trying to break free. Break free from the bubble with her until, you know, it. You know, I don't want to give away.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yeah, y'. All.

[Mallory Johnson]

I keep.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I keep telling y'.

[Podcast Guest]

All.

[Lauren LaRosa]

It is so hard to talk to y' all about the film because I think something that is, like, you know, first it's a play, and then it's adapted into a. A film. Right?

[Mallory Johnson]

Yeah.

[Lauren LaRosa]

It's so visual and the story is so deep, it's hard to talk about it in nuance.

[Mallory Johnson]

It is. It really is. And.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And.

[Mallory Johnson]

And also, I don't want to give away too much. I think there's so many surprises. Even though the trailer has been out and people are, like, so excited about the trailer. It's nothing. Like, it's. It's nothing. You haven't seen anything yet, and I promise you, you can't even guess what happens, you know? And I know I don't want to give too much away. I want people to come and watch it and be surprised by what Alicia has done, because it's just so brilliant.

[Lauren LaRosa]

My last question to you is, is, you know, sometimes when you're dealing with revenge and it's something that was passed down through generations or any generational trauma, you become not only a victim, but you become a weapon. In what ways do black women who are dealing with trauma that wasn't their own, but they have no choice to face it. In what ways do you feel like we should protect ourselves from going from victim to weapon?

[Mallory Johnson]

That's a good question. Something that I'm dealing with in my own life. You know, it's hard. It's hard, right? Because we want to. We want to deal with our anger directly, and we don't want to let it consume us. Right. And that's what I think becoming a weapon is. It's like we. We guard ourselves. We armor ourselves so much that we become very, very sharp, but it's not really who we are. We're really just scarred internally. We are scarred internally, and these. These girls are a great representation of that because they're scarred externally as well as internally. And I think that Anaya specifically is a really good example of how, you know, even. Even with all the trauma that you endure and the generational curses and the generational traumas, the cycles. The cycles. The cycles that we are stuck in as a people, as women, you can always break free. You can tell your own story. And I hope that when audiences see this, they have a moment of catharsis and release and realize that any story that you have told yourself about who you are and what you come from and what you can do and what your limitation is, is. Is. Can be rewritten at any time in your life.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Love that, girl. You ate that up.

[Bevy Smith]

Oh, thank you.

[Lauren LaRosa]

You ate that up. Okay. Thank you. Yeah, so make sure you guys go and check out the film. Is God is. I'm trying to tell you guys, it's like, this is like the Bible that the black girls need right now. I guess it's one of them. And it's crazy to say that, because my grandma gonna watch this and be like, we need to sit down and talk. But my mom. I love you. And I'm not talking about the Bible. I'm talking about, like, Bible, you know? All right, thanks for joining me, girl.

[Bevy Smith]

Thank you.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And joining me is one of the stars of the film. Okay. Delivering a very, very charged performance, to say the least. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your character?

[Bevy Smith]

Yes.

[Kara Young]

My name is Kara Young, and I am racing and is Goddess Racine is navigating the world for her sister and herself. You know, we both have burns, but our burns look different. And Anaya's burns are on her face, which makes it so that I'm. I have a different experience in the world when people look at me. And so I'm holding a lot for the both of them, for the both of us, rather. And that might look like an intricate spectrum of what somebody would say that I'm the rough one and Anaya is the quiet one. Yet we both possess different sensitivities that manifest in different ways. And in my way, is to defend and protect and navigate.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Talk a bit. I mean, okay, so there's a lot that you said there that I want to unpack and a little bit of time that we may have. First thing is that I noticed it was the difference in you guys burns.

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

Right.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Physically the difference. Right. And I think that that says a lot to black women who are like, we show up looking different every day, but, like, we might feel that same burn, but you just. I mean, you never know until you get to connect with someone. So for you and your role, what did you learn about the fact that people show up differently, but we all are experiencing something very common?

