British Vogue - 10.2019

INTERVIEW: AMEL MUKHTAR.

ETHAN JAMES GREEN/TRUNK

ARCHIVE; GETTY IMAGES; PENGUIN CLASSICS; PIXELATE.BIZ

VOGUE ASKS

Who’s your fantasy best friend?

Oprah Winfrey. I would get

all the knowledge.

You’re naturally shy. How

do you overcome it?

My shy side just wants to run away from

everybody. Sometimes it’s like, “No, you

gotta fight.” I tell my shy side to shut up.

You play a toucan in the animated series

Tuca & Bertie. What animal would you be?

A unicorn. Unicorns are magical, mystical

creatures. If you’re kind to them, they’ll

bring joy and happiness, and if you’re not

kind to them, they’ll stab you in the

heart with their horn. That’s me.

What are the luxuries you can’t resist?

I buy massages from Groupon, because I

don’t know how long this is going to last.

You took your own fried chicken to the

Met Gala. What was on it?

Some pepper, salt, a little Lawry’s Tiffany

Haddish Seasoned Salt. I gave some to

What would

Tiffany Haddish do?

Advice on life from the straight-talking actor and comedian

reporters, and so many people were coming up

to me like, “I heard you have some chicken...”

You’re making a rap album. Who are your

dream collaborators?

I’m not making a rap album, per se – I’m

making music so I can put it in my movies,

comedy special and Netflix show. I would

love to do some songs with Snoop Dogg,

Cardi B, Mary J Blige...

How do you gear up for a live show?

I look in the mirror and say, “Tiffany Haddish,

I love and approve of you. If no one else does,

it’s because they don’t know any better.” Or I’m

like, “Girl, you look so good today. Look at you.

She ready. Yeah!” I “motivational-speak” myself.

Which Instagram account should

I be following?

My charity’s, @shereadyfoundation,

which empowers and supports children in

the foster care system, like I was. n

The Kitchen, Tiffany Haddish’s latest film, is

released on 20 September

You famously wore

the same white Alexander

McQueen evening gown to

several events. What are your

tips on buying a forever dress?

“When you buy a dress that’s

really expensive, make sure it’s

something that moulds to the

shape of your body, so that if

you change, it’s still gonna look

great. If it’s like, ‘If I gain any

weight, this dress will not fit

me,’ that’s a rental dress.”

What’s the most illicit thing

you’ve done? “I still like to

steal nail polish. The next

time I’m in the drugstore,

if you see me in the nail

polish section, you should

check my bag, because

I’ve probably got some.”

You didn’t learn to

read until high school.

Which book made you

the most glad you did?

“I read all Shakespeare’s

plays and went into

a rabbit hole from

there. My favourite is

A Midsummer Night’s

Dream. I also like The

Taming of the Shrew.”

I’m throwing a party.

What songs will get it

started? “I like some

Spice Girls. ‘Wannabe’

is a good one to bust

out of nowhere.”

I only have a day to

spend in LA. What

should I do? “You need

to go to a good soul food

restaurant. My favourite

is D’s Original Take Out

Grill, off 79th and South

Western Avenue. The

food is de-li-cious.

Sometimes I order extra

brisket, put it in a

sandwich bag, keep it in

my purse and eat it

throughout the day.”

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