Kimberly Elise
The acclaimed actress on single motherhood.
by Tammy La Gorce
February 6, 2009
Kimberly Elise is a veteran working mom: back in 1996 when she starred in the urban flick
Set It Off, her older daughter was a preschooler. Now the work-life balance is old hat to the 42-year-old actress, who stars alongside Cuba Gooding, Jr., in the parent-boosting TNT movie
Gifted Hands, to air February 7th. From her L.A. home, she talked to Babble about mothering two girls, winning awards,
and the importance of not letting parental anxiety rule your world. — Tammy La Gorce
In Gifted Hands, you play Sonya Carlson, the mother of Ben Carlson, who overcame an impoverished childhood
and early academic problems to become a best-selling author and director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkin's Children's Center. Must've been inspirational.
Yeah, it was amazing. She is an extraordinary woman. She had so many of her own challenges — depression, being abandoned by her husband — but she raised two amazing sons.
You're a single mom and so was Sonya. Did that help you get into the character?
I could totally relate. I was married for many years and then I became a single mother, and that's definitely a challenging life role. It's powerful. You approach life in a different way — I could understand her sense of heightened responsibility.
When you're a single parent everything is on your shoulders in every possible way. My situation is much different than hers in that I'm not battling depression and mental illness, and I live in L.A. with my daughters and we have a couple of great family friends
who help when I need it. I don't struggle as much. But I get what it's like to be by yourself.
Do you think raising two boys as a single mom the way Sonya did is harder than your situation, raising two girls?
I think it depends on the personality of the children. My children are easy, they've made my life better and they're easy to accommodate. Boys are definitely different. But I've never had a daughter in a film — I've always had boys when I play mothers. But
that's good. That's how I get my boy experience.
©2009 Tammy La Gorce and Babble
About the Author
|
|
Related Articles
|
|
Tammy La Gorce is a freelance entertainment writer living in New Jersey with her son and daughter. Her work regularly appears in The New York Times, GRAMMY and other magazines. |
|
|
-
by Kate Tuttle
My addiction to pregnancy reality shows.
-
by Catherine Connors
The stars we most want in our playgroup.
-
by Nicole Feliciano
Tackling birds, bees and the family bath.
|