[Kara Young]

Well, I think that for me, the burns really, truly represent an amalgam of things. But one thing is, you know, the traumas that exist on us and inside of us. And in the beginning of this film, these young women don't know. They know that they were burned, and they know that it happened together and that it was an event, but they do not know in which the why, the how, or the when. And when they get that letter. They are able to excavate and navigate what is, what has become, what becomes known to them. That is. That is told by their mother, which is that their father did this to them. And so what I think is, what's interesting is that when we first meet them, that they don't know where it comes from yet it is living on them, which I think is a sort of a representation of our traumas that live inside of us, that we don't know where that it comes from, and that it's always burning and that the representation of it is. It's always there. But, you know, when we meet our mother, you have to think about the generational traumas that live within all of us and what. How that's carried down. And again, we don't know the source of the thing, but it is inside of us.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Girl. Yes. Y' all have to go see this movie. There's so much. Oh, my God. I could talk to you about being the sibling who, like, has to take on a shield, everything. But also what we just talked about. I feel like there's so much. I don't know. There's a lot of comfort that I think black women and black people in general will feel in watching this from beginning to end. So congratulations.

[Kara Young]

Thank you very much, sister.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I appreciate you. Hey, y', all, it's Lauren the Rosa here for the latest with Lauren the Rosa. And we are on the latest scene at the Is God Is premiere here in New York City. And joining me is one of our favorites, Ms. Erica the icon, Eric Alexander.

[Comedian/Podcast Co-host]

Thank you. I'm so good to see you. It's always good to see you. You live so well, and you got to give everybody at the. The Breakfast Club my love.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I will, I will. And, you know, we've been watching your show. We've been watching, you know, everything. Yeah, that. But also the Rewind podcast that you do. Oh, yes, yes, yes. Well, those are living single, reliving single. Yes. And I want to. Before we get into the movie, I want to ask you, do you feel like, you know, what you guys have done with the podcast? Do you feel like that's all we need in the archiving of what television and film was for that era? Or do you feel like you guys deserve more, like, another shot at it, maybe like a movie or something to get back together would be nice.

[Comedian/Podcast Co-host]

I mean, listen, I was the person who was not for that, but I think that it's not sort of going over the same material or feeling like you're doing the same thing if the movie or the project looks like it's grown. So it depends on execution is everything, but we'll see.

[Lauren LaRosa]

What about some of the conversations that it's brought up for you that you. You hadn't had before? Like, I watched the episode with TC and I remember you.

[Mallory Johnson]

You.

[Lauren LaRosa]

He found out in real time some things that you were championing for that he didn't know about. And I watched the episode with Queen Latifah and, like, you know, just hearing her story, like, have there been any conversations off the podcast from the ones you've had on the podcast that are new, even though you guys have been friends for so long because of the podcast?

[Comedian/Podcast Co-host]

Well, most of the stuff that we talk about is new because you can work with people and not really know them. And, you know, hindsight is insight, and you need 2020 in order to be talk in a different way. Many of us, we were depressed when we were there in different stages. We were also dealing with newfound sort of fame at different levels or disappointment, maybe not feeling like you were being taken seriously. You're all doing that in real time. And you also need growth to. To mature. So we're talking about those things like it's new because it is.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Well, One more. We were about to film. I mean, one question about the film. I think they're about to pull you. So you play the healer. Yes, yes, yes. Divine. Right. Now, I think that this film has such a nuanced conversation about spirituality. What you're allowed to do, not allowed to do when you're dealing with it.

[Comedian/Podcast Co-host]

Yeah.

[Lauren LaRosa]

But a lot of our deep cinematic films always center around the black church and church in general. Why do you think that is?

[Comedian/Podcast Co-host]

Because black people's only. Well, let's just say our only pain people pill was religion. It was proof of life. They, in a way, distorted it. The minute they took us into those dungeons on the shores of Africa and put churches above that to start to radicalize us and change our thinking and make us think that we were with. Even though we didn't know the language, that we had no power, because then we didn't after a while. The only power you had was the faith in tomorrow and in not this earth, but some other place where you would be happy. It was there to keep people for years, Peasants, slaves, and everything, silent. I think that what happened is that they started to learn and the clergy to read, and then suddenly those same things that they could use against us became the weapon that we were going to use for a force of freedom and peace. And that's Martin Luther King and John Lewis and all those people. So what you use as a weapon sometimes becomes a weapon against the other people.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I love it. I wish I could ask you one more, but they're grabbing you. Thank you so much. I always love talking to you. Thank you. I'll see you inside. Hey, y'.

[Alicia Harris]

All.

[Lauren LaRosa]

It's Lauren LaRosa. We are here at the Is God Is premiere in New York City, and I'm joined by the amazing Ms. Chanel. Monae. How are you doing?

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

I'm wonderful.

[Lauren LaRosa]

You always look wonderful too. What are. What are we wearing today? What are we doing today?

