The name says it all. Joyful is an adjective of glee, electric energy, and jubilation. And actress Joyful Drake is the embodiment of her namesake. The outgoing series regular, who plays Tasha Woodson on the Queen Latifah-produced ”Let’s Stay Together,” is staking her claim in Hollywood as a comedic actress, emerging writer, and film star.
Nicknamed “The Hurricane” by relatives, Joyful is a whirlwind of depth and versatility. A proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, this art enthusiast fuses her talent with social service, not only with her acting, but also through dance and philanthropy. With a foundation dedicated to uplifting and empowering young women, Joyful is more than an upcoming Hollywood starlet.
Here, she explains why women are smarter than men and why sisterhood is always on her mind. Joyful also reveals her favorite hair and beauty secrets, favorite Atlanta hot spots, upcoming projects, and, of course, the inspiration behind that name!
[Image: Carell Augustus]
UPTOWN: Let’s start off with your name! What was the inspiration behind it?
Joyful: My dad named me. They were going back and forth between just Joy and Joyful. My dad said ‘there’s a lot of Joys in the world, but no Joyfuls’ so I guess he knew way back when that I would be me!
U: You’re from Milwaukee and you moved to New York. How did you get your start in acting?
Joyful: My big break was my recurring role on the Showtime series ”Soul Food.” I got my big break by pounding the pavement! It’s no secret except hard work, dedication, and you audition your heart out! That’s how I got my first acting job. And being on the set with Nicole Ari Parker, Malinda Williams, and Vanessa Williams — they were so embracing and such an amazing cast, I knew this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
U: Was acting a childhood dream or something you fell into as you grew older?
Joyful: Acting was a piece of the puzzle, let’s just say. I’ve always been into entertaining and having fun. I was a very active child — I played every sport from volleyball to football. I was the quarterback in flag football! I was in jazz choir, drama theater, I danced in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks. I wouldn’t say I grew up saying I wanted to be an actor, but I knew I wanted to be in the artistic field and through trial and error I figured out it was acting.
[Image: Carell Augustus]
U: You mentioned you were a dancer for the Milwaukee Bucks, and you’re one of four daughters and you’re an AKA! How has all of that impacted your career and the roles you take?
Joyful: Well, I love the men out there but let’s just say — women were just smarter! (Laughs) I come from a family of women, not only do I have three sisters, but my mom has nine sisters! My mom being the female role model she is … she’s a wife, mother, grandmother, a doctor, and she’s an AKA, which is why I wanted to become an AKA. Women are very, very heavy in my family and we have a lot of strong, powerful, beautiful women. That sister support will never go away.
You know the trials you face [in] a society where women are paid less for doing the same jobs? A society where we’re supposed to look and act a certain way? We’re breaking those chains. Like Michelle Obama, you can be sexy and powerful and still be feminine and support your husband.
U: You are a series regular on BET’s ”Let’s Stay Together.” How similar are you to your character?
Joyful: I’ve been Tasha Woodson since the beginning- for 55 episodes. So getting ready to go into our fifth season, there is this merging of yourself with the character, which is great. Tasha has a lot of Joyful in her, and Joyful has a lot of Tasha in her.
The biggest thing about my character and myself is, we like to have fun, we like to laugh, we love hard, and we love our families. Our families are our world and we’re all about family. That’s the biggest thing we have in common.
[Image: BET]
U: Tasha is a married mother of twins, do you have children of your own? Are you married?
Joyful: I’m not married. No, I don’t have children yet. I have two adorable nieces and two adorable nephews, who are the light of my life , so I can’t wait until I do have kids!
U: On set and off set your hair is always laid. What is your hair regimen?
Joyful: Thank you! I think you always need a good conditioner! I do not process my hair at all, it’s all natural, which makes it easy to wear curly or wear straight. When I’m not working, I love to have my natural curls in. But when I’m working and it has to be straight for my character, I let them straighten or blow dry it.
I love roller sets by the Dominicans. They are easy on my hair. But when I’m not working, the biggest key for me is condition, condition, condition! Put some coconut oil in there and just be a natural, pretty girl.
U: Any must have beauty products?
Joyful: Sunscreen! Living in California, you need some sunscreen and I’m not talking about SPF 15. I’m talking about SPF 85!
I love to keep a jar of natural, raw honey that I can just use over my face from time to time, if I have a big photo shoot or if I’m tired. It’s something about raw honey that gives you that glow and that extra oomph . Just put it on your face, lather it, let it sit, depending on how much time you have, rinse it off and your skin is smooth just like silk.
[Image: BET]
U: “Let’s Stay Together” is filmed in Atlanta. Do you have any favorite hangout spots?
Joyful: Houston’s is my spot after we shoot. On the weekend me and my sister — she works with me down here — we’ll go to Houston’s, have a nice glass of red wine, nice entrée, and I’m good. But other than that, we work so much I’m not hanging out in Atlanta too much. I’m too busy working and reading these scripts!
U: Outside of the entertainment industry you founded the Dream Big foundation. Tell us more about that.
Joyful: My Dream Big foundation is geared towards high school students and junior high students. I find that being from a family of women, I can really relate to young girls who are trying to find their path in life.
For me, I changed what I wanted to do frequently because sometimes you don’t know until you’re in it. We talk to the girls and ask, “What do you want to do?” and ”What do you like?” If they don’t know, we ask them to try different things.
These are young girls who want to be judges, lawyers, and business owners. And just taking a little bit of time to talk to them and help them to figure out what schools they want to go to, what school is best for engineering, what financial assistance they can apply for. Coming up with a concrete plan can change their life and their destination. That’s what I hope to do for someone because that was done for me.
U: What can we expect for you this year what’s next for Joyful?
Joyful: I have a few things going on that I’m really excited about. I did this movie called November Rule, produced by Queen Latifah, with Tatyana Ali and La La Anthony. I did a movie called Shreveport opposite Ryan Philippe. He also directed it. He’s an amazing director, amazing actor, and amazing talent.
We’re going back to shoot season five of ”Let’s Stay Together.” I hope to cross over and do some drama parts. I’m studying at UCLA, where I’m taking a writer’s program so hopefully I’ll be able to get behind the camera, as well. Do some fun stuff behind the camera and watch some other actors go at it and make others laugh.
[Image: Carell Augustus]