LISTEN to Tichina’s full Yes, Girl! episode here:
If the phrase, “If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready” were a person, it would undoubtedly be Tichina Arnold. Want to laugh? She’s got you. Ready to hear a ballad? She’s got you. Need some Lysol wipes? Tichina’s got you, boo! A favorite of the Yes, Girl! Podcast, Tichina just keeps making the right moves in television and film…and national crises. The beloved veteran singer/actress stopped by Yes, Girl! to chat about her latest projects – Clover, The Main Event, and The Last Black Man in San Francisco; and how she has been able to prepare for a pandemic she didn’t even know was coming.
“Listen, I’ve been stocking up for the past two years. I just felt my spirit years ago. I was like, what are we going to do if something happens? I have moments when I feel vulnerable, and I don’t like feeling vulnerable,” Arnold reminisces with Yes, Girl! hosts Cori Murray and Charli Penn.
“When I had that earthquake happen years ago in 1991, I was wide awake for it. Nobody had money. Cash at the ATMs were out. The electricity, gone. So whatever money you had was in your pockets, or whatever you stashed under your bed. Everybody was coming to me like yo can I get ten, can I get? From that moment on I was like, I have to be prepared for everything.”
Arnold has consistently been prepared in every sense of the word, delivering some of the best comedy we could ask for, for decades and giving an encouraging word when the spirit moves her.
Check out the full episode to hear Tichina’s take on…
…THE IMPORTANCE OF STOPPING AND REFLECTING
“We get caught up in our own vortex and we don’t see anything else but we think we need we have to do, but a lot of times. We don’t need to do anything. This is what this quarantine has brought a lot of people. This is time of us to reflect, and not only that. How are you coming out of this quarantine? Who are you going to be? How are you going to be?”
…HOW SHE CHOOSES PROJECTS TO WORK ON
“I read the scripts, and I sit down and say Tichina, could you sit down and watch this with your daughter? If I can sit down, because I don’t watch myself. I hate watching myself. I’ve tried while we’re on this quarantine. I can’t do it. I just can’t do it, because I’m very critical. So I will just start censoring myself and I don’t want to do that. Especially when it comes to comedy.”
…HER DAUGHTER, ALIJAH’S CREATIVE TALENT
“My daughter has everything. She has things I didn’t possess at that age. Singing is my gift, but Alijah dancing started off. I was like no I know she can sing. I know she can sing. All she wanted to do was dance. I said I know she can sing. So that’s how we started the car karaoke thing. I was getting her in the ride on the way to school to sing and pass the time. Her pen game is ridiculous. She’s just a beautiful soul. I just want to make sure that she remains a beautiful soul, and not become tainted by life. I’m trying to get her to protect her spirit.”
To hear the full episode, listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And don’t forget to follow @ESSENCEpodcasts on Instagram!