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

I am wearing a Bodhi. A Bodhi is one of my favorite designers.

[Lauren LaRosa]

The bag. Oh, yes. I love the bag. I love the texture on everything.

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

Is God is like. This is a gothic southern western film. It's an original, and I'm so honored to be a part of it.

[Lauren LaRosa]

One of the things that I thought about first when I saw the title is God Is. I was like, okay, this is about to challenge what we think we know and what we've been taught to know and teach us how to navigate in between the two of those. And I feel like you're a person that's always having Conversation and pushing the boundary of, like, what should be and what you want to be. How does this film for you convey that to black women?

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

Yeah, I mean, I think what, you know, if Shakespeare had or Hamlet had their poetry, Alicia Harris has her poetry for black women and for the human experience, you know, to be or not to be, like, is God is. Is that. I think that this is one of the most original films I've ever seen. And the script just really blew my mind. One of the best that I've actually ever read. I literally was like, if the way I'm reading this right now is shot exactly just how I'm seeing it in my head, then this is going to blow a lot of people's minds. And honestly, it's exceeded my expectations, because it's tough as a writer, even as a musician or a singer, to find your tone. And she found her tone. She found, like, a thing that people are going to want to come to all the time. So I just think it's so important that people go to the theaters May 15, like, physically show up. How we showed up for sinners show up for is God is.

[Lauren LaRosa]

What about, you know, because I know, you know, a lot of what Alicia is doing is it's the angry black woman trope. Right. In that conversation, a lot of times you're taught to run away from that, to submerge that. But now I'm hearing more black women be like, no, I'm angry, and you're going to hear about it. Right. So what about that conversation in this context and from the script? How do you think that that is? This flips that narrative on its head?

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

Well, I think that, you know, this movie deals with a lot of emotions from pain, revenge, vengeance. It's fun at times. It's funny, it's dark humor. And I think that we, as people, when we're dealing with, like, something as traumatic as. I mean, this is the. Their father was a monster. He tried to. He. He literally tried to kill his new. His. His first wife. I play the new wife, Angie, but he tried to kill his first wife and his two kids. This is a monster. This is a person who is. Who is like a destruction to society and to black women. And I can't tell black women how to feel about that and what kind of revenge they need to get to handle what has happened to them. So I think that this film gives you a spectrum of many ways of how we're all dealing with the destruction of man, the destruction that man has caused two women. And I think that it's so timely, especially as we think about the women in our lives that we know who are survivors, the women that we don't know. No matter what race you are, when a woman is not taken care of or abused at the hands of a man, it's been going on for so long, I can't tell. I can't tell another woman.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And a lot of times, they like old, older conversations. I think about my mom and my grandma and how much they had.

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

They.

[Lauren LaRosa]

They had no idea. Not even no idea. But they couldn't say it was abuse. They just had. That was just a way. A way of life. And then they had to raise a black woman, right?

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

Yeah. No, no, no. We not. We're not standing by that. And I think Alicia Harris wanted to make it very clear that it's all. It's not okay to have to tell black women who are the survivors that they have to suppress their feelings about being abused ever. So I think she does it in such a poetic way and a way that holds space for all the emotions, because this is family, and we're taught to love family. But what does that mean when you love your mother and she asks you to get revenge for her against your father who gave you life? Like, it's a very complicated story, and I think that people are going to talk about it as they should with their families, with their friends. Like, go see it so that you can. You can have that conversation with your loved ones.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Love it. Thank you so much. I appreciate you. Hey, y'. All. What's up? It's Lauren LaRosa here for the latest with Lauren LaRosa, and we are the latest on scene here at the Is God Is premiere in New York City. I have with me one of the cast members from the film, and I am so excited. Well, first of all, introduce yourself to the audience.

[Josiah Cross]

My name is Josiah Cross.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Okay. So, Josiah, I'm really excited to talk about this film, but I know we can't give too much away, right? Exactly. But my question for people that actually got a chance to act in this was when you were reading the script, right? Because I got to read production notes. I got to watch a bit of it. But before I watched it, I read the production notes, and I felt like I was reading like, a. Like, it was just. I'm like, these are notes, and they moving me. Right. So when you first read the script, do you remember your initial feeling? Like, did it hit you spiritually?

[Josiah Cross]

Spiritually?

[Bevy Smith]

I would.

