Loretta Devine In "A Snowy Day In Oakland" and Never Being Typecast

For decades actress, Loretta Devine, graced our television screens playing a range of roles. Some of our favorites are Gloria in Waiting To Exhale, Marguerite in Kingdom Come, Shaniqua in Crash, the matriarch Ma'Dere in This Christmas, Ernestine in P-Valley, and the list goes on and on.

Currently featured in A Snowy Day In Oakland, Devine plays Jeanette the local post officer alongside a star-studded cast like Nicole Ari Parker, Deon Cole, and Evan Ross. The film follows a psychiatrist from San Francisco, who finds herself opening her practice in Oakland after she breaks up with her well-off psychiatrist boyfriend.

Written and directed by Kim Bass, the film was inspired by Bass' childhood in Utica and his sudden move to the town, and how he had to adjust to being dropped into a new lifestyle. Bass describes the film as a "dramatic comedy" where it is entertaining but touches on important topics like mental health within a "psychologically-ignored neighborhood."

In this exclusive interview with entertainment journalist, Meah Denee Barrington, actress Devine breaks down her character Jeanette and how this film taps into mental health. Even though the film was shot five years ago, Devine believes this film will have many people ask themselves, "Do I need therapy?" and help open the conversation around mental health within Black communities. Devine even dropped some acting tips that helped her have a long-lasting career. Watch the full interview now (video above) and take a peak at the trailer below.