Good.
A point of pride, but also, I’m a single mom, so my situation is I have to be home with my son. That’s the deal. That’s my commitment. I want to still try to work and do the things that I love and be with the people that I love, but I have a commitment that is very specific and unique to my circumstances.
What are some specifics you wish you knew going into this that would’ve made things a little easier in the beginning?
Surround yourself with a support system, maybe even before the baby is born. Get that in place, know who your people are. If you have a husband or a partner, find out what role they’re going to serve in the big picture of raising this child, and what role they’re not going to serve, so you can fill that space. Be brave and have an honest conversation with your spouse. And be honest, even with yourself, like, I know he’s going to be really good with this, but he’s going to be terrible with this, and then I’m going to get pissed off, and then I’m going to feel alone.
How often did you take Yoby with you to an event because you couldn’t find a sitter? Or were invited to an event, but said, âWell, I’ll have to bring my son, too?â
When he was a baby, I took him everywhere. Let’s start with Nashville. I mean, he would come with me to set. When I first adopted Yoby, I was actually shooting American Horror Story, and he loves to look back at these pictures now because we would drive around the Paramount lot on golf carts or bicycles. I had a bicycle, and I would just carry him in my little carrier strapped to me, and he loved the idea that he was zooming around on golf carts at the Paramount lot. But it’s funny, I went to a rally this weekend and asked Yoby if he wanted to go, and he goes, “Nope.” I thought to myself, I probably dragged him to too many rallies. He’ll become an activist later in his life, but right now he’s like, âI’m good.â
I’m so proud of you that you’re speaking so openly about raising a son and being a single parent. Was there ever a time you were hesitant to be this open?
I’m a very private person traditionally, and it’s funny, I remember when Kyle Chandler and I were doing Friday Night Lights and we would talk about giving interviews. I’d be like, âOh, I don’t want to talk about that. I don’t want to answer those kinds of questions.â He goes, âWell, I just make stuff up.â I’m like, ââWhat?”
No way!
But the one thing that came hand in hand with me when I started to pursue my dream of acting, I also had a dream of being able to give voice to the voiceless and find a way, if it was possible, to use my own voice in service of others who need help. So, this kind of just emerged, because I realized that there was a void in terms ofâ¦I just was shocked, like, why has nobody made this show before? Why is nobody really having this conversation? I saw an opportunity. I’ve always felt a human responsibility to do that, and that’s only because I recognize how powerful my own community and my own support system has been to me. I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in if I didn’t have my own community. So again, it’s just sort of passing on my own experience about it.