[Josiah Cross]

I would say yes. And that's not just, like. Just because you said that. Yes, but it's more of like, I think that I don't want to, you know, just include like the normal answer people will say. But I was raised in a church, you know what I'm saying? And I think that this twist, even in the name, is something that's, you know, controversial. Controversial about including faith and, you know, spirituality in your art. And I think for me as an artist, I think the number one thing that draws me to any piece of work is the spirituality of it. And I think that, you know, without giving too much away, I think that it's, it's kind of like an oxymoron sometimes growing up black in the church, you know what I'm saying? You're called upon these, these, these virtuistic kind of morality kind of missions for your life as an individual.

[Lauren LaRosa]

You say that. What do you mean? Like, like the things that you can and can't do.

[Josiah Cross]

Exactly. That's exactly what I was trying to say. Thank you, Ms. LaRose.

[Lauren LaRosa]

No, no, no, because I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm hearing you and I'm thinking about the trailer and the fact that

[Josiah Cross]

it's so like that, that's kind of like. I don't want to say fight, but something that I've dealt with in my personal life. You know, kind of the spirituality of my own pursuits, revenge, things that I believe are destiny and my own individual pursuit. And I think sometimes the, the road that you take or by means of which you carrying something out, sometimes you blur the line with your spirituality and your faith, et cetera, which is what you see in this film.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So after, you know, going through the script, after, you know, actually acting now the movie is here and it's out. What. Because I always hear actors say that, like there was a piece of the character that sticks with you. Like you kind of, kind of shake it off. What stuck with you most from your character that you were shaking off or something you kept with you that you're going to. Josiah uses not in his day to day.

[Josiah Cross]

Yeah, I think what I, I think me and Alicia spoke about in initial conversations about the project was what, what keeps people in anything? What keeps you doing your job, what keeps you around your family if you're a family person, etc. And I think something that I was drawn to was the things that personally keep me grounded, man. Something you know, specific that's specifically tied to this movie is loyalty and allegiance. And I think for my character's position and his role and his impact I think that in either direction, positive and negative, I think loyalty and allegiance is something that is. It's a. It's a guiding light or star for my character.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Got you. Oh, my God. I can't wait until y' all see it. I cannot. Yeah. I cannot wait until y' all see this film. Thank you so much, Josiah, for joining us. Hey, y', all, it's Lauren LaRosa here for the latest with Lauren LaRosa. And I am joined by the icon, the legend. We are on site right now for Is God is the premiere here in New York City, and I'm with miss Bevy Smith. How are you doing?

[Bevy Smith]

I'm so happy to be here, obviously, to be here with you, but also, I've already seen the film, and I'm absolutely obsessed with it.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Okay, so let's get into a couple things. Right? So let's get into the film. Yes, I know. We can't give too much away.

[Bevy Smith]

There's so much to give away.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Yes. But. Okay, just. Just in nuanced conversation as a black woman, what was the. The number one thing you took away or you walked away from this movie saying, I'm no longer gonna do.

[Bevy Smith]

Ooh, I am no longer. What did I learn from this movie in that regard? See, I learned more positivity. Like, I learned, like, I am my sister's keeper. For real. For real. That's what I took from it. I also took from it. Like, your instinct. Follow your gut. Your instinct as a woman, you have to always. When you're encountering people that seem like devilish spirits, don't ignore that. Run. Run the other way. Don't run towards the danger. Yeah. So those are the things that I kind of, like, took away from it.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And I think. I mean, what you're talking about when. In relation to the film, I think a lot of it is, like, this is almost like a, like, rite of passion passage story for black women who are becoming. And I think at all different levels, we become. At some point as you're becoming. Right. As Bevy Smith is becoming, and you're entering into new chapters. And, you know, it's. It's. Sometimes it's like they go low, we go high. You know, having to.

[Bevy Smith]

I don't think we ever really do that. I think that's a. That's. We're not doing that anymore.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So that's what I was getting to. In your own personal career, and you're.

[Unidentified Guest/Interviewer]

I said I'm her.

[Lauren LaRosa]

In your own personal career. I watch your show. We see you in the Bed. See you doing all these things, right? Has there ever been a time where you've had to say, no, I'm not. What you just said, like, setting your boundaries, drawing your boundaries, trusting your instinct. Hey, baby.

