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.”
10-19-Backpage.indd 280 24/07/2019 08:38