One of the most honest and exciting performances you’ve seen in the last decade was probably given by award-winning actress and singer, Danielle Brooks. With her break-out role as Taystee in Orange is the New Black and simultaneously making her Broadway debut in the revival of The Color Purple, the gifted Danielle Brooks has blessed us with every turn since the beginning of her career. She’s built it all with love and hard work, going one step further to spotlight incredible Black talent with the founding of her organization, “Black Women on Broadway.” As she continues to showcase her brilliance across genres, watch as her authenticity reaches you beyond the medium.

Coat by Christian Siraino
Shoes by Jimmy Choo

Viola Davis, who plays your mother in Peacemaker, is a fellow Juilliard alum. It is mentioned in her memoir, and online, how her experience training was not incredibly inclusive. In general, have you found that opportunities to train as an actor have extended beyond a white experience?
First of all, I was ecstatic when I found out I'd be playing Viola Davis’ daughter in Peacemaker! We didn’t get to interact much in the first season because of COVID, but with the way James Gunn is approaching the DC Universe, I'm hopeful we’ll get the proper Davis/Brooks combo we all deserve.

As for my experience at Juilliard, I respect her point of view and see the similarities in my own story. I was also asked to play the very traditional, 'white' characters from playwrights like Shaw, Williams, or Ibsen, but my generation, under the late Jim Houghton’s leadership, was lucky enough to work on new pieces by incredible playwrights like Katori Hall, Joshua Allen, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. So, yes, I think training has expanded and given us the freedom to speak in a vernacular that's closer to who we are as people of color, but there is absolutely still work to be done.

You had your breakout role on television in Orange is the New Black and relatively soon after your first Broadway role in The Color Purple. Not many have the incredible challenge and reward of their talents being exposed in different mediums at the same time. How did balancing both projects so early on in your career guide the way you interact with opportunities?
Even though you'd feel like the most sought-after actress in Hollywood to be working on Broadway and a hit TV show at the same time, that kind of schedule is really for a young, single person with no family to come home to. My God, it was so much work to do the job well! Eight shows a week and a 13-episode series where you're in every episode? It was not easy at all.

The grueling schedule at Juilliard really prepared me for it. After completing that double duty, I now have the confidence to balance shooting Peacemaker with doing voiceover for Bad Guys 2, developing my own projects, and being the best wife and mother I can be. It really taught me that even the most complex and difficult things can be done with excellence.

Dress by Deme by Gabriella
Rings by Grown Brilliance
Shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti

In the variety of characters you have portrayed, you have fused into each one, creating a unique performance that is incredibly authentic. How do you approach each role to make them as realistic as possible?
I start by getting to know the character inside and out. What do they like and dislike? What do people say about them versus what do they actually do? I dig into their backstory, and then I infuse them with myself. That self part is all about honesty and truth. For instance, I've never had to shoot a gun at someone, and in Season 1 of Peacemaker, it was Adebayo's first time, too. So, I could bring my real-life fear and intimidation into her world. Then there’s imagination, which is my favorite. If you’re lucky as an actress, you get to play people who are so different from who you are, and that's where the imagination truly takes over. I could go on forever about this, but to sum it up, my process for creating a character comes down to three words: research, honesty, and imagination.

Is there a role you are most proud of?
I’d have to say Taystee. That role came so early on, and I was still figuring out how to trust my instincts. I was fearless and fearful all at once. I’ll look back at a scene and think, 'Dang, I wish I would’ve gone with my gut on that one,' and then other times I’m like, 'Girl, you were in your bag!' But being on that set, and all the trial and error that came with it, taught me so much – how to be a better actress, a better businesswoman, and more importantly, how to be more of myself.

Not that Peacemaker is chill by any means, but it certainly shows you in a different and fun light that many may not have seen you in. Even with its dark, and ever-timely themes, how was coming onto set each day knowing comedy is involved in nearly every scene?
I had the chance to do a lot of improv, which was incredibly fun. It felt great to stretch a creative muscle I hadn't used much since college. I love being in that middle lane, playing with comedy and living in the drama simultaneously, because that's what so much of life is really like for us all.

Through the show, we learn that there is never a wrong time to rock. What song turns your mood around when you need it?
Ooh fun question. I would say anything Glorilla. She’s the ultimate hype woman.

Season 1 of Peacemaker ended with a tone of finality. As Season 2 begins, do we follow the events of Season 1 or are we introduced to a new story? Do we get to see you and Amanda Waller in the same room?
We do follow the events of Season 1, but in an unexpected direction that will have viewers leaning all the way in. As for Adebayo and Amanda Waller? You'll have to stay tuned.

You founded “Black Women on Broadway” with fellow Tony nominees, Amber Iman and Jocelyn Bioh, which highlights and celebrates the amazing Black talent of Broadway. In the next 20 years, where do you want the organization to be?
I hope the organization is a well-oiled machine with steady financing, where we can give away scholarships to young artists, mentor more young artists, and continue to host our annual award show, which is more than the title can express. Not to plug, but I’m plugging, please go check out and support blackwomenonbroadway.org.

What is the most important thing to you as you continue building your career?
The most important thing to me is to BUILD. Keyword: build. I don’t want to just wait for someone to call my phone; I want to build my career in a way that expands my artistry beyond acting. I want to continue breaking down barriers for people like me by creating my own opportunities and building tables and doors that allow others to pursue and thrive in their dreams.

CREW CREDITS:
Talent: Danielle Brooks
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director + Photographer + Producer: Mike Ruiz
Fashion Stylist: Emily Evans at The Only Agency
Hair: Tish Celestine
Makeup: Deneal Kelly
Photography Assistant: Dani Sax
Fashion Stylist Assistant: Orlaigh King
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Seana Watson, Associate Fashion Editor, PhotoBook Magazine
Studio: Love Studios

Danielle Brooks Makes Her Mark