[Bevy Smith]

Yeah, all the time. All the time. I mean, it's important to thine own self be true is what Shakespeare. And it's so important for all of us to learn who we are so that we can be true to ourselves. Because if you know who you truly are, who you are at your core, then you have a compass that nobody can't turn you around. You know what I mean? You can never get lost if you really know who you are at your core. And so, for me, that's the most important thing that I really want to get across to women, to young people in general, but especially young women. And that's the reason why I'm doing in Bed with Bevy. Because I don't want y' all to feel lost. I want y' all to know there's a lot of different twists and turns in life. And it's okay to feel like I don't know what's next. It's okay to feel like that.

[Lauren LaRosa]

You never feel okay when you're in that, though.

[Bevy Smith]

Yeah. No, you never do. You never do. But I want you to know that it's not the end of the world to feel like that. If you're blessed with creativity, if you're blessed with a lust and a zest for life, you're going to always continually be evolving. If you're not evolving, then you're stagnant. And if you're stagnant, then you're, like, just dying real slow.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I love to hear. I mean, I don't know. I just feel like when I read production notes for this film, when I see the film, the first thing that I thought about, too, was like. Even that feeling of, like, having to feel like you got to figure it all out is very generational. And you think about it as, like, you know, as ambition or as, like, motivation until you get old enough to realize that there's some trauma in that, too. Yeah.

[Bevy Smith]

I think that we live in a world that's so driven by capitalism, so that we don't really appreciate the not knowing. We don't appreciate the discovery. We don't appreciate the curiosity. We. We. That's not really rewarded in this world. You have to be like, I'm this. I'm that. Hands down, that's all I know. That's what it is. And. And that kind of definitive delusion because it's a. It's a delusion when you think you can still stand 10 toes down and know where you're going. Exactly. They always say, if you want to see God, laugh, make a plan. And I believe that.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Tell me about it. Tell me about it. Well, thank you so much.

[Bevy Smith]

That's the beauty of what you've been doing with your career. Right. You've been making plans, and then God will shift them. But you've learned to trust yourself and to go anyway, even if you don't know what's coming next.

[Lauren LaRosa]

You know what's crazy? I think that I'm learning to retrust myself every time I'm presented with something like, you know how. Like, it's not even the pivot. It's like, literally, like, things just change. And you have to trust that, like, at any point, at any level, you. You. Like, you got yourself here, you could figure it out.

[Bevy Smith]

You're gonna figure it out.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Talking to Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts about that.

[Bevy Smith]

Wow. Yeah. Yeah. We all go through it. And as someone who is 59 years old and who was going through it yet again, like, I had my first big shift in my life at 14. Then I had another one at 38, and now I'm having one at 59. So it's. I guess I do it every 20 years or so, so I'm not mad at that. The next one will be when I'm 80.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Well, we love you, and we love to watch the shift because it always gives us great confidence and content. Okay.

[Bevy Smith]

Yes. And speaking of the shift, I'm on the shift with Ty Beauchamp, and I also have my own show, In Bed with Bevy on YouTube. Oh, my next guest is Sunny Anderson. It's really good.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Oh, I'm gonna tune in and tell them when the show drops where they catch it. Is it. What's the YouTube channel?

[Bevy Smith]

Okay, my YouTube channel is the T H E E Bevy Smith, and we have new shows every other week on Tuesdays at 9pm so the next one that's coming up is Sunny Anderson. Tuesday, which is that. What day is that? May. I mean, April. What? April 20th.

[Lauren LaRosa]

I forgot it was even April.

[Bevy Smith]

Today is Monday. Tomorrow is Tuesday.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Episodes drop every Tuesday.

[Bevy Smith]

The last. The last Tuesday in April is Sunny Anderson. And it's good because she had just her show on Food Network. The Kitchen got closed down after 40 seasons.

[Viva K. Fox]

Yeah.

[Bevy Smith]

Which is what you do with that. Like, how crazy is that? And what she's doing with it is great.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Well, we're going to tune in and I appreciate you for all the words. Always in real life, too.

[Bevy Smith]

No, I appreciate you, little lady.

[Viva K. Fox]

We.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Alrighty. Also, that has been the carpet here in New York City. We're actually in Brooklyn. Right. And you know, when you come to Brooklyn, you start telling a lot of truth. So you guys have heard a lot of truths tonight. You've heard a lot of storytelling. You've heard a lot of the why go out in theater? It's May 15th to see is God is. And come right back here when you're done. Get in those comments and tell me what you guys think about it. I'm Lauren LaRosa, here for the latest with Lauren LaRosa. I'll catch you from guys in my next episode. This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.